Model: Lin Laishram (Ikon Models) | Makeup: Asif Zaidi | Hair: Melinda Bouldin | Wardrobe Styling: Tammy Mack-Lowe
Here are a few shots from a recent shoot with Lin. Lin's looks interested me greatly, as she has the look of multiple ethnicities, and just can't be pinned down.
Model: Caroline (Ford Models) | Makeup: Asif Zaidi | Hair: Melinda Bouldin | Wardrobe Styling: Tammy Mack-Lowe
Shots 1 and 3 were taken using the same lighting from my previous shoot with Ikon model Saskia. (Done under shade on my terrazzo. I hung curtains on a background stand just at the edge of the overhang to catch the light an make them glow. There are also two white 4'x8' panel on either side of the model, as well as a silver 4'x8' panel to a 45 degree angle of her.
Shots 2 and 4 were done on my terrazzo using a 4'x8' overhead screen suspended on a boom, and a 4'x8' silver panel for a little direction to the light.
Shot 5 was taken in studio using a centered beauty dish and triflector setup. A simple fashion gray background lit by a beauty dish directly behind the model created a pleasing background.
Shot 6 was shot in an overcast sun, a tree branch was used in the foreground to break up the shot a bit.
Shot 7 was taken in studio -- very straight forward -- on a plain super-white seamless background, with the background lights at f 11.5 and the key coming from a 5' octo-box centered on a boom. Caroline was shot bouncing on a trampoline as she took various swings on her racket.
Model: Saskia Slaaf (Ikon Models) | Makeup: Asif Zaidi | Wardrobe Styling: Tammy Mack-Lowe
Shots 1 and 3 were taken under shade on my terrazzo. I hung curtains on a background stand just at the edge of the overhang to catch the light an make them glow. There are also two white 4'x8' panel on either side of the model, as well as a silver 4'x8' panel to the side of her.
Shot 2 was taken using just a 4'x8' silver panel to reflect some added light from the overcast sky back on Saskia.
Models: Sarah Blessing (Ford Models) - Mark Thomas (Ford Models) Roscoe the pup (Zaidi International Models) - Whiskey The Horse | Makeup: Asif Zaidi | Hair: Melinda Bouldin | Wardrobe Styling: Tammy Mack-Lowe | Photographer's Assistant: Donna Kitch
This collection of shots were taken in one long day of fun:
Shots 1 & 3 were taken in studio -- very straight forward -- on a plain super-white seamless background, with the background lights at f 11.5 and the key coming from a 5' octo-box centered on a boom. The models were shot separately bouncing on a trampoline, and composited in post production.
Shots 2, 4 and 8 were shot with available light and one gold reflector, (which the horse kept trying to eat).
Shot 5 was accomplished by using a slow shutter speed while tracking Mark as he rode past me. To subdue the hard noon-day sun I waited until he was under the 4'x8' overhead screen I had suspended by a tall boom. A 4'x8' silver reflector was used to kick back the light.
Shot 6 was taken at sunset on a tree covered horse path, with additional light from a silver 4'x8' panel.
Shot 7 was taken in my studio with Mark facing a small north-facing window -- a put large soft-box positioned outside on a very tall stand to reach the high window. I used the strobe without any color to retain the white, early morning look to the light. The window added extra diffusion to soften the shot. e
Clothing by: Peter Hidalgo | Models: Sarah Blessing (Ford Models) & Allie M (Red Models) | Makeup: Asif Zaidi | Hair: Melinda Bouldin & Daisy Curbeon | Wardrobe Styling: Tammy Mack-Lowe | Photographer's Assistant: Donna Kitch
A quick and clean shoot for beauty. Makeup/Hair: Asif Zaidi.
It was a complete pleasure spending a Saturday working with these three great teen models -- Cailin Alysa, and Kavion. Dividing our shoot time between my studio and various locations in the neighborhood, we took advantage of the sunny 85 degree weather; capturing a handful of uncomplicated, natural-light shots. Makeup & hair by Asif Zaidi | Wardrobe & styling by Tamara of Mack-Lowe Associates.
Although she's just turned 14, Gina is an experienced model that's walked the runways for some great designers. Fantastic at taking direction, Gina has a natural feel for any set created, and flows seamlessly from one to the next without missing a beat. We spent the afternoon getting some different looks for her portfolio, and some of what we came away with.
The first shot has Gina standing on a bench behind an 8' high window with a southern exposure -- the cloudy, overcast light softening the exposure and creating a glowing look to her pale complexion. It was actually raining outside where I was standing -- our makeup artist and stylist Bruce holding an umbrella for me to protect the camera.
The second shot is the reverse of the first, with two 8' silver reflectors throwing the weak light back at Gina, creating an dreamy, ethereal look to this profile shot.
