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 Shoot

 

I favour natural light if possible, and my studio shoots take place at Soif Studios in Hackney, close to London Fields. It’s a great space for creating a range of looks, from natural actor headshots to more stylised portraits. I also love shooting outside, particularly around London Fields and the surrounding streets of Hackney, where we can make use of the changing light, architecture, greenery and urban backgrounds to create something a little different.

 

We’ll have 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 or 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 makes you feel good about you… classy, stylish, comfortably cool.

 

I don’t believe in making people pose endlessly or forcing expressions that simply aren’t there. It’s much more about creating the right atmosphere, finding what works for you and allowing things to happen naturally. Sometimes the best photographs come from the moments between the ones we thought we were trying to create.

 

I want the whole experience to be relaxed, enjoyable and collaborative. There’s no rigid formula because everyone is different, and that’s rather the point.

 

Shooting on 35mm Film

 

I photograph in high-quality digital, but I also love to include 35mm film in a 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, often reducing 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 there’s something rather wonderful about working with a traditional 35mm camera. It demands a different kind of concentration. You have to understand the light, trust your judgement and recognise the moment rather than simply take hundreds of photographs and hope for the best.

 

I particularly love shooting film outside, using the natural light and character of a location. London Fields and the surrounding streets provide a wonderful mixture of architecture, open spaces, interesting backgrounds and changing light. It’s the sort of environment where film really comes into its own.

 

Film is also retro and very cool! And of course it means you can end up with some additional images that have a very different character from your digital portraits.

 

If you’d like to include some 35mm film photography in your shoot, just ask. There’s a small additional charge for film stock and processing, but I think it can make for a really complete and rather special photoshoot.

 

A Little More About My Approach

 

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 and professional 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.

 

For me, portraiture has always had a great deal in common with acting. It’s about presence, character, expression and finding something truthful in the moment. A technically perfect photograph is one thing, but a photograph that actually says something about the person is quite another.

 

Whether you’re an actor, a model, a musician, or someone who simply wants a beautiful portrait, the approach is the same. I want to photograph you as an individual, not as an idea of what I think you ought to look like.

 

Look forward to meeting you soon…

 

Autard de Bragard