Photography by Sandra Howard
One of my favourite artists, Gustav Klimt, once said that “All Art is Erotic”. Have you ever had a photograph or two that really inspired you to test out your own abilities? A few weeks back I saw an image where an artist made different foods resemble “reproduction”. I wanted to try my own skills using an apple.
For this shot, I used a telephoto lens combined with three Kenko macro tubes. For lighting, I placed a flash behind the subject to achieve the backlit glow.
During 2006, we spent time shooting everyone we knew for additional practice using our lighting equipment and gear. I shot this woman in using some black and white process styling techniques to give the images a pop, funky style. I was overall pleased with the set, especially the optical illusion of working with a model in a staircase. I had the images originally in colour, but the processing style of using high contrast with black and white effectively gave off the message I was going for.
Photographed back in 2006, Candice had never had professional style photographs before. She was a bit shy to have cameras in her face, but once we got into shooting a bit, she opened up and giggled lots! I was quite pleased with some of the head shots that we did back then, as I was just learning how to use the lighting equipment. Candice was a great little model and I’d surely work with her again in the future!
Anna always had a funky look to her! I asked her if she’d help me out with a rocker-style photoshoot using some instruments and red polka dots! She was happy to jump into the studio and was pleased with the results! Anna says “Sandra is a professional and a true delight to work with! From the moment I arrived on the rocker chick shoot, I was welcomed and made feel comfortable. I can’t thank her enough for capturing the part of me that feels sexy and cutting-edge. She is so encouraging and her creative ideas about costumes and props for the shoot made the whole experience a total blast! I’d definitely work with her again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to others.”
Anatomy is a challenging subject to master when it comes to drawing. With the tricks and techniques mentioned in Sarah Simblet (Author) and John Davis’ (Photographer) book Anatomy for the Artist, I was able to practise my own techniques in drawing the female figure using pencil.
“Anatomy for the Artist is like having your own life-drawing studio in the privacy of your home. Carefully constructed photographs of the human form allow you to see the structure and function of the skeleton and main muscle groups. Six imaginative drawing lessons, each supported with photography, show how to portray the bones, head, rib cage, pelvis, hands, and feet in perspective, from different angles, both in still poses and in movement.”
