Gallivant Jeans Goes Live!

A few weeks ago I was commissioned to shoot the campaign shots for new jeans label Gallivant. I don't get to shoot menswear nearly as often as I would like, which is a shame as it's always a complete blast. We had Mark W from Viviens and he was absolutely fantastic to work with and has an amazing attitude toward his work. Thanks Mark, you rock! And thanks to Gallivant too; was quite a wonderful shoot, thanks guys, you rock too. Grooming by the lovely Lisa Sciberras.  Shot in and around The Photo Studio, Glebe.















Gallivant Jeans

Viviens Models

Lulu in Chains AW10, Photographers Edit

My own take on the Lulu in Chains AW10 shoot that we shot in the Rocks, Sydney a couple of weeks ago. I am continuing to develop my B&W in-camera & post production techniques.















We had a great time on this shoot and it was the first time I have shot at this very popular location in the rocks.

Model, Victoria from Chadwicks
Assistant, Harry Perlich
Lulu in Chains AW10 campaign shots. Photographers edit.

Fashion Catalogue on Location, Annandale Sydney.

Whenever I do a shoot I like to make my own selection of shots and 'do my own' post processing on the shots. Yes its time consuming but it is rewarding as its nice to see the story as you feel it looks at its best (for the photographer). I have gone just a little crazy here by nudging the RGB layers of the pictures giving a slight 3D appearance to the shots, those strange coloured lines along the edges! The client went with a more straight forward version of the shoot.

Here's my take on our day of shooting in a Grand Annandale homes grounds.













Model, Natalie
H&MU by Kaori
Shot on Location, Annandale Sydney

Imelda Matt + Jean Brown + Moi, Display Collabo

Its nice to see blogging, portraiture & retail all getting on so well together. In this case I was able to collaborate with Imelda shoe blogger Imelda Matt once again on a portrait project; this time for a window display in Brisbane's luxury emporium Jean Brown. The shot was done in one fairly quick afternoon session at The Photo Studio in Sydney.


More shots and background on the Imeldific! launch at Imelda.com.au



Matt and the Tan sisters from a previous 'shoe & portrait' project.



A big thanks to Matt and everyone at Jean Brown who worked so hard to make this wonderful project possible.

Jean Brown

More Portraits of Matt at Kent Johnson Photography.

Jean Brown display shot courtesy of imelda.com.au

Fashion Photography Sydney

Fashion Photography Sydney; or anywhere else you may have in mind.

My new web site is now up on-line. Its a complete redesign with horizontal scrolling pages that finally allows me to show the work the way it was shot-to-be-seen. I am quite excited by the result and some of the stories (the individual stories are now viewable on single pages) that perhaps left some scratching their heads thinking "what the...?" now make visual sense in the way they were intended to.

Fashion Photography Sydney.


Fashion Photography.

Beauty and Fashion, Beauty  Photography Gallery.


New Personal Work Gallery.

Portrait Photography Gallery.

Kent Johnson Photography 0433 706 863

In The Studio, Jools Fashion Look-Book

Working to a very tight schedule the team & I shot two ranges for Jools new fashion label. The post processing for these shots was inspired by my recollections of the sun faded posters I still sometimes see in the windows of Tailor Shops with the classic magenta shift of old family photos. Fashion photography meets remembrance of times past.

We worked through over twenty looks on the day with both dark background and the lovely luscious pink!





















Jools Fashion Look Book Shoot
H&MU Kate Bonar
Model Tammy S
Photography Assistant, Harry Perlich

Thanks to everyone for their time and work.

Shot at 'The Photo Studio' Sydney.

Kent Johnson 0433 796 863

In the Studio, Fashion Catalogues and Advertising.

If you really want to see the garments, if you want to save on time, location fees, and the worry about whether it’s going to rain or shine on the day… Shooting Fashion in the studio has tremendous advantages. I have been doing a bit of Look-Book and Catalogue in the studio for a few designers of late at my new home-base, ‘The Photo Studio’ in Glebe.


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On one recent shoot we did over 50 looks on the white background (thirty shown here) and then chose five of the outfits and shot ‘Studio as Location’ to create a series of complimentary images with a much edgier feel. Our model Alex who has appeared on Australia’s Next Top Model was a real pleasure to work with and remained inventive and seemed tireless over a full day of shooting.



Our over 30’s market Catalogue shoot provides a nice contrast of style for a fairly similar studio setup, though this time with softer lighting and a little more fill light. There was some lovely layering, frills and detail stitching on Thai Silks which were beautifully rendered by the studio lighting set-up.



The white background digital shots shown here on the Fashion Blog are essentially straight from the camera in old school film style. Typically the only post/retouching work required is automated curves and sharpening (digital always needs some level of sharpening) adjustment. This makes a fast turnaround on most jobs a fairly simple task.



Kent Johnson
March 2009
www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au/
http://www.thephotostudio.com.au/

A European Location - in Sydney.

“I want to shoot on location but I want it to look European.”

