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 & Portraits.

Is there a Fashion Photographer worth their salt who does not do a pretty good line in Portrait Photography too? I think not, fashion, people and portraits do have a lot in common even though the purpose of fashion pictures is quite different to portraiture. I think the common denominator is understanding your subject and getting to the core of the matter at hand be it the sitters personality or the form of a gorgeous dress or gown.



I met the artist Elodie Silberstein at an opening a few months ago and then attended the opening of her show ‘Mothers Day’ at Mori Gallery a few weeks later. I had no idea what the show was going to be about or what form it would take so you can imagine my surprise when I found it was an instillation piece; a massive space full of pink light, shoes arranged on shelves along one wall, a beautiful ‘model’ writhing (ever so slowly) in the middle of the floor in ‘mothers shoes’ and in very large type on another wall, a letter to a mother, quite some time deceased! Well it wasn’t Silence of the Lambs but it was a little disturbing and exciting at the same time. And those shoes! Beautiful shoes all lined up, and that pair strapped to the model/hostage, well you get the idea.

Fast forward to Now; Elodie has come to the studio for me to take her portrait before a trip to France & the UK to see Galleries about her work. Elodie was a little nervous about having her portrait done but quite likes my work and had put her trust in me. I wanted the portrait to reflect her use of space and to somehow reflect her artistic interest in shoes; all bundled up into one shot.



We agreed that B&W would be nice and I started shooting with bits of studio equipment in shot, chatting about space and shoes and motivation for making art. After getting the shots out of the camera and looking through them on the computer we both felt we had some pretty good pictures and were pretty happy. But I thought maybe we should take just a few more frames; just to be sure.

I found Elodie a stool and then gave her the copy of Vogue Italia with the beautiful Ferragamo gatefold brochure spilling out of it that we had been admiring before the shoot; “Here, why not just hold this, we love these shoes!”



I think the last shots turned out the best. After looking through the first set we could see that we had some lovely shots and Elodie could see that the portraits were just what she wanted, so now we were much more relaxed and trusting and the final pictures bring out all of that as well.



You can see more of Elodie’s work on her website here, and you can also see more of my portrait photography here. Click the images to see them by themselves.

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!

Portraits and Headshots

What is the difference between a Portrait and a Headshot? Who gets a headshot and who gets a portrait? Is it just actors and models who get headshots? Should the shot be in classic black and white; colour; studio or location?

“If I want to look like a model or an actor can I get a headshot instead of a portrait too?”

Of course you can! A headshot is still a portrait but it’s usually a portrait photograph taken for a very specific purpose. For an model, actor or performer it’s a selling tool for their agent, just like actors models have composite, or ‘comp cards’ too. The comp card shows what someone looks like in a well lit and often in a fairly natural way. Actors may only have one shot on their card while models will have quite a few. The models comp will have their main headshot on the front and a collection of different shots on the back highlighting their different looks.



Of course Models are beautiful and Actors are handsome (or something like that); a good headshot or portrait should bring out your beauty or your handsomeness too. I have found very few subjects who did not look great in a well executed portrait or headshot. It seems to be all about making sure you are relaxed in front of the camera. As a photographer it seems I am lucky enough to possess the skills required to get most people quite relaxed and happy about being photographed most of the time.




Its quite exciting and rewarding when having done a portrait the sitter is presented with an image that matches their inner vision of themselves. Its not about turning someone into someone else its all about bring out their best. People photography is far more than camera technique it is also about how you work with people, the psychology of the shoot! In our myspace facebook world everyone wants to know what you look like so why not look as glamorous as a Model an Actor or even a little Rock and Roll. Why not look like a Star in shots that truly bring out your best.