The Picture Down The Hall: Regarding Colour

White is my colour. It always has been. I love to wear it, love to photograph people in it, against it... I just love it.

However.

Colour is so deeply important and these are some of my favourite pics that highlight it by simple use of a monochromatic backdrop. It really brings a photo to life. I've started with one of my favourite pictures of one of my favourite muses, Hunter Gilmore. We actually did this photo just before he and my husband and I walked out the door to go to Black Party. We were all in our Black Party drag (including makeup on both Hunter and myself) and I insisted on doing some steamy, sexy pics of all of us. Natch, Pat and Hunter's pics were much steamier and sexier than my own...



While doing a portfolio for Sean, we did a lot of natural looking things -- pics in a garden, photos on the streets of New York, shots in the living room, the usual kind of stuff you see in a J. Crew catalogue. The stylist, Jennifer Houston, and I just HAD to do something with a little more drama, if only to capitalize on his extreme features and eye colour.

Danny is a club kid... or, he was when I did these photos of him (there is another of him further down the page against a yellow backdrop). He came to me for photos that would capture his youthful exuberance and joy of life. Both of those qualities demand bright colours. I bought these backdrops just for him

This photo of Alberti is a picture I always wanted to take. I had been trying for years to get a photo where white overtakes the image -- the truth is, I don't feel like we got it here; there's too much shadow. Nevertheless, I still always loved this picture for the quality that it did capture.

Sometimes the best photos are happy accidents.

When a flawless beauty like Danielle comes in with her colouring and those eyes, and THEN puts on a splash of colour like in the necklace you see her wearing, the colour behind her needs to be vibrant; but not distracting. The picture MUST be about her.

And it is.