Category : Portrait photography Toggle

Orchestra portrait for The Arts Centre Gold Coast

Last week I met with the orchestra for the new musical theatre production at The Arts Centre Gold Coast.

The musicians playing down in the pit for the audience are incredibly talented and often the unsung hero’s of a show (if you’ll pardon the pun)!
Pictured is the official portrait that The Arts Centre asked me to shoot and I just love the backstage location with all the theatre rigging. I chose to leave my back-lights in the shot, as I was using barn-doors on the lights which gives them the same look as stage lights. This adds to the theatrical feel of the portrait, which I’m really happy with.

 

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Miss Saigon comes to the Gold Coast!

 

Kim & Chris - the lead characters in 'Miss Saigon' - The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre production

Last week I was asked to photograph the hero shot and program imagery for the new theatre production at The Arts Centre Gold Coast.

‘Miss Saigon’ is set during the fall of Vietnam at the end of their civil war, and addresses some of the many issues that arose from the USA’s illegal interventional policies, both at the time of the conflict and during the decades since.

The Arts Centre have created a beautiful range of stage sets which were great to get a chance to see and incorporate into the shots. Their talented cast were great to shoot and the crew very helpful in assisting with the theatre lighting to complement my studio lights. My kind of shoot!

‘Miss Saigon’ opened this week and tickets to this great show can be purchased here.   🙂

 

Cast member of 'Miss Saigon' - The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre production Cast members from 'Miss Saigon' - The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre production Some of the lead cast of 'Miss Saigon' - The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre production Pimp character from 'Miss Saigon' - The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre productionThe cast of 'Miss Saigon' on the 'Dreamland' stage set at The Arts Centre Gold Coast's new musical theatre production

 

Album cover shoot for Lauren Lane (Gold Coast)

Gold Coast musician, Lauren Lane, By Photographer Paul Williams

 

 

Two weeks ago I shot the new album cover for Lauren Lane – a young Gold Coast country/folk singer-songwriter.
Her upcoming album title is ‘In my head’, so I wanted the shot to reflect an intimacy that is fitting for this very personal collection of songs. By posing Lauren with an old suitcase of keepsakes and unspecified treasures, this shot becomes a nice visual representation of the emotions and experiences that Lauren’s expressing lyrically on the album.

Lauren was really supportive of the art direction and was fantastic to work with. She took direction well and managed some challenging poses like a pro! I must also thank Kristen Wyborn for doing such a great job with the hair & makeup. Kristen airbrushed Lauren’s makeup for the shoot, in order to avoid using oil-based makeup with a shine to it and the results held up great for the duration of the shoot, which was excellent.

This album cover shot was a very ambitious 5 light setup that needed to be nailed and balanced throughout. From the window light cast across the back wall (all done in-studio), to controlling the spill from the kicker flash placed in the suitcase, this is a shot that I’m really proud of. Most importantly, the client is beside herself with the shots, so check out Lauren’s music HERE and support a young Australian’s music once ‘In my head’ is released!

Gold Coast musician, Lauren Lane, By Photographer Paul Williams

Effective photography for Australian hair salons, barbershops & day spas

B&B Hair Salon Gold Coast group portrait by Paul Williams Photography Gold Coast & Brisbane

As clients’ marketing results improve greatly with the use of high quality photography, they have the comfort of seeing their advertising spend as highly justified.

The good-will that has built from my clients’ success seems to be building in the form of recommendations and I somehow now find myself as a go-to photographer for hair salons, barbers & day spa’s in the Gold Coast & Brisbane region! Am I soon to meet the shadowy Don of the manicured mafioso as I shoot more and more highly awarded hero’s of hair styling?!

