Years ago I watched TV show about one French photo studio. Their main trick is a specific light scheme.
Studio started photographing celebrities in 1938, at heyday of the classic black-and-white movie. And they still set the light in the same manner as it was common in 30's and 40's.
I was extremely impressed by the photos. For years I analyzed old fashion shot photos, and I was really obsessed with the idea to make something like this.
Suddenly one of my customers requested to make a picture in the "Old Hollywood Style" for his ad billboard.
It was a photo session for interiors decoration of a large jewelry stores network. One of the models came to the studio after a stormy party, and I asked the make-up artist, whom we worked with, to draw onto her face something fancy, not related to the shooting scenario, since the skin of the model was in a terrible state.
So the "Black Swan" appeared — tribute to the movie by Darren Aronofsky.
To the credit of the model, she coped with the role.
So the "Black Swan" appeared — tribute to the movie by Darren Aronofsky.
To the credit of the model, she coped with the role.
Another photos from this session, this time corresponding to the customer's desire.
It should be noted that the desire itself was very undetermined, and the key word was "elegance." To me, "elegance" is a synonym for the "golden era of Hollywood" 40–50 years of the last century.
To approach this look was the thing I did want from the makeup artist, the hairdresser and the stylist, but the latter was not the most brilliant professional, and I had to lead most of the scene into the shadows.
It should be noted that the desire itself was very undetermined, and the key word was "elegance." To me, "elegance" is a synonym for the "golden era of Hollywood" 40–50 years of the last century.
To approach this look was the thing I did want from the makeup artist, the hairdresser and the stylist, but the latter was not the most brilliant professional, and I had to lead most of the scene into the shadows.
“Arrival” was actually the first of the script. It shows a couple that has just arrived at a certain point in their journey, and descended into an empty hotel bar.
"Find it!" A story about little private game. On the model's shoulder blade the logo of the customer.
One of the mumerous photo tests
This is one of my most valued photosets. The customer – jewelry company "Atelier Mousson" gave only the theme: "Hotel Mousson". It's like the name of a noir movie, which can contain anything: a colonial theme, a non-home place, suspicion, infidelity, jealousy, sounds of exotic music, but the most important – endless tropical rain.
I came up with a rather dark scene, with drops waiting on the window glass, the bar counter barely readable in the background and three characters: two women and a man. “Blonde” is the conventional companion of a man, “brunette” is a fatal passion, and “man” is an object of attraction and objectification. Sexism is present, but such is the plot. A mandatory emphasis on jewelry is present as well.
I shot a very complicated storyline for publication throughout the year in monthly magazines, but here are only several of these photos.
I came up with a rather dark scene, with drops waiting on the window glass, the bar counter barely readable in the background and three characters: two women and a man. “Blonde” is the conventional companion of a man, “brunette” is a fatal passion, and “man” is an object of attraction and objectification. Sexism is present, but such is the plot. A mandatory emphasis on jewelry is present as well.
I shot a very complicated storyline for publication throughout the year in monthly magazines, but here are only several of these photos.
"Jealousy" (On the right). I want to emphasize that this is not a collage, the photo was taken in one shot, and in order to achieve a readable reflection of the face of the “Blonde” and her ring, I had to set a very complex lighting.
This is an example of a rather strange but very complicated job. A large corporate calendar, in which the customer, a jewelry retail network, did not want a connected narrative, but a separate story in each picture, dedicated to a particular product in its assortment, from vintage table sets to jewelry weapons. I photographed in various locations, from my own studio to the Museum of Railways in St. Petersburg.
The huge budget and the many specialists involved in the project have led to a rather eclectic result.
Here are two photos. On the first , the story is built around a road tea service of the 19th century, and was filmed in a compartment of a first-class carriage of the Siberian Express. The second plot is the cover of the calendar; a diamond-pearl necklace does not play the main role in it, and the third one is about the silver dishes.
The huge budget and the many specialists involved in the project have led to a rather eclectic result.
Here are two photos. On the first , the story is built around a road tea service of the 19th century, and was filmed in a compartment of a first-class carriage of the Siberian Express. The second plot is the cover of the calendar; a diamond-pearl necklace does not play the main role in it, and the third one is about the silver dishes.
