Archive for December, 2008
Les Coquettes
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on December 18, 2008
On Sunday night, I had the distinct pleasure of photographing the latest event/show/extravaganza from Toronto’s premier nouveau burlesque troupe, Les Coquettes.
My first introduction into the world of burlesque came during Toronto’s 2007 Luminato festival, with a presentation called the Spiegelshow (see slideshow on Flickr) — so good that I saw it three times during the course of its run.
My gorgeous new friend Catherine, one of the troupe’s founding members, invited me to photograph their holiday presentation, A Winter’s Tail, at the Revival in Toronto’s Little Italy. Built on the grounds of an old Baptist church, it seemed like the perfect place for a bit of bawdry Sunday night fun!
Check out a review of the show here, and join the Les Coquettes Facebook group! The next show is February 22nd, and I expect all of you to be there!
$50 Down the Drain
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on December 10, 2008
Amy
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on December 9, 2008
It’s a good thing that people don’t ask me who my favourite person is to shoot. I’d have far too many answers. However, near the top of that list would be this young lady, Amy.
Let’s quickly run through why Amy is awesome:
- She loves junk food more than I do
- She’s highly cooperative
- She’s a former cheerleader!
“How,” you ask, “do those qualities help you make good photos, Ryan?”
I’m glad you asked:
- Sharing a pre-photoshoot slice of pizza and cookies gives us both enough energy to keep at it for hours
- As seen above, Amy let me cover her in flour and willingly sat on a cold concrete floor in a utility closet
- Being a nimble and agile cheerleader helps when you’re perched on a rock at the end of the earth
Although Amy is a gorgeous woman, she upped the creep factor by several magnitudes to get the bizarre green photos you see above. Versatility is key, models! Anyone can stand around and smile and look pretty — even I’d look reasonable with enough makeup slathered on my face. Maybe not. But Amy brings it, every shoot, every time.
So now you know why Amy is awesome. Interestingly, Amy resisted posting the photo above to her Facebook profile, out of fear that it would creep out her friends and family too much. That’s why I’m awesome.
See more of Amy on my Flickr page, her deviantArt profile, and her ModelMayhem profile.
Another Photographer: Steven Klein
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on December 4, 2008
“Portraiture in the past has been regarded as a documentation of a person but for me it is a documentation of the encounter between myself and the subject. It is not meant to reveal them, nor is it meant to subject them to an X-ray” — Steven Klein
I’m not one for artist statements or philosophy of photography nonsense, but if I had to pick something that describes how I feel about the whole thing, see above. I have mixed feelings about Steven Klein’s work as a photographer. As a subscriber to W Magazine, I see his work quite often. Two of my least favourite editorial spreads in the mag over the last couple years have been by Klein: Madonna Rides Again, 2006 (boring) and Scarlett and Natalie, 2008 (looking like tranny mannequins). Both can be found on Klein’s website.
Fifty Years in Six Photos
Posted by Ryan in Uncategorized on December 4, 2008
An interesting set of photos found here, which documents a 20-year old model being photographed as though she were 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 years old through the creative use of light, angles, and makeup.
[Originals from French Vogue]