Bourdages Photography: Matt A
Model Matt A needed some new portfolio shots and I was more than happy to oblige. We took to the streets for this shoot, since Matt has quite a rugged, outdoors vibe to him. We used lots of hard backdrops like brick walls to give an urban feel that just sort of matches his style.
We got stuck straight in with some hard lines and bright reds as a backdrop, in keeping with the urban theme. Matt looks really relaxed in these first few shots which is pretty special in itself. The hard/soft juxtaposition makes for a nice combination.
Matt was just kind of relaxing into the shoot and I started playing around against that brick wall. All of a sudden I hit this angle and all of the lines in the brickwork matched up to look like roads. As you know the off-guard feel really gets me interested in a shot.
The lines in this shot are just so interesting. Where it all blurs behind him with that extra exposure time, then the way the wall leads towards you. Matt’s legs kind of naturally dissect it all. Of course, it shows off his best side, too.
This pose is a little more square, while the others so far had been linear. I wanted to switch it up and show a bit of versatility just in the shapes.
You can’t have a model shoot without an enigmatic gaze into the distance. Fact.
Getting Matt’s good side again with this image. The closer angle on the body allowed me to capture his eyes and expressions better. The sun was just at the perfect light by now.
And that perfect light just kept getting better all afternoon. We wanted to move away from the shapes and mix things up a bit, and this urban decay, gray, aged-feeling backdrop just pooled the attention on Matt. The backdrop is interesting, the light is interesting, but the fact that he looks like he just caught the Paparazzi taking a sneaky photo? That’s priceless.
Matt starts proving that he knows exactly how to handle those pesky press…
There’s a powerful element of sexuality in this shot that was nothing to do with me. Matt was trying a few poses and then this happened. Sometimes moments of absolute clarity happen when the model starts moving and it all just comes together.
We moved again, getting the rustic, industrial warehouse going on in the background. We kept taking photo after photo of great material, then I went in for that all-important close up. I think he pulled it off brilliantly…
…but no ladies, he’s not taking phone numbers.
I really wanted to capture one last image, but this time in black and white. I wanted to show that he can hold his own against any backdrop, even one where it has all been washed out of color. You’re really drawn in to his face in this one… but I guess that’s the power of a good model.
Good luck out there Matt A, it has been an absolute pleasure to capture you!