Self Portraits with Colored Gels
This year, I’m excited to incorporate color into my shoots, and to kick things off in the right direction, I present to you a collection of self portraits with colored gels. While I understand that many corporate headshots often request grey or white backdrops, and for catalog sessions, a more uniformed look is preferred to make products pop, I have a strong desire to utilize my ability to work with purpose and creativity.
You may have noticed my previous post on professional branding, where I discussed the use of company logo colors. In this blog post, titled “Going Beyond the Headshot,” I aim to encourage corporate and catalog clients to embrace the use of color. For this particular post, I wanted to share some self-portraits where I experimented with complimentary colors, specifically red and green. Red is often associated with passion or as a call to action color, while green is often thought of as representing envy. The combination of these two colors adds interest to the images. However, it’s important to be cautious when using green, especially on the subject’s skin, as it can make them appear sickly. In this scenario, I was able to successfully incorporate green without any adverse effects.
In creating these self-portraits, I also wanted to pay homage to the history of photography, particularly the pre-digital days. Having learned photography in the darkroom dating back to the 80s and early 90s, I didn’t make the switch to digital until 2005. This self-portrait allowed me to reminisce about film photography, which is now considered a dying art but still attracts enthusiasts as a hobby. However, due to the expenses involved, I tend to stay away from film photography these days. I can’t deny that the instant gratification of digital photography is hard to beat, but I do miss the romance and magic of the darkroom.
Additionally, I incorporated puppet strings in some of the images to play on my love affair with surrealism. Digital photography allows me to see the results immediately and enables real-time interaction with my subjects. For example, when working with me, I tether my shots to a big screen monitor, allowing us to review the images together and narrow down the best ones. It also allows me to check the color balance and make adjustments in post-production.
Stay tuned for more colorful portraits throughout the year! If you have any specific requests or inquiries, please feel free to contact me.