A style of portraiture hated by many

[Chris R]

I was having a little fun earlier snapping pictures of my daughter (she loves making goofy faces for the camera), and thought I'd try out the direct flash / fashion magazine style used by photographers like Terry Richardson and Juergen Teller. I always cringed at this style wondering "How on earth does this crap make it into fashion magazines!? Why are these guys so popular? They are awful!" but after shooting like this, I feel sort of relieved. It's very refreshing to just throw away all the douchey photography rules and not having to setup any lights/umbrellas/reflectors. The end result is what I feel to be my favorite portrait. It's simple, it's real, and it's raw. No glamour, no setup, no retouching, just a picture of my daughter having fun.

Anyway, even if you loathe this style, just give it a try! It's actually a little more difficult than you'd think... Direct flash is very unforgiving.

 

[Tee]

For emulating that style, you did a great job and I think you produced that style of image with success. I've always been a fan of Teller's over Richardson.

 

[Buckster]

Not a fan of the snapshot-with-on-board-flash "style", but glad you had fun with it. I'll take the "douchey photography rules" results over this any day.

 

[cgipson1]

"douchey photography rules"... that cracked me up! Don't care for harsh light personally... but it is a cute shot.

 

[rexbobcat]

Not a fan of the snapshot-with-on-board-flash "style", but glad you had fun with it. I'll take the "douchey photography rules" results over this any day.

This ^

 

[jowensphoto]

Eh, not my style and I can't say I'd ever want Terry Richardson anywhere near my daughter, but I think you did an OK job.

Check this link out: 10 Ways to Shoot Stunning Portraits With Only One Light Near the bottom of the article is a set up for this type of "look" minus the shadows.

 

[ghache]

I am actualy one of those who enjoy this type of lighting and photography. I have tried to replicate this lighting styleit a couple time but i think you got it better than i did.

I used a ring flash in this one.

used a large softbox with no difuser, grid only.

 

[Chris R]

Eh, not my style and I can't say I'd ever want Terry Richardson anywhere near my daughter, but I think you did an OK job.

Check this link out: 10 Ways to Shoot Stunning Portraits With Only One Light Near the bottom of the article is a set up for this type of "look" minus the shadows.

The harsh shadow is part of the "style" I was going for. I know it irks many photographers, but I feel this is actually a well thought out style and there is a very good reason the fashion industry uses it so heavily. By taking away the "trickery" of photography, you can make beautiful models wearing overpriced clothing seem more appealing to the casual viewer. Your mind subconsciously tells you that it could be you in that photo because it looks exactly like the type you or your friend could snap... and if the clothing looks great without all the lights & retouching, surely it must look good on an average joe such as yourself.

I'm not saying it's for everyone, and I can see why a lot of photographers dislike it, but it is a very viable style and not some senseless "fauxtographer" crap that a lot of people make it out to be. I read some where that Terry Richardson was once one of the highest paid photographers on Earth. Sure, it's in part due do his eccentric behavior and industry connections, but it's also because this style is genuinely sought after.

 

[amolitor]

It's a paparazzi look, a conscious and deliberate copying of that style of "photojournalistic" imagery, and incidentally of facebook "me and my friends" imagery. I don't know which source informs the style more these days, but it's definitely a thing. The general public is very used to this look, and frankly they don't give a damn about rim lights and hair lights and catch lights.

 

[Designer]

If you don't mind the criticism, I credit the model more for the success of this shot than the photographer.

I don't "loathe" the "style", but I think it is fundamentally lazy photography done by someone in a hurry, with a model who has flawless skin.

The "douchy rules" are not, in fact, rules for which an infraction merits demotion, but are more like "guidelines" on how to produce photographs that are informative, evocative, flattering, and easy on the eyes.

Furthermore, many of us began with this "style", and have hopefully moved on to a more artistic, if somewhat MORE demanding "style".

I'm glad you discovered this method and that you apparently like it.

 

[Derrel]

Terry Richardson...quite an infamous fellow...not well-known by some on this board...this video has always cracked me up!!!



This is satirist Baron VonLuxxury, making fun of Richardson's well-discussed propensity for getting young models naked and then....you know...the fact that he looks so much like Richardson is amusing.