No that is not an exasperating request it’s an inspiring one and it’s the sort of request I love to hear. And it’s not really surprising to hear it. I was often asked if my black and white shots from the 80s had been taken in Europe. At the time I found it an odd question as those shots had been taken at landmark Sydney locations; but that said much of the identifiable ‘Sydney’ bits had been removed by careful choice of framing and I suppose I had a something
of an informed(?) European take on photography.

But finding the right spot can be tricky. On this occasion the client gave me a bit of a lead, however I thought it sounded a bit too Sydney and a bit too clean for Europe. I decided to take the camera out and have a look around. Using the suggested location as a conceptual starting point and my own perception of what might lend itself to being European, I made a series of shots I thought would fit the bill.

And its not just the location; it’s also the light! I love Sydney light but it can be oh-so-strong and unforgiving. I remember the French Fashion Photographer Denis Jobron remarking to me one day that the light in Sydney was like being in a microwave oven! So the European/Sydney location needs something like a Euro lighting feel as well.

Checking light and location is all about good preparation so things go smoothly on the day. The more complex the shoot, the more preparation that may be required. What will work in post-production can also be addressed before the shoot as well. Last December I finally managed to put together a Night Fashion shoot, an Editorial Submission. It was based around an idea I had been working on for quite a while, the big problem was just how to pull it off?

Initially I simply looked out for the shots I wanted and made location pictures on my point-and-shoot. But I also needed to know how the camera and lenses would work with a real model in situ on location. My friend Julia was kind enough to stand in(twice) for these location tests which were invaluable. A new lens was found to be required to allow for shooting at the best ISO and the all important mix of lighting was tested and put through its paces.

The preparation paid off and on the night of the shoot the team and I were able to put 10 shots in the can in just three hours, but more about that shoot when I am able to show it online.

Sydney as a European location? Why not!

February Fashion Look-Book Sale.

To celebrate my joining The Photo Studio in Glebe I am offering a February Fashion Look-Book Sale.

Thanks to all those who took advantage of the special offer.

The Photo Studio is centrally located in Glebe just behind the Broadway Shopping Centre. With full commercial photography production facilities the Photo Studio is the perfect location for your next fashion Look-Book.

Here's what you get.

*A half day Studio Shoot (4 hours) at The Photo Studio.
*A DVD of all shots in JPEG format at 1400 x 2100 pixels at 300ppi.
*Standard post processing of one selection from each look at 2800 x 4200 at300 ppi resolution JPEG suitable for your print look book (or your printers specs) and also resized to your web-site specifications (allow for 48 hours turnaround on delivery of your selected images).

If it’s your first look-book here is a little background on what you can expect the shoot to entail.

Look-Books are typically shot at a fast and furious pace. As a result, professional models are recommended, outfit changes depending on complexity of the garments allow for shots to be taken every 5 to 10 minuets or, 6 to 12 shots per hour. Professional Hair & Make-Up (H&MU) will require an hour of time and is highly recommended to reduce the need for retouching images in post production.

A four hour session (including time for H&MU) will return approximately 18 more complex looks or up to 36 simple looks with very fast changes; think swimwear or lingerie! To keep things running smoothly you will need to have your fashion range well organised with any shoes and accessories required, freshly steamed or pressed.

You can book your Fashion Look-Book Shoot directly through The Photo Studio Sydney on 02 9571 9955.

If you have any queries you can call the Studio on  02 9571 9955 or Kent directly on 0433 796 863.

This Look-Book offer is strictly for February only. Book early to avoid missing out on this great offer to have your fashion range photographed at a very competitive price.

 

Editorial Fashion, Fashion Advertising & Model Folios Too.

Well I may have already blogged some of the shots from various shoots over the last few months but the Web site itself was looking a little tired and in need of some new images. For the last four days I have been working on editing, re-processing, re-sizing, re-ordering and finally replacing quite a lot of pictures on the Fashion Pages of the web site.



Its always a daunting task but one that is very worthwhile. Both the Fashion Editorial and Fashion Advertising galleries on the website have never looked better and are showing my vision for fashion photography much more clearly.

There are a couple of projects that have been in the planing stages for quite a while that are about to 'come off' so now is a good time to check out the web site before some of the old favorites disappear back into the archive.



The Beauty Photography gallery has had a bit of a make over with some lovely new images that have not been on the site or the Blog before. I have also added some of the Notorious; yes these shots do seem to be gaining some notoriety... Frankie's Nightclub Campsie shots. For those of you who are not aware, there is no Frankie's! So please, stop emailing me for the address :~)) Its an Art Project, a kind of myspace thing, but there will be more about that later. Frankie's lovers might like to check out the Modelling Portfolios pages; just because you can.



So if you have only been following the blog, please click the links and take a tour of the site, there is much more wonderful photography to be seen. And of course; the whole point of the exercise is to entice you to commission me to shoot your Fashion for you. Great shots make for great web-sites, catalogues, look-books, promotions and lots of sales!

Please call or email for a quote.

Kent Johnson

Sydney Australia 0433 796 863, kent@artcommunication.com.au