Fine art portraits, what exactly is that you might wonder? I've certainly wondered it myself, particularly when I see this term being bandied about from a variety of photographers, some of whom doing nothing out of the ordinary. Well the dictionary defines Fine Art as the following:
noun
plural noun: fine arts
1.
creative art, especially visual art whose products are to be appreciated primarily or solely for their imaginative, aesthetic, or intellectual content.
2.
an activity requiring great skill or accomplishment.
The Fine Art Portrait is trending highly at the moment. This is something that stands out from average photography and gets noticed. In a world where everyone is a photographer its important for me to do something that people will feel is worth paying for. Phones and consumer level camera equipment being rather incredible these days means most people can capture wonderful snaps of their lives and the people in them. So for me hiring a paid professional is really only necessary if they can create something for you that you cannot do yourself. Which is why I believe its important to create something with imagination, beauty and good use of light relying on great skills that the average person does not have. I have spent years building these skills and countless hours continually honing my creativity so that I can provide pieces of art that can grace the walls of my clients for many years to come.
I've also been collecting ideas and elements for these Fine Art sessions for years now. In Pinterest I've collected poses and lighting ideas, at car boots I've collected dresses, tops, scarves and pearls and at antiques fairs I've collected props and anything that grabs my attention really. I've been using much of it for a while now but it was this shoot that I finally used some of the clothes I've been collecting for older children and I concentrated on creating a truly Fine Art Portrait.
Emily arrived not really knowing what would happen but I would assume she expected the usual big smiles kind of posing, which she gave me instantly while I took test shots to assess the lighting. I had to explain that smiling wasn't essential for this session. As we went along Emily seemed to understand quite quickly and we got everything I wanted and more.
It's odd I know, that someone could want and even prefer portraits without smiles. But this is something I've loved for such a long time. Although I adore photographs of a smiling and happy child or baby there is something that draws me more to a thoughtful, less obviously happy portrait. I will linger longer on a portrait of this nature. Perhaps it tells us more of the person or more of a story, I don't know. But it is certainly more appealing as a piece of wall art than the big smiles sort in my opinion.
And I have to say that these images you are seeing digitally, possibly on a very small screen do not come close to the impact they have as a large printed wall piece. When you see them printed and hanging on a wall it is then that you can really appreciate them as a piece of art.
Thats not to say I don't do smiles. These are included in all sessions where possible. Its just that the subtle smile or the non smiley ones seem to have more of an impact for me. And for shy children or moody teenagers it helps to tell them they don't have to smile for the camera. This also alleviates any cheesy smiles they've been practicing before the session.
Something else I've been toying with lately is the Moving Portrait. I came across this not long ago and I absolutely love it. As a photographer I capture a single moment in time. Ultimately this is what I want to do. I have no interest in video. However, the moving portrait gives just that bit more of a glimpse into our subject. As a memory I think it adds value. I certainly don't want this to replace the still portrait but I do love the idea as an add on, in addition to the printed portrait. I'm still developing my skills and working out the lighting for these. I can't use flash in video so I am currently limited in how I light these and this is an entirely new skill so I'm still working on this concept. Here's an example.
This type of session is probably my favourite of all. I so enjoy working with one person, particularly a child who's of an age where they can understand and be patient for this sort of thing. Although I've always said I prefer a variety of different shoots and of course I still do, this type of session wins out just a little over the rest. Editing these portraits has been a pure joy also. Its times like this when I truly love my job.
If you would like a session such as this please do get in touch. I'd love to do more of this work. You can reach me on 01455 611069, follow this link to our contact us page on our website, or send me a message via our Facebook page here. You are welcome to come in for a free consultation as well so that you get the chance to see large printed portraits in person so you can see for yourself what an incredible impact they have. I look forward to hearing from you.
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This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...
Over the past couple of years I've been photographing Jileon Ltd's wellies for their website. And over the last couple of months I have had quite a bit to do for them. Jileon is a great client of ours, giving us regular work that I can undertake in my own time and in my own way. It makes for such a relaxing change from having to make small children smile in a short span of time. Particularly since they can't get up and walk away just at the moment when all elements of the perfect image come together. The only real challenge in photographing wellies for me seems to be the dreaded reflection that is unavoidable when photographing shiny objects using flash. But without this challenge where would be the fun? Jileon Ltd is a Hinckley based distributor of mainly wellington boots. They do also distribute other things but typically it is just their wellies that I photograph. If you wish to order a pair please vi...
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I've also been collecting ideas and elements for these Fine Art sessions for years now. In Pinterest I've collected poses and lighting ideas, at car boots I've collected dresses, tops, scarves and pearls and at antiques fairs I've collected props and anything that grabs my attention really. I've been using much of it for a while now but it was this shoot that I finally used some of the clothes I've been collecting for older children and I concentrated on creating a truly Fine Art Portrait.
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