It's portraits time of year in beginning photography. I like to try new things, so this year I'm having the students combine geometric shapes and portraits. I've done something similar for the past two years, but I gave them a very specific project and most ended up looking very similar. This year I'm giving a few options that will come with my own tutorials on how to create them. Additionally, for my more advanced students, if they would like to totally do their own thing they're welcome to do that--but they'll have to find or create their own directions. One of the styles I'm encouraging is based on the work of artist Anthony Gerace. He selectively removes geometric portions of a portrait to create a new message from the magazine photos he chooses. I was making the Photoshop tutorial for this project last night and this is the photo I created. The original photo is from a photo shoot I got to do a couple years ago with a friend of mine who owns Image One Camera and Video in Riverside. He brought in a professional photographer (Shaun Michelsen), a professional model (Jordan Hampton Michelsen), and a rented vintage car for a day of learning and shooting. Here's my original post about the day. So, last night I busted out an unedited image of Jordan and began to use it for my Geometric Portrait tutorial (HERE.) This is the final result. If I were to do this again I'd like to start with the concept and then shoot the picture and then edit it. I think it'd make the image work so much more. It'd have a better "story." For now, here's my geometric portrait.
