Creating the Photograph: Rich Harley’s “The Interesting Box”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Photographer Rich Harley works for TriggerTrap, and his work is a demonstration that sometimes the simplest ideas can work effectively. He’s been a pro photographer for the last seven and a half years, and he specializes in aviation and commercial work with a bit of Sports and high-speed too. “I’ve been working at Triggertrap for just over a year, where I’m the Head of Product. I love trying to get an element of magic in my still life photos, and nothing helps more than being able to put lights in unusual places, and plenty of fishing line.” he tells us.

But most recently, he was tasked with the tough task of making a box look interesting. With what seems like a bit of inspiration from Pulp Fiction, Rich got to work.

Here’s his story.

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Creating the Photograph: Sean Tucker’s “Tudor-Style” Portraits

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Photographer Sean Tucker is both a photographer and videographer hailing from the UK. He recently released a three part video series giving some useful tips and tricks to would-be product photographers. “I am actively building my portfolio in both stills and video to go after more people-centric work in the future because that is where my heart is. At present I am working on a portrait series, as well as finishing up editing on an episodic documentary series which I shot last year in New York, about a podcast duo reaching their 10 year mile stone.” Sean tells us.

He is also quite the lighting wizard and managed to make a single artificial light look completely natural.

But how did he do it?

Also be sure to check out Sean on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Flickr.

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Creating the Photograph: David Vevia’s “The Flower Girl”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

David Vevia is an Orange County Wedding and Family Life photographer. He has taught various photography workshops, and seminars as well as currently teaches photography classes at Northwood High School in Irvine, California.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/David.Vevia.Photography

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Creating the Photograph: Jason Lanier’s “Fisher Waterfall”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Photographer Jason Lanier has been making a big splash in the photo world as of late–and in this case, quite literally! He made a big switch from Nikon to Sony, and a little while back he used their cameras to create a beautiful scene in a Detroit warehouse. Jason’s work proves more than anything though that no matter what system you use, a creative vision and great lighting can still deliver a solid image.

Here’s Jason’s story of how he created the scene above.

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Creating the Photograph: Chris Gampat’s “The Windy Umbrella”

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Model: Bec Fordyce

Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

I LOVE umbrellas–they’re so incredibly versatile and can be used creatively in images with the right ideas. After reading the words of many great photographers, I’ve started to feel that it’s about time for me to step my own photography game up with new ideas and concepts. And so when I called model Bec Fordyce over to shoot image concepts involving umbrellas with a light hidden inside, she was excited about it.

So was I obviously–as the EIC of this site, I don’t get to shoot often for myself. Testing cameras and lenses involves finding a way to not be too creative but still achieving a lovely image at the same time. The site’s philosophy though is to embrace creativity and to not worry too much about what’s done in a lab. Real photographers afterall don’t shoot in a lab. They shoot in real life.

And that’s how the story of “the Windy Umbrella” began.

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Creating the Photograph: Fernando Gallegos’s “Night Sky Over the Chaparral”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Fernando Gallegos is a photographer that hails from San Jose, California and operates Lemurian Grove Studio. He’s also quite well travelled and enjoys photographing all manner of things. Mr. Gallegos tells us that his aim is to capture people with unique traits and who create their own style, no matter how different or bizarre. “As of recently I’ve been experimenting more with artistic photography using Photoshop/Lightroom manipulation and enhancements to create atmospheric, historic, and mystical interpretations.” says Fernando.

When we found his image “Night Sky Over the Chaparral” on Reddit, we were completely fascinated by the amount of compositing and work that he put in to create it. The image otherwise looks lit with a combination of a slow shutter speed and a softbox. But that wasn’t how it was created.

Here’s his story.


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Creating the Photograph: Joubert Loots’ “Levitation”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

We found Joubert Loots via the recent EyeEm Awards. The image above featuring levitation was entered in as one of the finalists for the Illusionist category. Joubert’s EyeEm and Instagram accounts are filled with inspirational images–and not all of them are of the surreal/conceptual style that we see above. He is mostly a documentary street photographer but like most photographers, he tried his hand at other things in order to be experimental and grow.

