As Diane von Furstenberg said, Attitude is everything.
~ Pav
Attitude
Images
Fragments
When we think of a portrait we often think of a picture which shows the subject’s face pointing roughly in the direction of the camera. It might be part of a full length shot, or a close up of their head and shoulders. Is a picture really a portrait if you can’t see the subject’s face? To me a portrait is a picture that tells a story about a person, regardless of whether they’re facing the camera, even if the shot just captures their lovely feet in some rather fabulous heels.
~ Pav
Waiting
Last week I shared a picture of one of my favourite props – a pair of sparkly bunny ears. This week you get to see them in action. As I said last week, props can easily change the whole feeling of a picture. A wedding includes lots of props – the pretty dress, the bouquet, the veil, the shoes, the rings – lots of little (or not so little) details that don’t necessarily form part of a person’s every day life but which give us an insight into who they are and what’s going on. They’re the little cues that let us build a story from a picture. A portrait benefits from props in exactly the same way. They add detail, and can provide a touch of theatre and drama, giving the story a twist that makes it that little bit more intriguing.
~ Pav
A pair of sparkly bunny ears
I love shoots that involve fun props, be they giant red balloons or sparkly bunny ears. Props add a touch of theatre and can change the whole feeling of a picture. As far as I’m concerned, the more fun the prop the better. If nothing else, it lightens the mood and makes the whole process a little more fun for everyone involved. It’s pretty hard not to smile when you’re wearing sparkly bunny ears.
~ Pav
The art of make-up
I’m not a girl who wears a lot of make-up. In fact, I’m the kind of girl who puts on lipstick in the morning, promptly forgets about it, and has it all wear off by mid-morning. Maybe it’s because I have no skill whatsoever with applying it properly. I can’t be trusted with marker pens, let alone colour that I’m putting on my face. So I’m utterly in awe of people who can, and do apply it properly. A good make-up artist is a true artist, as talented as any painter or illustrator. I love watching the transformation that can happen in the prep for a shoot. It’s like a kind of wonderful magic.
~ Pav
Some more Footpath Art
Last week I explained why I take photos of drain covers, and why that makes Japan so interesting for me. Today is our last day in Japan, so I thought I’d share another photo that I’ve added to my collection.
This was taken on one of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea, which we visited as part of the Shimanami Kaido bike ride we did. The bike ride starts in Onomichi City and meanders across six of the islands in the Seto Inland Sea and the bridges that connect them. The entire ride is 75km, but we only did about 30km, by which point we were both freezing and I was in agony, having remembered that the fact that Geoff rides a bike pretty much every day doesn’t make me a cyclist too.
~ Pav
Footpath Art
We’re on holiday in Japan this week, so this week’s photo post is from one of my personal projects. While it may seem strange that I have a personal project which includes drain covers, I can explain. My interest is in what I describe as footpath art, the art we walk over every day, often without seeing it. It started in Brisbane when after years of walking down Albert Street, I finally noticed the bronze plaques by Brona Keenan that form part of the Albert Street Literary Trail. Having discovered that I’d been walking over art I hadn’t noticed for about 15 years (seriously, they were installed in 1996 and I finally noticed them in 2011). I couldn’t help but start to notice this kind of art all over the place, and being me, to start to take photos of it. Japan has it’s own special variety of footpath art – illustrated drain or manhole covers. These are beautifully detailed designs specific to the local region they’re in. Sometimes they’re painted and sometimes they’re left plain, but they’re always interesting. I even have a coaster on my desk which is a small rubber version of the standard Osaka drain cover that we found last time we were here. So this is the latest edition to my collection. It’s from the Abeno ward of Osaka.
~ Pav
A Red Balloon
What could be more relaxing than standing on a calm, empty beach, looking out to sea while holding a giant red balloon? As is so often the case, all is not quite as it seems. Rather than being on a quiet empty beach in the middle of nowhere we were surrounded by early morning walkers, swimmers and surfers. There was a nice gusty wind that kept blowing the balloon around at crazy angles and threatening to steal it away. Yet thanks to the magic of photography (a high shutter speed and careful framing) we have a calm, reflective moment of peace. One of the best bits of the shoot was at the end when I told my subject (the beautiful Lou from Relaxed Soul, Happy Mind) to feel free to give the balloon away to a passing child. She spotted a family with two toddlers who had been playing in the water just down the beach from us. The balloon was probably as big as them and they were completely thrilled to have it. We saw them leaving the beach a short time later and couldn’t decide if it was because they’d had enough of playing in the water, or if they’d realised the mixed blessing that is a large helium filled balloon on a windy beach.
~ Pav
A prayer
I’m one of those people who has always loved to roam around cemeteries, reading inscriptions on headstones, and admiring the amazing sculptures that grace so many of the graves. This beautiful angel is in Toowong Cemetery.
shy fox photography 