In My chair I had this old chair from the 60's in my studio that models seemed to gravitate towards. So it started a thing with me ever time I did a shoot, I would start with the chair...and of course it had to be black and white.
Why a chair you might ask? I think it's sort of a warm up for the subject. It's something can sit on, prop up against, or get a little posey. It for some strange reason naturally loosens people up. It can also be a sexy thing which I can't quite explain.
Now in this day and age with everything happening in Hollywood, I do want to mention that I am always 100% professional during my shoots. I never cross that line and get creepy, but I can say that having some sort of chemistry with your subject is super important. Sometimes models need to know that they look good and having confidence to direct the model creates a relationship that is hard to explain unless you've been behind the camera.
I love these photos because most of the girls in this series are not professional models, but I made them feel that way and it truly shows. Some of them were more comfortable than others, but the chair is a great prop for putting people at ease; it also gives them something to play with and not focus on the fact that the camera is on them.
I'll give some backside notes on each image...ENJOY!
She is a fantastic international model. I really didn't have to give much direction, really easy to shoot. Adriana.
Elizabeth is more of an athletic model and surfer. Really cool chick and a good friend. She likes to shoot for the sake of art which to me is the best. It's a collaboration, not work.
Here she looks really super model. I have this affect on her...lol.
Dorthy need images for her application for art school. So had fun. This was the first shot we did in the studio. Chair put her at ease.
Rhiannon was someone that I met at a party and I thought she was beautiful for someone in her 40's. She was so nervous that her hands would not stop sweating. This was one of the few times I struggled to get a model to loosen up. I really think it was torture for her, but I cut it short. We shot maybe 15 minutes.
Another one of Elizabeth on a different day where we experimented with projections. I love this shot even though it's noisy.
Alina is a long time friend. Super cool and really fun to shoot. Another friend who likes to shoot with me...hang out and take pics...create art. It's a good thing.
Christy was a dancer who reached out to me for photos. She found me on social media and we immediately became friends because she too wanted photos to be artistic but also to use to get modeling gigs. Sometimes it's cool to just have fun and not be a work thing. The problem I had with her is that she was too sexy posey, I really had to give her direction so it didn't look stripperish.
We also messed around with some projections.
Okay! The lesson here is to have fun with photography. Don't take it seriously if you're just starting out doing portraits. A cool chair can make for a great shoot.
I hope you enjoyed this art series - In My Chair