Joubert’s image involves working in Lightroom and Photoshop–and it also involves using very rudimentary camera gear.

Here’s his story.

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Creating the Photograph: Clement Morin’s “Light Spirits”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Photographer Clement Morin is based Stockholm, Sweden and has been since 2011. He shoots editorial and commercial assignments but dedicates most of his time working as the photo editor for the Swedish photojournalist agency Kontinent. “I enjoy very much experimenting on my free time and since I discovered light paintings I got interested in creating original pictures in-camera–trying to do as much as possible in production stage rather than on the computer.”

His goal in the next winter is to develop this into a series with different scenarios that he wrote together with a friend who is helping him on this project.

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Creating the Photograph: Nicola Bernardi’s “What the Duck is Going on?”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Nicola Bernardi is a photographer that has been working on a hilarious series called “What the Duck is Going on?!“–which we partially discovered when looking through his work during a pitch to us. Nicola not only has the know-how to execute his creative vision, but he also has ideas that just simply work. The Melbourne based photographer is all of 26 years old, and has worked with brands that include Jaguar.

But as any photographer knows, doing personal shoots is what keeps your creativity alive. With that said, here is Nicola’s story.

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Creating the Photograph: Corey Boland’s “Daughter Performing Magic”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Photographer Corey Boland is a physical therapist that wears the photographer cape and cowl at night, but like the great Williams Carlos Williams before him, he surely has a creative and artistic side. We found the image that is the center of this post when he posted it on Reddit–naturally though, we know exactly how it was lit. But even though the methodology is fairly common, many don’t know how a photo like this is achieved. Nor do they always have the creative vision to pull something like this off in a very smart way.

Here’s Corey’s story.

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Creating the Photograph: Lárus Sigurðarson’s “Blue”

20130318_0008 Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com. Lárus Sigurðarson is a photographer based in Iceland–and whose work that we absolutely fell in love with upon finding this image on his 500px page. He is a commercial, wedding, editorial, landscape and portrait photographer whose work is mesmerizing due to the ideas and scenes that he creates. Not only does he have excellent ideas, he is also a master of lighting and knows how to get the image that he has in his head based on his original concept. We asked Mr. Sigurdarson about his image above, called “Blue.” Here’s his story. Continue reading…

Creating the Photograph: Tracie Maglosky’s “Mother Nature”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Tracie Maglosky is the first female Olympus Trailblazer; but beyond working with the company she is also a wedding and portrait photographer that hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. And for anyone that believes that only DSLRs can create great images that will please your clients at a wedding, Ms. Maglosky will surely prove you wrong. Tracie does what many true professional photographers do: work with ideas and creativity to give their clients the beautiful images that make their jaws drop. And that’s partially the concept behind the image above that was done for a maternity shoot.

Here’s Tracie’s story.

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Creating the Photograph: Rossella Vanon’s “Pale Grace”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Rossella Vanon is a photographer based in London and who recently caught our eye when she was featured on the Profoto Blog. Ms. Vanon is an editorial photographer that has worked with some very amazing clients. Her work is beautiful and reminds us a lot of something that Annie Leibovitz might create or shoot. Her recent work for Nylon Mexico yielded the Pale Grace photo that we see above.

And here’s Rossella’s story about the image.

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Creating the Photograph: Chris Aust’s “Stormy Beach”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

When we ran into the work of Chris Aust on 500px, we were intrigued and wanted to venture further into more of his portfolio. Aust is part of the growing number of photographers that are ditching the DSLR and sticking with mirrorless cameras, their creative vision, and lighting knowledge to create the best photos that he can. The 28 year old Ohio based photographer has shot fashion and portraits with a tendency to usually contrast with urban decay.

His Stormy Beach photo and the story behind it is a lesson in blending natural light with flash for all those that really wish to become a better strobist.

