Men's Portfolio Shoot - Alex at Chadwick Models Sydney

Three looks, more or less and way too many pictures to choose from. Well better too many than too few as I always say; still we have the edit down to eight (for now) and these all taken on location using natural light and nothing else. Good to get out of the office for a change, but then in photography the office really can be anywhere! Styling was done from a blend of Alex's and my gear, grooming by Katharine Shaw who has recently arrived from the UK (and is heading to Melbourne soon). I'm looking forward to doing a lot more portfolio work this year as I find these photo shoots very rewarding.

Kent Johnson 0433 796 863.
Modelling Portfolios


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Lightbox Fashion Flat Lay for Harlette Lingerie with the X-Pro1

Just four shots here of some beautiful lingerie house coats photographed for the Harlette Lingerie label.  The garments are now being shown in Paris at the 50th Salon De La Lingerie. These four housecoats were the largest pieces I photographed on the day and were a tight squeeze to fit on the second large STROBE Swimming Pool head that was set up as the lightbox. This was the first time I have photographed fashion in this manner and both myself and my client are very happy with the results.

Although I have done flat lay before (and a little light table work) there is no doubt in my mind that this was the best possible lighting option for these fabrics and the SWAROVSKI Elements and feather details. As the saying goes STROBE light gives you an extra camera format (think 35mm suddenly being = to 6x6) and as in my previous write up about using the X-Pro1 the X-Trans sensor was a great match for the STROBE. Part of the uniqueness of the STROBE lights is that the flash tubes are very long, over four feet and there are five in each Swimming Pool creating a very strong and even of a 'wall' of light. Here are the results..

Harlette Lingerie, photographed with the Fujifilm X-Pro1, XF35mmF1.4 R and the STROBE City 5000.

I am looking forward to producing more Fashion work with this set up, my mind is already overflowing with ideas and variations to work with..

Kent Johnson 61 (0)433 796 863

www.harlette.com/

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Pro Modelling Portfolio - Model Style in the Studio..

I love it when I get to produce my  "Here I Come - Pro Modelling Packages" this is the package with more looks, more shots and the model comp card too. We always have a great time working together and making the shots and word about the "Here I Come" must be getting out as this has become my most popular model portfolio package, you can check the deal out here. These shots are from Erica's recent shoot in the Balmain studio; Hair and Make-Up was by the Uber talented Rafal Gaweda who worked with me on the very successful Uscari Campaign last year.. I hope you like our photos and if you are thinking of doing a model portfolio, (and you don't have to want to become a model to do one) don't hesitate to call me to find out all the details and which package is best for you.

 To book you Fashion Portfolio Photoshoot; call Kent - 0433 796 863 or  Email kent@artcommunication.com.au

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Photographing a Fashion Jewellery Campaign with the Fuji X-Pro1

I love working with clients that have a clear vision for their brand and from our very first phone contact and meeting I knew that minds behind new Fashion Jewellery label OUMIRA were very switched on; understood their target market and the kind of eye catching, fashion branding images that would grab a customers attention. As the premier sales point for Oumira is an online shop we decided to go with classic white background, lit and photographed in the studio - great for online retailing and very popular with PR's and Fashion Editors for ease of insertion in magazine 'What's Hot' fashion pages too. The brief was for great energy from the model; and this only comes from great energy between the model and the photographer, to be combined with fabulous lighting,  put it all together and capture those special moments.

Story continues below...

I decide that it was time to put the Fujfim X-Pro1 that I have been using for Street Fashion Sydney through its paces on a full scale fashion shoot. There was no doubt in my mind that the Fuji's X-Trans Sensor with its incredible fine-detail resolution together with the optical quality of the XF35mmF1.4 R lens would be perfect for this style of shoot. Lighting was provided with vintage STROBE equipment for its unique light quality (its like moving up a camera format); two swimming pool lights banked together; each the equivalent of  40 individual heads, to provide something a little different for the powerful "Terry Richardson" style we were thinking about.. The STROBE was perfect for bringing out the detail of the jewellery while still being flattering to the model and was perfect match for the high resolution of the Fuji's unique X-Trans sensor.  Continues below...

We worked through seven 'looks' on the day, all styled by the Oumira team ranging from 'Gothic Biker Chic' all in black leather, 'knuckle duster' ring clutch handbag, black beads & silver skull necklace.  A 'Modern Savage' or was it a Hippy look..  with fur and feathers and more Gothic skulls. Fun and Funky styles with On-Trend Neons and Blue and Pink  fashion jewellery stories too.

RAW conversion & Post-processing details below..

All the selected files from this shoot were RAW converted using the Fuji/Silkypix RAW File Converter EX. Using the Silkypix RAW converter is always a bit trickier than most RAW converters as it tends not to respect the in-camera settings, meaning you need to find the best settings pretty much from scratch! Fortunately on a shoot using the same light source throughout the struggle is worth it as the converted RAW files do deliver a higher quality to start the retouching process with.

Something I always find interesting is that while the files tend to look great right out of the camera, they are never as good as they can be. For me this means a three stage 'photo finishing' and retouching process to bring out the maximum Pop and Impact the image can provide. This is particularly important part of the Photography "Value Chain" when using images to sell products - something I see being overlooked again and again when it comes to businesses using pictures to sell products online.

Finishing each picture requires RAW conversion including tonal and colour adjustment as well as sharpening and in Silkypix the level of demosaicing. The new file is then loaded into Photoshop for retouching, skin fixes, local colour adjustment, airbrushing,  and any little fixes or 'tricks' like flipping a feather, (final frame below) that you can't make anywhere else.. I then add layers for final colour adjustment, sharpening, contrast and saturation.

Pros & Cons of shooting Fashion with the Fujifim X-Pro1

Pros

• A very high percentage of Sharp and In-Focus shots = more keepers to choose from.
• Exceptional file quality straight from the camera.
• Great detailed files from RAW - but see the Con below..
• Ability to shoot with any of the three viewfinder options & I used all three on this shoot.
• No mirror 'black-out'; you see the shot you are making.
• Everyone loves the X-Pro1, and the client probably doesn't own one (yet)..

Cons

• You need to remove the tripod plate to open the Card/Battery door.
• Viewfinder not as large as with a DSLR, I look over the top of the camera if it's a problem.
• RAW conversion tends to be time consuming - frustrating - impossible under some circumstances..
• Write speeds not as fast as DSLR - can slow down playback viewing.
• Minor shutter lag, though not enough to cause me at least to miss any shots..

For me the decision to use the Fuji X-Pro1 on this shoot was definitely the right call. The Camera and the XF35mmF1.4 R were a perfect combination for the contemporary fashion look and feel we were after from the shoot. The image quality is superb and the cameras ability to focus accurately and quickly (in that order) allowed me to focus more on what was happening in front of the camera; the shots, than worrying if the shots were really in focus or not. And as I wrote in my X-Pro1 review on Street Fashion Sydney; this is a camera that enhances your photography instead of hindering it.  Love it!

Client - OUMIRA.

Model - Montana, Chadwicks Sydney.

Hair & Make-Up - Kaori

Assistant - Anthony G.

Kent Johnson,
Sydney, Australia.

0433 796 863

kent@artcommunication.com.au

www.kentjohnsonphotography.com.au

www.fashionphotographysydney.blogspot.com/

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