Nick Fancher's Blog, page 20
May 18, 2020
Blue and Gold
My friend Dylan is an amazing designer and illustrator and he recently hit me up to update his head shot. He uses a certain hue of cyan for his branding which he wanted to implement into the shoot. I decided to also use yellow-gold (the complementary color) and work within that palette for the entire session, changing only the angle or hardness of the light sources. Here are just a few ways to use two colors:
May 8, 2020
Remotraits Vol. 3
After a month of experimenting with these FaceTime/Zoom photo shoots (which I call Remotraits) Ive really broadened the range of techniques and materials that I work with, resulting in a big variety of styles. Just in creating the images in the gallery below I worked with mylar, prismatic window film, rubber cement, honey, water, and trash bags. I love the painterly results Im getting and cant wait to do more.
If youre interested in booking a Remotrait session with me head...
May 4, 2020
Marissa Nadler: Remote Shoot
I recently hopped on a FaceTime call with Marissa Nadler to shoot some photos. Id been a fan of her music since 2006, so I was super stoked to be collaborating with her. I shot through a range of materials, covering five setups in the hour-long session. After I sent over the images she decided to use the above photo for the cover of her new covers EP.
April 30, 2020
Metal Hammer Magazine: Lamb of God
Back in February I had the opportunity to photograph the metal legends Lamb of God in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. I was told that the theme of the story was revolution so I began to brainstorm ideas for lighting, pose, and technique that would match. We used orange as the color palette, giving a nod to Russian propaganda posters. I also decided to give a nod to the infamous NWA album cover for Straight Outta Compton.
Thank you to editors Louise Brock and Merlin...
April 27, 2020
Remotraits Vol. 2
Ive been doing remote photo shoots (Remotraits) for a few weeks now and they continue to evolve. I began by projecting the FaceTime or Zoom feed onto a backdrop and shooting through different materials and substances. Then I moved on to projecting the conference directly onto different materials to change the shape and add texture to the projection. After that I started placing different substances on plexiglass over a horizontal computer screen, allowing me to shoot...
April 20, 2020
Remote Photo Shoot with Code Orange
This past week I had the pleasure of photographing one of my favorite bands, Code Orange. The band was about to perform their album release show for their latest album, Underneath, right when COVID-19 hit the US. Rather than leave their fans in the dark, they performed in the empty venue and live streamed it for their fans. While I not only appreciated being able to experience their performance myself, I also resonated with their quick thinking and willingness to adapt to current...
April 17, 2020
Episode Two of The Creative Portrait
Episode two of The Creative Portrait is now live. In case you missed my previous post, I am teaching my entire creative process in a multi-episode video series. In this episode I cover the following setups:
Using a projector as light source
Customizing images to project onto my subject
Balancing a projected image on my subject with a strobe on the background and a slow shutter speed to create vibrant, kinetic images
Projecting custom images as a background
Balancing a projected image on the...
April 13, 2020
Remotrait Session with Aleksa Palladino
In my last post I described how Ive begun to do remote photo shoots, via FaceTime. By hooking a projector up to my laptop while Im on a call with my subjects who are often not just in a different state but sometimes in a different country I can project their face onto a backdrop in my studio. Then I shoot through a range of different materials and substances, throwing the subject slightly out of focus, which takes the focus off the poor video connection and puts it on...
April 8, 2020
Remotrait Sessions
Because of the quarantines currently sweeping the country and world creatives have had to get especially creative to make collaborative art in spite of distance. Ive seen photographers shooting portraits of people from the sidewalk and through windows. Ive also seen photographers shooting via conferencing apps. I, too, recently conducted my own remote portrait sessions, which Ive decide to call Remotraits. After exploring a range of different techniques I found a sweet spot when I began...
April 6, 2020
If I Were to Die Today
I recently collaborated with Larry Robertson and we did a bit of everything in our session. The broad range of visual styles that we brought together was a perfect match for Larry who is a poet, clothing designer, musician, and a tour manager amongst other things. After the shoot was over and he had a chance to look over the images we made he said, If I were to die today these are the pictures Id want people to see to remember me. Turns out the images represented the broad scope of who...