Here’s his story.

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Creating the Photograph: Daniel DeArco’s “Acrobatic Temper”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Dan DeArco is a photographer based in California and describes himself as a commercial dance/action photographer. He got into doing this type of work because he was a dancer and acrobat himself. He uses knowledge of the human body and creative ideas to create the photos that he does. Upon finding some of his work on 500px, we were intrigued by his Acrobatic Temper image. Dan’s image uses a method called Stroboscopic flash in order to get all of this into one image.

Here’s his story.

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Creating the Photograph: Sander Martijn’s “Diamond Jewelry Portrait”

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All images by Sander Martijn. Used with permission. 

Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com.

Sander Martijn is a fashion photographer based in NYC, and also a former Phoblographer staffer. Sander’s style of lighting is extremely by the book but when combined with his creative vision works out quite well for the images that he produces. Late last year, he photographed something that many photographer find incredibly difficult: jewelry. Additionally, the jewelry was photographed on a model.

Here’s how he got the photo that worked perfectly for the magazine he shot it for.

This post is a modified posting originally found here.

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Creating the Photograph: Alexia Sinclair’s “A Frozen Tale” Series

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All images by Alexia Sinclair. Used with permission

Alexia Sinclair is a photographer and artist that hails from Australia. When we heard about her work on the Profoto blog, our jaws dropped. Alexia worked on a series called “A Frozen Tale” that took place in an old European Castle. The series turned into an extremely complicated production that involved quite literally chasing the sunlight from room to room on top of story boarding, makeup, and lots of post-production.

Here’s her story.

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Creating the Photograph: Jenna Martin’s “Purple Cabbage Dress”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com

Jenna Martin is photographer that hails from Montana. She began shooting conceptual photography back in 2012 and has since built a portfolio of work that is conceived in her imagination and brought to life by props and her camera. This type of photography is usually amongst some of the most elaborate as it requires a creative and imaginative idea to begin with but also sometimes needs the perfect lighting and the perfect post-production. When we saw her photograph of a cabbage dress, we were extremely interested to see how it was done.

Be sure to also check out Jenna on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Here’s Jenna’s story.

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Creating the Photograph: John Thorpe’s “The Renaissance of Heather”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com

When we found John Thorpe’s “The Renaissance of Heather” we were immediately smitten by it and the inspiration by where it came from. Thorpe started shooting in 2009 and got his start when his first images were published in a three page spread. In addition to his photo work, Jonathan is also part-owner of a “Skyhaq Agency” an advertising firm based out of Northern VA, where he has produced and shot several television commercials. In addition to commercials, Jonathan has also directed several music videos. He is currently represented by Wonderful Machine and in addition to Tamron, is also sponsored by Calumet photo and Holdfast Gear.

But the story behind this image is an even more fascinating one than John’s quick rise up.

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Creating the Photograph: Lindsay Adler’s “Golden Goddess”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com

Photographer Lindsay Adler needs no introduction–she’s an in demand fashion photographer, a social media maven, and an instructor. Based in NYC, Lindsay Adler travels a lot for her job and will be at WPPI 2014 giving classes about her craft and teaching folks tricks and tips on how to improve their workflow. But as a bit of a teaser, we talked to her about how she created one of her favorite photos: the Golden Goddess.

Here’s her story. But also be sure to check out her class on How to Flatter Anyone, No Really Anyone and other seminars.

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Creating the Photograph: Adam Baron’s “Tico’s New ‘Do”

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Creating the Photograph is an original series where we interview photographers about a photo that they shot and how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed on to you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com

When Adam Baron showed us the photo above that he had been working on, we were immediately intrigued. Adam is a featured artist in the book “Adobe Master Class: Photoshop Inspiring artwork and tutorials by established and emerging artists” Plus, his work has been featured in newspapers and magazines. So when he talked to us about the pure creativity behind this photo, we were eager to share it with you guys.

Here’s Adam’s story.

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