October 2016 - Page 2 of 2 - Tony Ward Studio

Emily Ulrich: “Casting”

CASTING

“Casting” takes a raw and visceral approach to the otherwise classic headshot, using harsh light sources and deep shadows to accentuate body’s natural contours. For this shoot, I used a combination of models both brought onsite from Mainline Models a local modeling agency, and from my friend group. I ask you one question: which are the models, and which are my friends? My motivation driving this casting choice was to seamlessly integrate conventional and nonconventional notions of what a model is, and in doing so, force larger questions into consciousness. People tend to fetishize models as society’s physical standard-bearers; however, this series of pictures asks people to do just the opposite and appreciate the natural beauty of those around them.

In preparing for the shoot, I gave very minimal instructions for hair and makeup. Per my request, models wore (at max) foundation and bronzer and kept their hair natural. I wanted to highlight as authentically as possible, and without distraction, the unique features which distinguishes them from their peers. My only reason for advising basic foundation as opposed to advising they come bare faced, was the intensity of the light and for fear that their skin would be too dewy as a result. For the female models, I requested a sleeveless top to forge a naked effect.

About The Author: Emily Ulrich is a senior enrolled in the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2017.

Emily_Ulrich_self_portrait_UPenn_student_Wharton_business_headshot_casting_beauty_blond — Emily Ulrich: Self Portrait 2016.

Chi Aguwa: Lipstick Series

LIPSTICK SERIES

My inspiration for this series of pictures was to depict beautiful women of color, while wearing various shades of lipstick. The first thought that came to mind when I was given the assignment was what could I do to make my headshots unique from everyone else’s, seeing as I seemed to have the least amount of photo experience in the class. I wanted these photos to stand out more for aesthetics and vision; rather than the action of taking the picture. I also tried to adopt techniques that I learned from my days as a model to create interesting angles and viewpoints for these headshots. While I was taking the pictures, I found myself naturally directing the models through demonstration, and I created a scenario in which the subjects were able to place themselves to attain a certain look. One of these scenarios was to imagine oneself fighting to get through a jungle full of trees while taking a beauty shot with your hair tangled in the branches above. At times, I would even push my models to shift their body weight or even sit on the floor. I wanted to show that a beauty shot does not need to be the typical straight on “smizing” shot as Tyra Banks used to say.

I originally intended to utilize a ring flash to get tighter images of each models face. The equipment that I intended to use from the universities equipment room was not available on shooting day. So I was forced to make do with tungsten lights, but I found that the images came out dark; without a tripod all of my images would be underexposed because of a very slow shutter speed. I added flash to these pictures and this was where the magic began to take place. After editing the photos, I really like how the series turned out. I will continue editing the rest of the pictures, as I found that editing in photoshop takes a significant amount of time just to edit one picture. Hopefully, I was able to make my vision come to life in order to illustrate that no one can truly wear the brightest, and boldest shades of lipstick like a woman of color.

Chi Aguwa

About The Author: Chi Aguwa is a junior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2018.

Isabel Zapata: Don’t Play With Your Food

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Photography and Text by Isabel Zapata

DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD

I definitely knew that I wanted to use a ring flash. I absolutely loved the look it created when we used it in our studio with the models from main line, and wanted to use it for the first assignment. Recently I had been playing with the idea of incorporating food after I had seen some of the more abstract headshots we analyzed in class. My models I picked from my friends. The sprinkle-face girl has modeled for me for five years, so she was a given. All of the other choices were pretty much random, apart from the fact that my roommate was the only person I could find that would be willing to have honey poured on her.

As for the actual photos themselves, I also knew I wanted to incorporate movement into my photos. I liked the idea of using the two headshots per person as depicting movement of some kind, so then I thought of dumping various foods on my friends. Because we were going to be playing with food, I also knew my models probably shouldn’t be wearing anything, so we went with the bare-shoulders look for convenience. The makeup was specifically chosen to pair with each food. I wanted a bare, natural look to complement the honey. I also knew the bold lipstick would work well with the cream, sprinkles, and gum just due to color combination. I thought the black backdrop would look nice with the models and the colors of the food.

The final takeaway from my assignment is hinted in the title “Don’t Play With Your Food”. I liked the idea of taking this saying and flipping it on its head. College is messy. You never know who you’re going to meet, where the day will take you, or what your next project will be. This is represented through the food, where things are coming from every which direction. But at the same time, even though it’s messy, it’s fun. It’s necessary. And that, so far, is what my project represents.

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