Street-style/ street fashion photography (made popular or possibly even invented by Scott Schuman a.k.a. The Sartorialist) is a great way to see how humans around the world dress up during different times of the year and for different events.
Ok, so maybe i didnt find anyone running around in a space-suit... (demmit!) but here are a selection of photos from Malta in spring:
What started as a little bit of fun, has evolved into a staple whenever Claire and I are backstage - here is a gallery of all the times we've done this... which is your favourite?
Check out my work for Pink Magazine :)
This month apart from the Street Style section, I had sporty Mandy from supernovamodel.com for the Show-stopper fashion editorial. The photoshoot was set in the Savio College sports complex here are a couple of my favourite images from the shoot:
Credits: Styling: Marisa Grima [www.marisagrima.com] - Make-up: Shasha - Hair by Screen Team - Model Mandy @ Supernovamodel.com
Just in case you missed the photo exhibition in Valletta during Malta Fashion Week, here is the photo we exhibited. Thanks again to the clothes and location sponsors, the lovely Amy @ supernovamodel.com and the rest of the team
Çava Jewellery's Campaign was an interesting Studio shoot. The creative direction was done by Elsa Allen from Logix Creative and Models from Models M. The brief asked for a soft, sun-kissed, natural look with backlighting.
The Key part of achieving the look is to use a large aperture to make the most of the light leaks from the rear lights. At the back of the studio, between the models and the background, 2 strobes provide the backlighting. This is very important so that the contrast loss/washout that is needed for the effect to be beleivable occurs.
A softbox in front of the models provides fill and a beauty dish with diffuser high above the models provides facial definition and some more fill. Also it give a bit more light intensity to the top of the person with soft fall off.
Yesterday night the Maltese fashion industry gathered for the 17th Edition of the Malta Fashion Awards. Dubbed the largest fashion party in Malta, and definitely living up to its name.
It was a great night and I won my second "Best Fashion Photographer" Award. It is a great honour and as I said on stage - Fashion photography is not the effort of any one person but that of a team: It takes a great designer/stylist/hair-stylist/make-up artist and model to get a good picture. As as always i would like to thank everyone who worked with me to make my pictures possible. I wouldn't be here without you.
"Where does it go from here?" Is the question I've been asking myself all morning as I sip coffee and try to come back to reality. First of all, I want to help all local designers as much as i possibly can - they are the future of our little industry and it's through them that we'll grow; and secondly, I want to put in more travelling this year - Last trips to Milan, London and Rome fashion weeks were great learning experiences.
Lastly, here is what went on behind the scenes - all these images are shot using a Canon 5D Mark III camera with a 50mm f1.2 lens (possibly a couple with the 85mm but I'm not sure :)) Lighting for the shots was available light, overpowered using a simple YongNuo 120LED Panel (every photographer should have 2 of these in is backpack when shooting at night)
Tonight was the last show in this year's Mercedes Benz Malta Fashion Week - the international designers night made up of designers from the following countries: France, Serbia, Cyprus, Nigeria and Malta
Here are some backstage shots of the fantastic show:
Shooting catwalk can be a daunting prospect. You have moving subjects in varied lighting conditions, in an environment where technical excellence and timing are key - oh and you are usually in a crowded spot with other peoples lenses usually bumping into your back/sides/head/loved parts... you get the picture.
Here are some simple tips that will go a long way to help you get "the shot".
One of the highlights of fashion week is that we get to see beautiful locations (typically in and around our capital city) lit up in a way that is not what we're used to. These beautiful backdrops, such as the Grandmaster's Palace today, give a sense of drama and grandeur to the fashion show. Instead of shooting the catwalk, today I went behind the scenes - in the weird and wonderful world of Ritienne Zammit, and here's what I saw:
Whilst some may our may not like the way the city gate project turned out, today it provided a great backdrop for the fashion shows of 2 local designers: Ferragiu and Nilara.
Ferragiu, "Renaissance" Collection
Nilara, "Paint it Black"
And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a jump from Claire and some behind the scenes action :)
The first order of the day was the Bridal Fashion Show at the Sacra Infermeria in Valletta. Featuring dresses from Wedding Bells, Impression Bridal, and Ivory & Co. Local designers Creative Factory 7 changed the princessy tone and injected a much needed dose of colour
Behind The Scenes:
And some shots from the show:
The Mercedes Benz Malta fashion week kicked off today at The Point Shopping mall, where various high-street and designer brands showcased portions from this year's collection.
