In Florida:
Todd Douglas was contacted by Allison Chin at Oprah Magazine (through Wonderful Machine!) to shoot Paloma Rambana for the magazine’s “2018 Health Heroes” issue. Paloma is a 12-year-old who started a campaign called Fund The Gap, which helps provide kids ages 6-13 with visual impairments the equipment and mobility training they need.
Todd needed to match his style and background to the other photographers contributing for the article, so he listened closely to the job specifications and worked with the crew to style Paloma. He wanted to be careful in selecting a stylist, since knew Paloma is still young.
“I needed someone that would do great work but not go overboard with Paloma since she’s still a kid.”
Enter hair and make-up stylist Brooke Burnam, who expertly balanced Paloma’s maturity with her youth. Todd had never photographed someone who was visually impaired, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
“Would I need to coach every movement? Would I need to evoke emotion in a different way than my normal methods?”
Despite his trepidation, Paloma seemed perfectly comfortable on set.
“She was a complete natural in front of the lens. She told jokes, danced, laughed and kept us all entertained.”
Paloma, Todd, and the crew had fun at the shoot, and the magazine was pleased with the end result. Hopefully there are future collaborations on the horizon!
Additional Credit:
Photo Editor: Allison Chin
Stylist: Brooke Burnam
Assitant: Griffin Woodin
See more of Todd at todddouglasphoto.com!
In London:
Darren Woolway recently learned a few new things about glass. The England-based automotive and product photographer had the fascinating challenge of working with SuperGlass, a service that can restore worn, cracked, or scratched glass to new-like conditions.
Photographing glass can create a headache even for the best of photographers, but with years of experience, Darren knew exactly how to navigate the tricky material.
You need hard lighting on the ‘Before’ shots to create contrast between highlight and shadow and add depth to the scratches, and soft light on the ‘After’ shots to show the smooth, glossy finish.
Darren needed to battle the lighting conditions, the inconsistent backgrounds, and the issue of invisibly supporting both sheets of fragile glass. Each decision would affect the final product, so it was important to plan the shoot carefully. After the final images were submitted, the response was worth the trouble.
There’s been a big buzz in the classic car community– even I didn’t know this was possible beforehand.
The social media for Superglass is sporting Darren’s shiny new images, as well as plenty of compliments on the dramatic differences between the before and after!
See more of Darren at darrenwoolway.co.uk!
In Los Angeles:
Victoria Wall Harris enjoyed a few fun hours with chef Felix Barron of KTCHN DTLA, photographing some holiday-inspired recipes for UGG’s blog. The social media team at UGG reached out to Victoria to hire her for the shoot, but allowed her to take charge and make images in her own style.
We did a very paired down and natural shoot, just me and the chef.
The intimate shoot took place at KTCHN DTLA, and Victoria loved the simple setting. She let the natural light and interesting space guide her and got to know the chef behind the pop-up eatery.
UGG was very happy with the final product!
See more of Victoria at victoriawallharris.com!