First Portrait Shoot

Here's my first "portrait shoot" for Matt, who wanted a CD cover for the single he's going to release. He used another picture from elsewhere finally, but that's beside the point.

This was a week before my wedding shoot, and again, I had no idea what to expect. I've always shot candid shots. This isn't as challenging as a wedding shoot, but again, it's a whole different kettle of fish.

Anyway, Matt didn't have that much of an idea of what he had in mind. I listened to his song, and thought something contemplative was appropriate, and thought of something clean, simple (I asked him to bring a white shirt, and others, to try). He picked the place (Food for Thought at Botanical Gardens, Singapore), and we met there.

I did realize that people management is probably key - getting someone to relax, to smile naturally in front of the camera, is probably a skill in itself. Matt was game for anything, so we shot in the courtyard, inside the cafe, out in the gardens. I used mainly my 24-70 f2.8 and 80-200 f2.8 to shoot. I took quite a few, just to see where was Matt's "good" angle. I also experimented with my flash, with and without colored gel.

My personal favorite was the above, Matt sat on the inside of the cafe looking out. I shot from the outside, and framed the reflection and light - so as not to obscure his face, and him looking distinctly "contemplative".
Anyway, it was good fun, and good learning experience for me.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
Gotta keep shooting :)