As a Portrait Photographer, I've dreamed of owning an Oliphant backdrop for years. I would look at images created by Annie Leibovits, Sue Bryce, and other masters in the photography industry, and admire the character that these backdrops added to their images. What is an "Oliphant backdrop" and why are they so special? Every one of these canvas backdrops is hand-painted by request, giving each drop a unique life of its own. Compared to a solid background, these works of art contain depth and texture, bringing a beautiful, subtle essence to photographs. "Oliphant" comes from Sarah Oliphant, the woman/artist/genius behind each and every backdrop. I was fortunate enough to have her paint my first canvas drop about a year ago, which was a warm gray (seen in the two portraits below). I consider it one of the most beautiful things in my studio and I can see me still using it for years and years to come. You might be thinking, "Wouldn't you get tired of using the same backdrop over and over?". By changing the distance between my subject, light, and the backdrop, I am able to significantly change how dark or light it looks. Also, I actually like that the backdrop's texture and tone can be seen as a common thread throughout a lot of my work. So no, I actually kind of love it the more I shoot on it! In fact, I love it so much, I contacted Sarah last month to have her create a second one for me, this time with a mix of golds and greens. I happened to be traveling to New York City the same time that my drop was supposed to be finished, so she invited me down to her studio to say hello and check it out in person. I asked to get a photo with Sarah, and she suggested we sprawl out on my new backdrop- what a fun way to break it in! She still had the colors and everything out for my drop, I love the greens and golds. When I'm shooting on it, I will be able to pull cool or warm tones into the image, making it really versatile. I felt like her student as she was walking me through her workflow and techniques- a lot more goes into one of these backdrops than you'd probably imagine! Visiting the studio and meeting Sarah was one of the highlights of my year. I just hung my new backdrop in the studio and I can't wait to shoot on it. Keep an eye on my Instagram and galleries and you'll start seeing this beautiful green/gold backdrop debut in my images!
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About a month ago, CreatliveLive started a photo contest, and the winner was to receive an all-paid trip to the Photo Week 2015 CreativeLive studios in Seattle. What is Photo Week? It's 5 days of live education from world-class photographers and professionals. Well, thanks to so many of you voting on my photo, I actually WON! I got to spend this past week meeting and learning from some of my photography idols in downtown Seattle, Washington. Part of my prize was getting to have my images critiqued by the one and only, Sue Bryce. I have been a huge fan of her work for a long time, and have watched hours upon hours of her video classes. Sitting down with her in person and getting her personal advice was one of those moments in life I will never forget, it was surreal! As if that wasn't enough to make my entire week, the next day during Peter Hurley's class, I was invited up to be his example head shot. If you aren't familiar with CreativeLive, the entire thing is broadcast live around the world...no pressure! Here are some screen shots from that, Peter said he's going to send me the actual files, which I'll post on here when I get them! This is our class for Lindsay Adler (purple), the incredibly creative fashion photographer from New York! I can't wait to try some of the new techniques she invented! Despite all of the hours of technical lessons about photography this past week, my biggest take-away was being forced to really evaluate why I shoot, and not just how I shoot. My passion for people is why I love shooting portraits, and every single time someone steps in front of my camera, I'm given a huge opportunity. That is my chance to engage with you, make you forget about my camera, and capture moments and images that empower you as an individual.
Along with all of the amazing information and inspiration I was given, I made a lot of great friends. Hopefully I will be back up at the CreativeLive studios in the future, who knows, maybe one day I will be teaching my own live class! |