The third shot has Gina bouncing on a trampoline I keep around, because I just can't help having people in the air for shoots. I love the feeling of weightlessness that is conveyed by airborne bodies; their muscles tensed for the impending landing and following bounce. These shots give a tight and alert look that's just too fun. (Actually, my favorite self portrait has me holding two cameras as I fly through the air from a running leap onto a huge pile of pillows just off camera -- the shutter released by a small remote). The key light is a strobe inside a 6' octagonal soft-box, with the fill provided by an 8' silver reflector on the opposing side of the light. The background is lit by three strobes placed at R, L and over the grey seamless paper.
And finally the fourth shot -- taken up on my terrazzo, the overcast light brightened up by a 6' gold reflector to Gina's right, and a 36" gold disk overhead to kick some warm light downwards; lighting up her eyes and giving her skin a warmer tone than the grey light of the day afforded.
The assignment here was to shoot the portrait for a magazine editor whose publication specializes in luxury. The shot is to run in each issue at 1/3 page size, accompanied by her biography. This high profile made paramount the need to capture her elegance and taste -- thereby setting the tone for the content of each issue. Another added requirement was that the shots be able to be converted to black and white if need be.
I had a set prepared for her that consisted mainly of an antique chair and a Chinese teakwood shelving unit stacked with rare books and antiques, (the fact that my parents were art & antiques dealers helped this out a bit). The light was provided by an open door that looks out onto a terrazzo, with a few reflectors to throw it around a bit. We also decided at the last minute that a few 'standard' corporate-looking shots on white and grey backgrounds wouldn't hurt either. This took only a few more minutes to set up, and gave us two distinct looks.
Here are a few of the shots that we came up with.
This was my 3rd year shooting the golfing group portraits, and party images for Joe Torre's annual golf tournament -- and again, it was a crazy-fun shoot!
The assignment is to shoot the portraits for 19 celebrities, each with their accompanying golfing group, during the 4-5 hour tournament, as well as the incidental party imagery. I've been able to shoot the portraits any way I choose each year, and always try something different. This year I used an extremely powerful ring-flash in order to overpower the sun. The effect is almost surreal, and the subjects seem to jump right out at you.
Shot 1) Joe Torre, President Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump.
Shot 2) Bob Costas and Joe Torre.
Shot 3) Yogi Berra (center) and his golfing group.
The list of portraits also included: Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Tommy John, Graig Nettles, Rick Cerone, Lee Mazzilli, Fred McGriff, John Starks, Darryl Strawberry, Biran Kelly, and the Los Angeles Dodgers coaches.
A short portfolio shoot with an emerging model.
The Job here was to provide enough material for an emerging model's new comp card. The card is a model's business card, presenting a few representative shots, as well as their info and stats.
In the first shot we worked for a clean and punchy beauty shot that would show of the model's fantastically brilliant eyes, full lips and smooth skin. I used a tri-flector here (notice the flower petal light in the eyes) and an unlit grey background located about 10 feet back from the model.
The second shot was done to show the model in a natural outdoor setting, highlighting her soft and relaxed side. This was accomplished using overhead shade from the tree, with a tiny bit of gold fill from a reflector panel to the model's right.
The third shot was just plain fun, and just presented itself to me. I converted it to B&W using Alien Skin's Exposure plugin, which allow me to simulate the look of different film stocks. This one was done using the T-Max conversion to mimic that very popular Kodak film.
Here are a few shots from a test shoot I did this week with model Anastasia Baranova, a fantastic emerging model (Product Model Management), and Bruce Hawkins a well established makeup artist. We were focused on "beauty shots" for this test, and tried out a few different looks and lighting scenarios. These display shots really stuck out from the bunch. The black and white conversion was done using a great photoshop plugin from Alien Skin called Exposure. It lets you simulate a lot of the old film stocks and development processes when using digital capture.
The first shot was done using overhead light from a 5' soft-box bounced into a triflector. The triflector is a great piece of equipment that bounces back the light using three separate panels -- left/right/underneath -- and leaves a signature 'flower petal' catch-light in the model's eyes.
The second shot was done using a ringlight: a flash unit that looks like a big doughnut, where the camera lens sits in the hole. This kind of flash throws an even, fully frontal light that wraps around the subject, because it's coming from all sides of the camera lens. Since the direction of the light is frontal, the shadow surrounds the subject.
The third and fourth shots were done using a standard flash head set very high up on a boom, with a snooted reflector. The high and very directional light is reminiscent of old hollywood style shots of the 30s and 40s. A small reflector panel was put underneath the model to kick back a little of the very hard light.
Today was a perfect day for a swimsuit catalogue shoot up on the terrazzo, and a sunny 81 degrees made everything more than comfortable. My terrazzo has travertine floors, which act as a natural soft bounce for the light, and then it's just a matter of the right balance of overhead shade and soft gold reflectors to do the trick. I also took shot in the direct sunlight, using a 1/2 stop translucent screen overhead to soften the shadows.
A fun day of shooting at my location with some of the kids from Product Model Management agency here in NYC. The agency sent me over three of their twelve year olds -- Brittany, Aviva, and Nicholas -- and I added my two nieces, nine and eleven to the mix for a bit more of a group feel for the lifestyle part of the shoot. The Product Model Management kids were very professional and easy to shoot with. An all around fun day!