When I was asked last week to do a photo shoot for B&B Hair Salon on the Gold Coast, I knew a funky portrait approach would be wanted. Co-owner, Quentin Boulogne, was an Art Director for Toni & Guy in Paris and prides himself on providing not just great hair styling, but also up-to-date advice on the latest trends and treatments suitable for each of his clients. So I planned the shoot with this in mind…

Together with his wife, Joanne, I shot Quentin and their team in the salon which is thankfully a very cool space. For the group portrait, I chose to leave the back-lights in the shot, tying-in their relevance to the salon’s cool lamps in the lounge area. This also gives the shot further relevance for use when the B&B team achieve their future goal of expanding the salon to include a photography studio, showcasing their award-winning cuts & treatments.

The client’s are ecstatic with the interior shots and of course the portraits which rightly portray the staff as they are – colourful, edgy and highly approachable. The B&B team really are artisans at their craft and do amazing work, so if you’re getting a little on the fluffy side, get yourself down to the salon and experience some of the best in the business on the Gold Coast.

B&B Hair Salon Gold Coast staff portraits by Paul Williams Photography Gold Coast & Brisbane

 

B&B Hair Salon Gold Coast owner’s portrait by Paul Williams Photography Gold Coast & Brisbane

 

 

Photo shoot for Gold Coast muso, Alby Carter

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Gold Coast musician, Alby Carter, recently contacted me to shoot a fresh suite of publicity photos. I’d met Alby before when I shot him during his studio session at Bignote Productions on the Gold Coast.

We decided that casual urban locations would be ideal for Alby’s highly relatable music, so headed to Burleigh Heads for an hour of  shooting in various venues until asked to leave – proper old school production that took me back to my old days of shooting on film and dodging security guards! Heh….

After a nice old time strolling and chatting with one very nice dude, we came away with some great shots that work together really nicely around strong black & white compositions and a theme of reflections. I’d chosen this approach for two reasons; the first being the nature of Alby’s pensive song lyrics and his serious return to music after a hiatus. The second reason being the lack of architectural charm on the Gold Coast meant that a more creative approach was going to be needed for this kind of urban environment.

You can find out more about Alby’s music and gigs here. I recommend listening to his sample track titled ‘Maze‘. Pretty damn sweet…

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Album cover photography for the Gold Coast’s ‘Green Room Project’

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Recently I was asked to photograph the album cover for The Green Room Project – the Gold Coast’s live monthly cabaret talk show.

The brief for the photography was to allow the personality of each group member to be shown, so a wider shot with a range of interesting poses allowed this, while also allowing the models to interact with each other. The striped marquee on the shoot location leant a theatrical feel to the photos, with some great wardrobe and props completing the styling!

Host, Matt Ward created The Green Room project as a novel way of showcasing emerging and undiscovered music talent, combined with mentoring by industry professionals. Recorded at Bignote Productions, six of Queensland’s most talented musical theatre and cabaret performers who have been featured on the show came together for the compilation album and were accompanied by musical director, Brad Rush, on a baby grand piano.

If you’re in the Gold Coast / Brisbane region, you can check out more details of this great concept here, as either an audience member or musician!

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Brisbane barbershop lifestyle photography by Paul Williams

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The photography side of the business for me was amazingly busy for the last quarter of 2014 – and this blog very much fell by the wayside!
One of the best projects that I worked on over the manic year-end was the brand identity that I designed for a hip new barber shop south of Brisbane, named ‘The Harbour Barber‘.

I designed the logo and full identity for the client, from brand strategy through to all of their print collateral and web design. A subsequent photo shoot followed (naturally!), the results of which are featured here and have featured in 4 or 5 national magazines and newspaper supplements since.

I intended this shoot to be art directed in such a way that was a nod to the nostalgic brand essence that I’d created. Hence, the semi-sepia colour treatment gives a real sense of the old school customer service, while respecting that this is a contemporary business. I also love the confident ‘tude of the models which finds balance in the right amount of approachability. If you’re near the Cleveland area of South Brisbane, why not check out The Harbour Barber? It’s an excellent barbershop, very funky interior decoration and they’ll serve you a free beer with your haircut! Get in!  🙂

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Portrait photography of Gold Coast musician, John Hosking

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Last week I photographed Gold Coast singer/songwriter, John Hosking for his CD single artwork.
John was at Bignote Productions recording a very pensive track and I wanted the photos to reflect the ambience of the music in this black and white portrait, which is more classically lit.

