Ask United Kingdom-based photographer Dan Prince what movies he’s been watching lately. He might just tell you about his recent shoot for the clothing brand Always Wear Red, who contacted Dan because of his photographic style and cinema know-how.
The shoot was an homage to the 1969 film Kes, about a schoolboy who was an outsider, never fitting in, and finding his passion and a relationship with a kestrel. This film was also a book and I remember reading it as a boy myself, then seeing it as a teenager.
Dan’s familiarity with the film and knowledge of the director, Ken Loach, helped create the dark, desaturated look of the images. They used stills from the original film as references, and AWR provided the styling and much of the pre-planning for the project.
I wanted the shoot to be a little bleak, so we shot inside the woods where there was very little light, this gave a nice flat bleak look to the images.
The setting fit the concept perfectly, and the model Adyn almost looked the part. Dan was concerned with Adyn looking too clean for the woodsy nature of the shoot, and asked him to get in touch with his wild side.
I suggested he do some burpees and run around the woods to get a little out of breath. We also used the stream water and mud to mess him up a little. I got him to throw stones, explore and gave him tasks so the images looked like we were capturing moments of this boy’s life. It was perfect.
Dan’s cinematic prowess helped Kes inspire the shoot, without leaving them with carbon copies of the original settings. AWR is thrilled with the final images, and Dan has been able to show the new work to other agencies.
It’s always a good sign when people say, ”I loved seeing that”. You never know who has seen your work, so it’s good to meet face to face and have people tell you what they think.
Dan has been busy creating a wealth of new work, but the Always Wear Red shoot was a special opportunity to create freely in a quiet, beautiful setting.
We wonder what film might inspire him next.
See more of Dan’s work on his website.
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