Canadian fashion photographer Miguel Jacob was asked by luxury clothing company Marlowe to do something elegant and sophisticated. Keep reading to learn how he did it.
Miguel Jacob was born and raised in Lima, Peru, but has lived in Canada for many years now. Here he has grown to become a sought-after fashion photographer. Some of you might have seen his work for brands such as Sears, Universal Records and Warner Bros. Others might recognize him from being a guest photographer on America’s Next Top Model as well as on Jay Manuel’s Style Her Famous.
Miguel has made a name for himself as a photographer with a knack for creating cool and sophisticated images in which light plays a central role. It was for this exact reason that luxury-clothing company Marlowe contacted him.
“Known for their singular vision of understated elegance and sophistication, Marlowe is a brand with a strong history and brand identity,” says Miguel. “In shooting the clothes, I wanted to evoke the elegance present in the fashion photographs of Horst P. Horst and George Hoyningen-Huene as well as the Hollywood portraits of George Hurrell. It was of the outmost importance to create imagery that was timeless and modern without seaming nostalgic.”
“In order to literally “carve” shapes into the clothing, I knew that I needed grids, BarnDoors and a host of Light Shaping Tools that could create a multitude of lighting effects.
“As a main light, I decided to use the TeleZoom Reflector with a grid and some cinefoil taped to the reflector to ensure minimal lighting spill on the lower half of the outfit. Since Charlie, the model, had her hair slicked to the side, I placed a 5° Grid on a Zoom Reflector to open up the left side of her face and to further accentuate her angular cheekbones.
“To create some visual interest in the front of the outfit, I placed a 10° Grid on a Zoom Reflector and added BarnDoors to ensure that lighting spillage would be minimized.
“To create the “pool lighting” effect, I cut random shapes on to a 4-foot by 4-foot foam core board and taped it to the grip arm of a C-stand about four feet in front of the light. To further reduce spill, I placed a 4-foot by 8-foot foam core right in front of the light and leaned it against a pillar.
“The light in the front looked great but remained too moody, leaving the model in what appeared to be a black abyss behind her. I tried opening up the background by having the ZoomSpot in several different positions at waist and eye level, but it was not until I placed it on a sandbag on the floor that I achieved the effect that you see here, with the curvature lighting shape of the wall.
“During the shoot, the front lights remained in their positions, but to create visual interest, we moved the ZoomSpot in different positions, allowing me to create diverse imagery that still remained cohesive.
“With a whole host of modifiers to satisfy even the most experimental of photographers, it is no wonder that Profoto remains the top light shaping company among image makers!,” says Miguel finally.”
See more of Miguel’s elegant work at his website.