The studio portraiture was, like the still life, new for me in the sense this is a departure from what I would naturally shoot and prior to this term, had not shot in a studio or with lighting other than speed lights. I conducted a lot of research for the still life, but my inspiration for the studio portrait shoot was something I found while looking into professional photographers during the first term. I discovered a photographer for whom I have come to greatly admire, David LaChapelle. His use of vibrant colour has produced some of the most vivid images in modern culture:

Deluge (Deluvio):

Guilty Things:

Last Supper:

Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper:

LaChapelle’s interpretation of The Last Supper was for me one of the most striking images I have seen in the collective research from both first and second term. The Last Supper has been reworked so many times, I knew that any interpretation I may make would fall into the cliche of so many other reworked images of its kind. The shoot would be limited to the materials in the studio we could use and I would not be able to have such diverse texture and colour in supporting props as LaChapelle. Significant more technical challenges were posed in a group shoot compared to a single portrait in controlling so much lighting in the studio effectively. Despite the challenges, I was the only person doing a group shoot and felt a great way to get the entire class involved in a single shot.

I started test shots with simple lighting for individual portraits.

Criteria: 1, 2

References:
Childer, J., Galer, M. ‘Photographic Lighting Essential Skills’ (4th Ed., Focal Press, 2008)
Kelby, S ‘Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It: Learn Step by Step How to Go from Empty Studio to Finished Image’ (New Riders, 2015)
Montizambert, D ‘Creative lighting Techniques’ (Amherst Media, 2003)
Perkins, M. ‘Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers’ (Amherst Media, 2006)
Prakel, D ‘Basics Photography: Lighting’ (AVA Publishing, 2007)
Tuck, K ‘Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography’ (Focal Press, 2009)
http://davidlachapelle.com