The consequence of creativity

Final editorial composite

This is the first completed image in a set of 10 photographic portraits I intend to produce over the next few years. 

This portrait is of one of my favourite pop surrealist painters, Tara McPherson. Prints of her work have hung in the hallways and lounges of my homes for the last 5 or 6 years and the moment I was given the green light for a film job in New York at the beginning of last year, I contacted Tara to ask if she would be interested in getting together for this portrait. She accepted and what followed was an extraordinary amount of prep and pre-production discussed. The prep took about a month, the shoot location checks took about a week but the shoot itself was finished in under 15 minutes.

Out-take 1

I love Tara's expression in this shot. She lost her footing and giggled. I was sure I wanted a serious expression in the final composite, but I did dabble with this pose as the joy in her face is infectious.

black & white variant 

It was Presidents Day - an American national holiday, so the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn were free of the bustling footfall that would normally be expected. We were experiencing the mid-February temperatures of -18 degrees. It was cold! My photographic assistant had to stand just out of shot with Tara's heavy winter coat and between each shot, quickly wrap her up as I re-positioned.