Creative Portrait Photography
(Ilex UK, Pixiq US) 2012
Paperback, 160 pages
Available to purchase on:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Creative Portrait Photography is my second book, continuing to bend boundaries by fusing fine art with useful dialogue, making 'art' accessible. The book offers a whole new approach to 'portraiture': contextual and challenging imagery that uses location and concept in a way beyond the typical head-shot, mid-shot and deadpan portraiture. I present my own collection of stimulating portrait adventures, divided by location: natural, urban, 'everyday interiors', ranging in location from UK to Europe and the US.
The book includes more of my self-portraits, but also fashion images, commissions, and collaborations. Portraits in a haunted theatre, nudes with a python, trick shots jumping from disused satellite dishes and a Freud-inspired shoot in Paris are amongst the compelling series of portrait stories in this book, recounting the process from first test shot through to final processing retouches.
The book also has a contributor section of photographers I handpicked, are all at the forefront of creative portraiture, strong in the book's ethos but also diverse: Kirsty Mitchell (with images from her stunning Wonderland series), Brooke Shaden, Peter Kemp, Susannah Benjamin and Alex Stoddard. Their work is featured alongside their text which talks intimately about their process, their backgrounds and their ambitions. The book is loaded with valuable advice for photographers, from both a philosophical and practical viewpoint. It's a truly remarkable opportunity for me to put across my messages in a beautiful full colour, quality book that can be both used for reference and for inspiration.