Dave Hill, Part I

Although I admire Dave Hill's commercial work, particularly his attention to detail in realizing such fantastical scenes, I chose instead to post one of his portraits. I think the ultimate reason that I was so drawn to this set of images, photographs that might not 'represent' what he is really known for, was that I felt that I could achieve a similar effect when I tried to create "That Dave Hill Look" in my own photo. I worried that even with strong lighting, my photo wouldn't share the effect without that same kind of exaggerated moment we see in his commercial images. However, his portraits proved that this wasn't true. I like this example because I think it illustrates a kind of unified quality in all of his portraits; there is a simplicity to the photo, so all that really matters, what captures the viewer's attention, is the subject. For example, the background is not what I guess I can best describe as 'level'; it seems to tilt away from the viewer, while the model is centered, thus focusing our attention. I think that the lighting reinforces this suggestion; the natural light flooding the environment behind the woman acts sort of like negative space, so we are once again drawn to her. Additionally, the light mainly illuminates the subject from behind, so that we see some hair light. To me, these choices create an intimate, fresh feeling: from the seemingly unposed subject, organic environment, and natural light.