I shot an additional portrait of John in studio 1 at Bignote, which is a great working portrait set against the backdrop of studio gear and the acoustic ceiling.
John’s pumped with the shots and asked me today to shoot his upcoming album cover, so looking forward to collaborating with the man again!

You can connect with John here, as his story unfolds:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Hosking/666702543444809

 

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Photo shoot for Gold Coast fitness celebrity, Sam Wallace

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Last week I shot Gold Coast fitness celebrity, Sam Wallace, for his new website photography. Sam needed some quality fitness shots that showed him training a client as her Personal Trainer.

The shoot had a few restrictions to overcome; we could only access a gym with a very low ceiling, making it tough to control the light. We were also restricted to landscape format shots, which would fit the format of the website’s UI.
Regardless of these, as well as space restrictions, we had an extremely productive evening and got a range of shots that I’m really happy with – and importantly, Sam is “pumped as hell” with the shots!

Lighting from overhead is often what’s needed to flatter a male physique, but side-lighting to allow for such a low ceiling managed to give really nice definition to the models’ muscles and also give them both great separation from the cluttered background.

My fitness photo shoots will be getting more popular now that summer is on it’s way here on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, so get in early if you’d like to shoot and email me at paul@pwphotography.net!

Until the next!   🙂

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Music photography by Paul Williams photography, Gold Coast – Brisbane, Australia

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Last week I photographed singer/songwriter, Mitch King, in a recording studio session at Bignote Productions. He was tracking a new song for his upcoming album.

This photo was taken through a porthole window to the recording studio. I like the rim-light in this shot and the blurred window frame that frames the shot itself – it reminds me of old Super-8 or medium format film.

After the session, Mitch asked me to shoot his album cover next week here on the Gold Coast, which I’m very much looking forward to. The songs that he’s recorded for the album so far are awesome, so it’s a really nice project to be involved with.
This was my 2nd shoot for Bignote Productions who, to my surprise, asked me to be their in-house photographer from now on! It’s such a talented team at Bignote and being able to provide photography for the musicians producing music at the best recording studio on the Gold Coast feels like an ongoing collaboration that will be a perfect fit. So if you’re looking to produce music and you’re in the Gold Coast / Brisbane region, drop by the studios here to say hello. You just might end up in front of my lens as my next blog entry!

You can check out Mitch’s tunes here:  http://mitchkingmusic.com.au/

Band photography for Bignote Productions, Gold Coast

Last week I was asked to shoot a band recording a track for their upcoming album, at Bignote Recording Studios on the Gold Coast.

I had just 5-10 minutes to shoot each band member while they were warming up, before their studio session began. This is a good example of what can be achieved even in such a rush, with just one small compact flash unit (triggered remotely). For the vocalist, I placed a 2nd compact flash unit beneath the drum kit to illuminate the skins and bring out the background details of the studio, while still keeping the emphasis on the sharp foreground subject.

Everyone at Bignote was really happy to see the results of a photo shoot done within such time constraints and I loved having the chance to see the amazing music being produced there. If you’re a band or independent musician in the Gold Coast or Brisbane region, do yourself a favour and go see the folks at Bignote Productions!

 

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Portrait photography of Elijah Cavanagh, Gold Coast Videographer

Gold Coast Videographer, Elijah Cavanagh asked me to shoot his portrait this week.
Elijah works here at the Burleigh Heads studio and this photo of him is as honest as the man himself. I shot with a very narrow depth of field to keep Eli’s eyes nice and sharp, with focus falling off quickly around his hair and jacket. Tidy.

Elijah leaves us for a month today on assignment in Canada (shooting music videos – sweet gig)!
You can check out Elijah’s excellent showreel here, if you’re interested in booking a fantastic Videographer for your next project, anywhere in Australia (or canada, evidently)!

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