PORTRAIT: Laura

Another headshot taken on the same day as the actor in the previous post.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Headshots

Here are a selection of photos from a recent headshot gig.

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PORTRAIT: “Sarge”

While assisting a friend with a short film, one of the actors approached me about getting some headshots.  During a break in filming, I took these shots near a roofed picnic area.  Because he was most interested in getting more tough guy roles in future films, I posed and shot him to create that impression.

No reflectors or artificial lights were used to create the images.  I did change the background color in post so it would provide better contrast with the actor’s skin tone.

PORTRAIT: Zach

I was recently in Los Angeles this December and visited a good friend.  Having never taken his portrait, I took these photos of him one evening at the Grove.  There was a large Christmas tree, plenty of string lights and a snow machine nearby, making for some great backgrounds.

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Another Impromptu Photo Session

A couple days ago, I was at Bond Park in Cary with one of my friends and his girlfriend.  He wanted me to bring my camera so I could teach him more about the fundamentals of photography.  While I was there, I took some portraits of them.  Here are two favorites.

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Headshot (David)

Last week I did a headshot session with David, a local actor.  He wanted an outdoor location for the shoot so I chose Spring Forest Road Park in Raleigh.  I first used the place to shoot a scene from my feature film project “Outside of Darkness” and was pleased with the surroundings when shot around sunset.  At the point when the above photo was taken, the sun was almost completely behind the treeline.  This left little direct sunlight falling on the actor, creating light that was considerably more diffuse yet still directional.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Headshot (Jonathan)

Recently I was asked to create a headshot for an Jonathan, an actor submitting for a role in the TV series Banshee.  I chose the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh as the shooting location, taking advantage of the open shade of the building and the overcast weather that day. I’m glad to say the headshot photos did what they intended to do: Jonathan got a part in the show.  He’ll be featured as an extra in the final episode of season two.

ANN’S PUB Cast Portraits

I’m currently signed up to do the cinematography for a short horror film called “Ann’s Pub”.  Written and directed by Jerry DeMario, the project is currently in pre-production.  As an addition to the movie’s eventual website, I’ve begun taking portraits of the various cast/crew members.  Here are two of the main actors:

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As a possible visual idea for an eventual movie poster, I shot and created this image:

The objects being held in each hand represent different symbolic elements featured in the story. The director wanted a representation similar to that of Kali, a Hindu goddess who has several arms.

Impromptu Portrait Session

These days I’m usually doing shooting and editing video but still do photography from time to time.  Recently I was hanging out with the actor from one of my films and his girlfriend.  I happened to have my still camera with me so we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot and retouched the photos.  Here are some of my favorites:

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Progress in Cinematography

As I have been fairly busy as of late and have not made myself enough time to maintain this blog, I’ve decided to change that by making some new posts.  Here are some shots that I lit and shot which I particularly like, most of which are from the upcoming movie “Outside of Darkness” (the trailer can be viewed here):

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Most of the examples employ pronounced lighting ratios and close-ups.  My past experience as a photojournalist (where getting closer shots of subject matter is valued) and my love of the visual style of film noir play a large influence.