Pimp My Portrait: April 2011 Selections

PORTRAITURE

This month we did not receive many entries. And the entries that were in focus were pretty decent pictures already. So I really looked for some inspiration this morning.

Garfield from Bronx, NY submitted this photo

What could I do with this pretty family photo? First of all I always do my basic adding of contrast, saturation, and clarity. Then I went in to fix slight blemishes and smooth out their skin a little.

I tried this image as a Black and White but it didn't work. So instead I added some texture and then sanded it down with a silverish/purple filter. In this way I remove the background as a distraction and put more of the focus on the faces. Then I decided to add a border to finalize this image which I am truly digging.

Sheena Lee from New York

This portrait is already beautiful. It was done by a professional photographer. Sheena looks gorgeous as usual so I thought I would go in a very abstract/comic style direction.

In the original image Sheena's skin was very smooth which I think is great. I decided to bring back detail in the image by playing with the tonal qualities. The color version looked amazing. But since I wanted to stay away from the glamorous look of the original I proceeded to add a comic book style to the image.

I went into my chemical digital lab and took the image through a cyanotype process. That is when this new image started to come alive. Here is my comic book version of Miss Sheena Lee.

These are the photos for the April 2011 "Pimp My Portrait".

Stay tuned for the next round of submissions at the end of May. Thanks for enjoying the blog.

Portrait: DJ Izzy Iz

PORTRAITURE

During the Chemical Romance conference in March 2011, DJ Izzy Iz was on the 1s and 2s. After the conference finished he and I had a mini-shoot.

The portraits look so cool I am going to use them as an editorial campaign in the near future.

Here is the first one which I call "Real DJs Use A Mac".

DJ Izzy Iz

Pimp My Portrait: April 2011 Submissions

PHOTOGRAPHY

This is the last week of the month so it is time again for “Pimp My Portrait”.

For the next 70 hours I am accepting submissions of portraits YOU have taken. I will select two of them to "pimp" or "remix" in a fun/artistic way. I will post the before and after of the selected photos on my blog and on FB by noontime this Friday. Check here for last month's photos.

Here is the submission process. Email one portrait. Yes, email ONE portrait to josephdominickphotography@gmail.com. Submissions start right now and end on Thursday at 11:59am EST.

The portrait must have a person or persons included in it. This photo remix is not for landscapes, birds, dogs, flower shots, etc. This is strictly portraiture of people. No nudity.

Sole discretion for selection of portraits belongs to Joseph Dominick. In light of the number of submissions, some great photos may not be selected. Please don't take it personal.

All people are encouraged to submit, regardless of your level of photographic skill. Please send your image in the highest quality jpg.

Upon completion of the portrait pimping, it will be emailed to the original photographer.

With email submission, please include your full name and what city/state or city/country you are from.

Thanks. And let the contest begin.

Celebration

Two years ago today I photographed my first professional photo shoot. It took place in Central Park and included 7 models.

I have learned so much in this photographic journey thus far. The weddings, Sweet 16s, portraits, models, and people have helped me grow as an artist and a human being.

Who would have thought I would teach an "Intro To Photography" course, much less teach it three times?

This whole journey has been a Faith walk. God took me down this path which has been and still is scary from time to time. Most of the fear comes from my desire of not failing or at least not looking like a fool. I work hard and push myself even harder. I am truly thankful to be down this road and have real friends who help balance my perspective about myself and my work.

So today I celebrate two years of doing photography professionally, which is something I never went to school for nor had any desire to do. How amazing it has been to walk in obedience to God's leading. It produces joy and experiences I never knew I would have enjoyed. Thank you Lord

Maternity Portrait: Nansa's Belly

PORTRAITURE

What a beautiful looking belly. This is Nansa at 7 months. I photographed this in Trinidad two months ago. She should be giving birth any day now.

Nansa

Portrait: Modelo Esmeralda

PORTRAITURE

I met Esmeralda at a wedding I photographed last year. She was energetic, fun, and had an amazing style for fashion.

This past weekend I did photography work at a church upstate. It was a full day of Family Portraits. While photographing Esmeralda, I was able to capture this lovely modelesque portrait.

Portrait: La Sensacion

PORTRAITURE

While doing a photo shoot for Radio Capicu at Urban Latino Radio in Brooklyn last year I had the opportunity to meet Jomaira aka La Sensacion. She presently is the co-host with George "Urban Jibaro" Torres on Friday nights.

Last month we finally had the chance to connect and do her photo shoot at my studio space in Harlem, NY.

My favorite outfit she wore had this red jacket. It truly captured that "around the way girl" look I had envisioned for one style of her photos. Check out this amazing portrait of La Sensacion.

Pimp My Portrait: March 2011 Selections

PORTRAITURE

Pimpin four portraits last time was too much so I decided on doing two this time. The two I finally selected were photos that actually worked well on their own. This made it quite interesting for me to figure out what direction I would go with each piece.

Once again thank you to all who submitted portraits for me to pimp this month. This will be a regular monthly thing so please be encouraged to submit again. Happy viewing.

Tara from New York submitted this photo

This beautiful photo was taken in Haiti during a recent missions trip. Upon first seeing it I really was not sure what to do. It was already black and white so I did not see myself trying to make it color. I decided to enhance the black and white with some layering, texturing, and contrast to help bring out the details in the guy's face. By adding definition to his face I wanted to bring the viewer closer and quicker into his reality.

The edgier background and the light vignette help draw the viewer's eye right to his face. I wanted his eyes to pop out of this image.

I also added a little light to the little boy's face to help us see his head better while still keeping the viewer's focus on the man's face.

My desire was to create a stark contrast to highlight the somberness, pain, and urgency of this moment in Haiti.

Michel from Bronx, NY submitted this photo.

This photo was taken during a theatrical performance. The colors and pose of the actors were so strong I immediately decided to push the envelope on both. Initially I enhanced the contrast and saturation, and then added in some texturing. I then placed a silver glowing tone over the entire image which really made it look good. But I was not satisfied with the image. It needed something more.

After some time I decided to posterize it hoping it would give me something remarkable. With a little time and tweaking I was able to find that right look.

These are the photos for the March 2011 "Pimp My Portrait".

Stay tuned for the next round of submissions at the end of April. Thanks for enjoying the blog.