Autard de Bragard
photography
"I understand the difficulty most people, especially actors, have feeling comfortable looking at a lens (after all actors spend most of their screen acting careers trying to avoid it!) and I reckon I'm pretty good at getting people to relax and chill out about that.
I think I know how to get to the 'you' that shows your best possible potential and understand what look/image works best for each individual, whilst also getting what it is you'd like to achieve from the shoot.
It's not just about taking a great photo...it's about getting shots that say something and that's about a kind of acting. Subtle but true...
I'd love to work with you, and I guarantee that we'll keep going until we get some amazing shots that you're totally happy with.
The Complete Headshot | Portrait | Portfolio Package plus optional 35mm Film Shoot
I favour natural light if possible - all London based location shoots take place in Soho. We can also shoot in the studio and I'm also happy to bring some kit to your place. We will have had a lengthy chat about what it is you're after and how best to achieve it. You can also send me some images of any styles/looks you might like to explore, and basically we go from there. By all means bring a range of outfits but I recommend wearing what make you feel good about you... classy, stylish, comfortably cool. The shoot timings are 'loose' - we shoot until we're happy.
I'll then go through each shot and send you (and your agent if requested) low resolution pre-edits of every usable shot via dropbox to choose 5. I'll then gently retouch the 5 selected shots where appropriate and send via dropbox in hi res colour and black and white in about 72 hrs. Any questions please do ask.
I photograph in the latest HD digital, but I also love to include 35mm film into the shoot. It's very different to digital and can give incredible, emotive results. Colour film (I use Kodak Portra 400) is soft and elegant and works with light in such a way as to make for less lines or heavy under eye shadow, virtually negating the need for retouching; whereas black and white film (Ilford XP2 400) is sharp and dramatic offering great contrast and detail. Film is truthful but very complementary, and all of the shots that work and look cool (out of a 36 exposure film I would expect at least 18), you get as hi-res JPEGs after processing. Film is also retro and very cool! And of course it means you'll end up with a load more additional high quality images for your portfolio. There is a small surcharge to cover the costs of stock and processing, but I think the addition of shooting a roll of film, in either black and white or colour, makes for a complete and perfect photoshoot.
The Ultimate 35mm Film 'Guerrilla' Shoot Package
Or, if you want what I consider to be the pinnacle of photoshoots then sign up for the Ultimate 35mm Film 'Guerrilla' Shoot. With film I love using natural light and harnessing the inherent light of each location. Shooting on film, which is so receptive to nuance of light, enables us to achieve extraordinarily emotive and cool images using some classic old-school techniques that have created many of the most iconic works of photographic art. We normally in Soho and shoot at a variety of great locations, but it could also take place anywhere! Let's chat about it! I shoot 5 rolls (in colour and/or black and white) of 36 exposures, that's 180 shots using a fabulous 50 year old 35mm SLR film camera. It pre-dates all electronic trickery thus relying on my skill, experience and a light metre! Proper old-school! All the film is processed and then transferred to hi-res JPEGs. After sorting through the shoot for duds, I then give tiny edits if needed, crop and send the entirety of the images that have worked and look cool to you!
I hope you can see from the website that first and foremost I am an artist, interested in creating arresting images that can also serve your artistic/business purposes. I am a multi-disciplinary photographer. I have no set routines or formulae, I simply love to work with like-minded people to create amazing work, and I can achieve this in a way that works for your individual needs. The packages are illustrations of what we can do. Therefore if they don't quite work for you, for whatever reason, be that practical or financial, then please do contact me and we can figure out a package that will work for you and give you the amazing results that you deserve.
Look forward to meeting you soon..."
Autard de Bragard