GM 14: Steve Sellers Shoot
A portrait of Steve Sellers shot for Garage Magazine issue 14. Location at Sellers Equipped in San Jose, CA.
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About the shoot: Brian Bounds, the art director for Garage Magazine, wanted something more unique for this portrait. He talked about allowing the background to fall into darkness so he could use black pages for the layout. He also wanted the color to be saturated yet neutral. We did some research which got me thinking solely on giving contrast to the face and on enhancing the detail. I strongly felt un-diffused direct strobes on location merged with treatment in PhotoShop would be the answer. The raw light source put me half way there, and the rest was to figured out in PhotoShop. I wanted the details to look like a highly precise color illustration and just a little less like a photograph. It took 7 hours in PhotoShop to develop the right combination of layers and adjustment settings, with a few added tweaks after the test prints. The samples here don’t do the work justice. The final images reproduced very well in printed form considering the line screen for magazine presses. The detail screams on the page. Pick up a copy of issue #14 if you can. www.garagemagazine.com
About shooting portraits:
Getting the opportunity to photograph amazing custom builders is a true honor. I consider these guys artists and I enjoy conversing with them about their thought process the same way I would a musician or a painter. Most of them are everyday type fellows, but in no way are they typical everyday characters. So when the call comes to photograph a custom builder my goal is not to shoot a normal magazine portrait. Photographing a celebrity is a challenge to your timing and production skills, and the final images are normally strong due to the subject matter. However, to photograph a non-celebrity and present them like an icon is much more rewarding. It brings merit to their work. – JW
Portrait of custom car builder Steve Sellers. San Jose, CA © Jay Watson Photography
Tags: art direction, editorial portrait, Garage Magazine, photography, Steve Sellers