Here is a selection from behind the scenes:
Check out https://fashionweek.com.mt/ for more information on fashion week as well as photos from the shows.
Tonight the Fashion Photography Exhibition kicks off in Valletta as part of Malta Fashion Week (www.fashionweek.com.mt).
This year the theme we chose to exhibit is a modern interpretation on the classic Pin Up. This was shot in one of the amazing designer suites at The Palace Hotel, Sliema; With clothing and accessories from River Island and Porto respectively
The team behind the shoot was: The lovely Amy Zahra from supernovamodels (www.supernovamodel.com). Styling by Caroline Paris (carolinefashionstyling.com).Make-up by Gabrielle Zammit Grung and Hair Styling by Christian Gale.
Check out some shots from the shoot and make sure you get your butts to Valletta tonight for the opening of the exhibition and to see the selected shot
The interesting thing about black and white photography is that the light and editing choices we make have a much stronger impact on the overall feel of the photo.
Lower the contrast, dull the highlights and keep the blacks for a soft, sad feel
Bev @ supernovamodel.com
Going to the other extreme, black and white photos can take high contrast very well, leading to a crisp image with plenty of impact
Stephen
Combining the two techinques (using an overlay layer and selectively masking) can provide the benefits of both approaches.
In the following image the dominant low contrast toning provides feel whilst some high contrast is used to add detail selectively
Amy. Makeup by Krista Paris
And the last photo of the day :)
Gaby, supernovamodel.com. Makeup by Krista Paris
For these photos the GoDox AR400 ringlight remained as fill or in the bag :) Bowens beauty dish sometimes with a pal in clamshell setup did the heavy lifting
I finally bit the bullet and bought a ring flash - whilst i really wanted to get a ProFoto or Bowens flash, the price as well as the portability was a bit of an issue. Quick trip to china and voilà, a GoDox AR400 Ring Flash joins the family :) (for a review of this unit - scroll to the bottom of this article)
Ring Flashes had become a bit of a cliché especially in the Fashion world, since they provide a uniform light around the entire lens, which makes for a soft shadow, a glow on the skin and pretty kick ass catch lights. I personally like this effect but i always feel that they need a little bit of spice.
The lighting set-up for these images involved 3 lights: The Ring Flash (400w) on the camera, a Bowens 500w with beauty dish above the model to add a bit more definition to the face, and a Bowens 500w with barn-doors behind the model and to the left. By varying the intensities of these lights we can create 3 different lighting effects without changing the lights we use and their positioning (as always click on the photos to see them all :))
Sarah. The Ring flash is the key light here and you can see the signature ring flash shadow around the model
Jelena. The beauty dish power is increased here to just slightly over power the ring flash.
Talitha. The Ring flash has been demoted to fill flash for this shot, reducing some of the shadows created by the beauty dish.
So far I've only taken a few hundred shots using this ring flash but here are some pro's and cons
Righy, let's get this blog on the road.
I'm currently very much in a Black and White mood, so this is a perfect time to take some Portraits (in Black & White of course :)) in the studio. Click on each photo to see the full shebang.
Firstly, let's start with the lovely Claire Ciantar from Supernova Models. Whilst we were working on another shoot we took a quick time-out to take this portrait. Make-up by Shasha and Hairstyling by Jonathan @ Screen
The lighting setup for this shot was simple: a Bowens Gemini Pro 500w w/ Bowens Beauty Dish - above and to the model's left.
Simple styling, light and less-than-my-normal contrast in editing, provide a softer look for Claire
The second shot is of Gaby Curmi, also from Supernova Models. Makeup was done by Krista Paris. The lighting setup of this shot is very similar to previous shot.
Curly hair & an oversized Boyfriend's Shirt with high contrast B&W editing for Gaby's Look
And last but not least, this shot was actually the first in this current round of black and white portraits - showcasing necklaces from Aura and the expressive Estelle (Also from Supernova). Hair and Makeup also by Krista Paris
Dark Shadows, Bare skin and a statement necklace for the fierce Estelle
Comments, Criticism & queries are always welcome :)
That's all for now, hope everyone's having a lovely weekend
Kurt
