The Old Hollywood Glamour Project is still very much alive and kicking! For as long as I have the willing and able model to work with, I will keep it up and see where this all leads to. This time we took on the almost impossible serene elegance of Grace Kelly as a challenge and decided after the shoot that although it was the most difficult one thus far, the hair and makeup was absolutely delightful for Maike to do.
What is different about this set of photographs compared to the rest of the Old Hollywood series is that it was shot on the premise of one-light portraits, following some the guidelines of master portrait photographer Joel Grimes. All the other Old Hollywood shots were done in natural / available light except for the Marlene Dietrich one. Click HERE to see the series.
Since I possess none of the suggested lighting or studio equipment, I made do with a single, unsophisticated side table lamp with a yellow light, an ND 4 lens, a black shawl, and a truckload of instinct. The images were de-saturated later on, to remove the overly yellow tinge from the lamp. Anyone who owns a studio, works in one on a regular basis, or has a set-up at home would have had a coronary with my McGyver-like construction last night. But hey, it worked with sticks, clothespins, double sided tape, and an impatient cat.
I believe in fairy tales, that´s part and parcel of who I am, and why I became a writer in the first place. Whatever was beyond my grasp in reality I resorted to my imagination for fulfillment. This is perhaps one of the stronger traits of an only child – having no siblings to have imaginary adventures with out in the garden or the forest, books became the only source of fantasy. So to this day I believe in Prince Charming charging into my life some blessed day and sweeping me off my feet. I suppose I will have to warn him that he won´t get a serene princess with me, but a stormy frog instead!
FrogDiva Thoughts 