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Showing posts with label unusual portraiture photography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unusual portraiture photography. Show all posts

Inspiring Little Girls Beyond Disney Princesses - The NOT Just A Girl Series by Jaime Moore.



Wedding and lifestyle photographer Jaime Moore had been searching everywhere for some new creative inspiration for her daughter Emma's 5th birthday photos. When researching she noticed the prevalence of girls dressing as pretty Disney Princesses and no matter where she looked, 95% of the 'ideas' and 'how-to's' featured more of the same. Despite loving Disney Princesses herself (who doesn't?), after giving it much thought Jaime really wanted to use REAL women as inspiration for her daughter.

Subjects Pose As Both Male and Female In Transgender Portraits by JJ Levine.




Photographer and artist JJ Levine of Montreal's series "Alone Time" is just one of his many collections of 'intimate portraiture' “By doubling a single body within one frame,” Levine tells BuzzFeed, “I celebrate the human capacity for gender fluidity and call into question the idea of authenticity of gender.”



Although digitally composed to combine the two versions of the one human in each photo, there is no manipulation in the portraits, simply a change of clothing, hair and make up.






The transgendered photographer/artist says "This concept is intended to raise questions regarding mainstream notions of gender and sexuality. I want my images to challenge the assumption that gender is binary and sexuality is fixed. Our culture puts a lot of weight on two really narrow gender categories, which makes it especially complicated for those of us who don’t fit into that dichotomous system to navigate our day-to-day lives and move through the world with ease."




The Huffington Post chatted with Levine about the artist's inspiration behind "Alone Time". Read the whole interview here.

About the artist/photographer:


JJ Levine (shown above) is a Montreal-based artist working in intimate portraiture. Levine received a BFA in Photography and Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality from Concordia University. Levine’s photography explores issues surrounding gender, sexuality, self-identity, and queer space. Levine’s work has been exhibited at artist-run centres, commercial galleries, art festivals and academic conferences across Canada, the United States, and Europe. As well, Levine has guest lectured for university courses and has been featured in academic journals, and art magazines internationally. Levine’s artistic practice balances a political agenda with a strong formal aesthetic.

The Emerging Photographic Talent of 21 Year Old Kyle J. Thompson.




Last year I introduced you to the astonishing photographic talent of then 18 year old Alex Stoddard. Well, he's got some competition in 21 year old Kyle Thompson.



Kyle Thompson, who has no formal education in photography, was born in Chicago on January 11th, 1992. He began taking photographs at the age of nineteen after finding interest in nearby abandoned houses. His work is mostly composed of surreal and bizarre self portraits (like Stoddard's), often taking place in empty forests and abandoned homes.

Here's a look at some of his work:











The photo below was a collaboration with his friend Maxwell Runko:


Keep an eye on this kid, he's bound to go far.

Kyle Thompson Photography


18 Colorful Employee Portraits by Olaf Breuning Add Creativity To Pernod Ricard's Annual Report




Co-creation by Olaf Breuning is a new photo campaign for the Pernod Ricard 2012/2013 annual report in which 18 employees create a fresco for the cover and pose for pages with personal quotes scattered throughout the 168 page annual report.

Pernod Ricard’s commitment to contemporary art, which it has inherited from Paul Ricard, is an integral part of the company’s sponsorship strategy. The Group endeavours to share and promote creativity in all its forms. Therefore, for the last 35 years, Pernod Ricard has commissioned a piece by a renowned contemporary artist to illustrate the cover of its Annual Report.



The approach now focuses on contemporary photography, giving a well-known photographer “carte blanche” to produce portraits of their employees, the front-line ambassadors of the organization’s values. In 2010, Argentinian Marcos Lopez became the first photographer to have his work featured in the report, while French Denis Rouvre and Spanish Eugenio Recuenco have followed in his footsteps in subsequent years.


above photo of Olaf Breuning by Herbert Zimmermann

Olaf Breuning, the Swiss photographer and visual artist, has been selected for this year’s annual report photo campaign. He and 18 Group employees were invited by Pernod Ricard to a private area of the Pompidou Centre to work together on a series of artistic images. Inspired by the 2012/2013 annual report theme of “co-creation”, he asked the models to paint on a gigantic canvas. Each person was given an unusual object or tool with which to paint, and a matching colour.


above: the completed canvas, used on the cover, painted by the 18 employees

Under his artistic direction, the models themselves became the artists for this unusual piece. Joy, pleasure, concentration, introspection – each one of them experienced the range of emotions which goes hand in hand with creation and the images are featured throughout the report, along with their personal quotes, such as the example shown below:



Over three days of “creative conviviality”, the fresco took shape and what emerged was the collaborative work of art which adorns the cover of this document.

All 18 portraits:



















Having been inspired by observing these fledgling artists, Olaf Breuning immortalized the models in portrait form at the end of this creative session: “Artistic creation is often the product of confrontation, of dialogue… I wanted to follow this creative process for a Group that makes sharing and conviviality its signature. The idea was to bring these people that I was meeting for the first time closer to one another, and then to expose them to my world. They had no idea at all of what the final piece would be: like an exquisite artistic cadaver, they would each make their personal contribution, but only I knew where the journey would take us”.



Olaf Breuning was able to infuse his art with Pernod Ricard’s DNA as “Créateurs de convivialité”.

You can read/download the actual annual report here

Photographer Christian Tagliavini And His Unique Paper, Plywood and Cardboard Dressed Portraits.




Recently, artist and photographer Christian Tagliavini completed a stunning series, 'Cartes', an artful take on playing cards using models clad in his paper fashions and decorative accessories.


above: Christian crafts the hat for the "Carte" shown below


Seeing those here on Huffington Post, inspired me to take a look at more of his work. As a result, I want to share with you two other series of his, Dames di Cartone (Cardboard Women) and 1503, both of which are formally photographed portraits of models clad in artful representations of historical fashions crafted out of cardboard, paper and plywood.

Dames di Cartone (Cardboard Women)
His series, Dames di Cartone, consists of two dimensionally outfitted portraits that emulate Cubistic, 17th century,and Fifties fashions. Using corrugated, cut and colored cardboard and plywood, the craftsmanship applied to live models makes for an interesting series.

#1, Dame di Cartone, Cubism I:


#2, Dame di Cartone, Cubism II:


#3, Dame di Cartone, Cubism III:


#4, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century I:


#5, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century II:


#6, Dame di Cartone, 17th Century III:


#7, Dame di Cartone, Fifties I:


#8, Dame di Cartone, Fifties II:


#9, Dame di Cartone, Fifties III:


1503
Similar creations of his can be found in his 1503 series. These represent 16th century fashions and combine textiles with paper and cardboard for a unique look. Several of these photographs have been featured on the cover of many photography and arts magazine worldwide.

#1 1503, Lucrezia:


#2 1503, Donna Clotilde:


#3 1503, Bartolomeo:


#4 1503, Ritratto di giovane donna:


#5 1503, Ritratto di signora in verde:


#6 1503, Ritratto d'uomo:


#7 1503, Artemisia:


#8 1503, Cecilia:


#9 1503, Ritratto di giovane uomo con cappello piumato:


Born in 1971, Christian Tagliavini was educated in Italy and Switzerland, where he lives and works as a photographer. This provides him the perfect frame and background to invent, create and totally produce images that blend fine arts and craftsmanship.


above photo of Christian Tagliavni by Paola Bergamaschi (courtesy of his Facebook page)

Christian Tagliavini

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