©Scott Areman

Portrait photographer Scott Areman wanted to capture the grit and raw power of amateur motocross racing. His solution was as simple as it was efficient: create contrast by shooting the riders out of context and use lighting to the best of your knowledge.

“This shoot was a collaboration with an Art Director friend, Kevin Potis of Blue Goldfish Studios,” says Scott. “We were going for an authentic, editorial feel. We weren’t looking for perfect. We wanted the style of the images to match the dirt, grit, and power of motocross.”

Scott and Kevin’s solution was two-fold: first of all, shoot the riders on a seamless, white background the minute they step off the bike. Secondly, use lighting to enhance the effect. (more…)

Tafline Laylin at the Green Prophet website has written a short but sweet article about Chinese photographer XinZhao Li, who recently travelled to the remote region of  Taskurgan to document the Tajik people.

“Taskurgan is an unforgiving place,” writes Tafline. “Located at 10,140 feet in the Pamir mountain range on the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan, close to Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, this small autonomous Kashgar Prefecture county in Xinjiang, China is cold, the winters are long, and food is hard to come by. But out of such a place emerged a fascinating culture. The ethnic Tajiks and their simple, tribal way of life are not well known to the outside world, however, something that Chinese photographer XinZhao Li sought to change.”

XinZhao used a large-format Hasselblad and Profoto lighting to create her beautiful portraits.

Click here to read the article.

The see the entire portrait series, click here.

Mirrors | © 2012 Katie Thompson

Katie Thompson is a fashion and portrait photographer working between Chicago, Illinois and Rochester, New York. Her photography is whimsical, imaginative, sometimes darkly humorous, and always beautifully lit. Here, she shares some beauty shots, with a reflective twist.

This shot was done as part of a series of images I’ve been doing that use mirrors and reflections. I’ve always been interested in the idea of self-perception and body image, so I’ve been experimenting with different ways of visually showing that concept. In these images I wanted to show a distorted perception so I took a more minimalistic approach and used carefully placed mirrors to reflect the woman’s face. I’m really interested in fashion and beauty photography so I wanted to create something that was still beautiful but had at least the hint of a darker undertone. (more…)

donaldmiralle.com

Award-winning photographer Donald Miralle recently got the call to photograph Kirk Douglas, Hollywood icon known for his role in classic films such as Spartacus and Shootout at the O.K. Corral.

Shooting at Kirk Douglas’ home in southern California, Donald got the job done quickly and efficiently. He writes, “We didn’t have much time to get this done, so my assistant and I walked into his house ready to shoot with a Nikon D800, 24-70mm lens, PocketWizard Plus III synched to a Profoto Pro-7b pack and light with a beauty dish + diffuser… After a couple minutes of shooting and telling him that my favorite movies he starred in were Spartacus and Lust for Life (where he played a tortured Vincent Van Gogh and should have received an Oscar for his performance), we shook hands again and left.”

Read Donald’s full account of the experience and see the resulting photo on his blog. Connect with him on Facebook and Twitter and see his portfolio at donaldmiralle.com. (more…)

©Lynn Goldsmith

Lynn Goldsmith has completed another milestone. The Looking Glass was an ambitious photographic series culminating in a traveling installation and book publication. This project explores commerce, fashion, art, popular culture, and identity. It features meticulous set creation, lighting, and retouching.

Currently, Goldsmith is working on a new career-spanning book focusing on her 40-year association with the world’s top musical talent. Called Rock ’n’ Roll Stories, the projected publication date is this Fall of 2013. Longtime fans will be happy to hear she is reviving her alter ego, Will Powers, and working on a Will Powers DVD which should also be available around the same time as her new book this autumn. (more…)