Editorial Series no. 1?

Editorial is such a fluid term. In the vaguest explanation I can possibly think of, it means there's a story of some sort going on in a series of images.

I've been working on technique and concept, but not as much editorial, even though editorial is really where I want to end up.

This series is what I would consider an editorial, a simple one, given it's a studio series involving a model and shoes.  But there is progression, there are inferences to be made, yada yada yada.

I won't talk too much, let I lapse into "art student" territory. Which nobody wants, except for professors and art folks. But this isn't an art blog.  This is a photo blog.

I've also chosen to go with a sort of "glazed" look for this series. Why? It felt right.

As always, click for a larger view.

Confessions of a Dirtbag Retoucher Redux - Brandon 2b

More from the same shoot...the two other sets...close-ups of makeup, and a preview of a more editorial set.

Confessions of a Dirtbag Retoucher Redux - Brandon II

In yet another stunning act of procrastination, I'm just now getting to images from a month ago. Shot the same day as the Twiggy series, this is another shoot with Brandon, from the shadowy wall series a bit ago, when everything went to shit, but the two of us decided to go ahead and shoot anyway. This time makeup was go, and a better studio space was go. I have a bunch more to retouch...two more sets...but this is the first set, figured I'd post as I go...which has the benefit of making me look productive.

This shoot was fun...we had some good wardrobe, and it gets better from here.

I've also been working on retouching as well, and I find that this lighting, as well as the beauty dish used on the Matthew-Jonathan shoot, make for a nice file to work with. Enough skin texture to work with, not too much effort going in and destroying excess texture due to overly hard light, but can still be made punchy. Refining that, as always...a balance of hard and soft has to be out there someplace.

As always, click the image for a larger view (in this case, a bit bigger than usual for a collage):

An Experiment

Not sure if this image will even be a select from this set...but somehow I got sucked into retouching it anyway.  Trying new things and such.

This is Monique, she was in town and got in contact with me for a shoot. We had a lovely time, and sometime this year I'll put up a collage of what we accomplished...look for it mid-June.

The experiment (click for a larger view):

I'll elaborate on the experiment involved at a later date, assuming it's successful.

More Twiggy

More photos of Twiggy...a collage representative of the set.  As always, clicky for a larger view.

Twiggy, no, not THAT Twiggy

Here, for your consideration, is a headshot from the most recent edition of the Sunday photoshoots I've been having. I think, just in time to return them to their owner, I tamed the small softboxes I was using.  Hopefully my pre-order number for a nice pretty new Paul C. Buff Einstein 640ws studio light will be called, and I can at long last have a truly fantastic portable lighting setup and the beauty dish I've been coveting for years. Until then, we make do.

This week on the blog we have model Twiggy Bladez, with makeup provided by Trinity.  I'll keep this short and sweet by saying that I really enjoy working with people who do their job well...makeup artists who make skin just shiny enough to look natural, and models who move well.  It's a good thing, to quote St. Martha of the Home.

There will be more from this shoot as it comes to exist, in the next few weeks I imagine. As always, clicky clicky for a larger view.