Firestarter

Photography – I am always searching for new techniques and ways to express fashion through a different style of image.  I especially love working with in-camera techniques in order to create a surreal effect that puts a different spin on a fashion image.  Some ways to do this are by manipulating time, motion and color in order to create a “painterly effect” with the ambient lights in a setting.  In the past, I had done gigs in clubs where I would use an extended shutter speed and rear-curtain sync in order to create motion and blur with the ambient lights in the club.  Recently, I saw an fstoppers post on how this technique could be applied to fashion image, and I wanted to try it out.  I assembled a team of high-caliber creatives and the images below are the result of everybody coming together with their own talents and contributions.

During the shoot, I knew that I wanted to experiment with all different types of motion blur.  I did not know beforehand what the dresses looked like, and when I noticed that the silver dress looked like it was on fire during the shots, we went with it in a totally improvisational style.  It took a few frames to key in the right exposure time and power on the constant lights that would give me a good even exposure between the strobe and the constant lights; however, once we had it locked in, Kevin cranked up Prodigy’s Firestarter during the set, and what we created is what you see here.    All said, I am very proud of what the team accomplished that day.

For a detailed description of the technique, please refer to the fstoppers link…. www.fstoppers.com/shooting-with-mixed-studio-lighting 

Model – I was lucky enough to have Jessi Lynn Neidert of Sigal Models for this shoot.  Her energy and creative style was perfect for this shoot.  The fact that she also does photography gave her a keen intuition on what type of shot that I was going for.

Hair – “my inspiration was texture. So many women have the most beautiful natural curl, and either never wear it or just don’t know how to style it properly.  I wanted her curl to look natural and like it grew out of her head that way.  I first curled her hair with an extremely small iron (1cm to be exact) and combed it out with a boar bristle brush when I was complete to create a soft look for the curls.  From there I carefully molded the hair into shape until I found something that spoke to me.”  Liz Lane – hairstylist and artist – Lunatic Fringe – Cincinnati, OH

Makeup – “This shoot was a mix of emotion. I wanted there to be a balance of a piercing edge with a subtlety femininity. In the first look we used a heavy contour for the complexion with a soft cut crease eye. Matte touch and the Airflash CC primer from Dior at Sephora saved my life for this one. The brow was kept short, straight, and sculpted, while the lip was soft and elegant. The hair balanced everything perfectly, thanks to Liz. The second look was all about the edge. I wanted to have everything be sharp and hard with a vulnerability that comes from the eyes. If you notice, I played a lot with the under eye area, adding and subtracting shadows until she looked like she could take on the world… but only if you made her. The brows were a fiery orange that I blended into her skin to give a lifted look in the form of undertones. The lips and cheeks were almost metallic to give her that plastic flawless-like skin. My style is all about enhancement. It’s important for me to always keep some of the model’s personality on their face, something that they can relate to so that they might be able to elevate their mood to a point of being fierce, bold, soft, elegant, feminine, masculine, or whatever the particular shoot calls for. I always love working with models that have good skin. It makes everything look so much better. Jessi was a dream especially with a talented photographer, hairstylist and designer behind her.”  Hank Walton – Education Director – Dior

Designer – “I never decide on a collection until after I search for fabrics. I fall for fabrics and I start imagining the designs. I don’t draw prior to the collection or even make patterns. I just drape the fabric and see what happens.  The same goes for the gold dress in this shoot.  I loved that fabric and I wanted to do something special with it.  Persian writing is beautiful.  My inspiration for that dress basically came from that.  So hours of hand carving went into making that dress.  The blue dress has basically the same concept but a different design.  I also love see through fabrics. So using a see through fabric made the carvings even more appealing.  So that’s all I can say. It’s all imagination.”  Azhand Shokohi – www.azhandshokohi.com

Special thanks to Kevin Kilpatrick of Epic Design House in Cincinnati for letting us use his studio space for this shoot.  For photography or graphic design, please check out their work at www.epicdesignhouse.com