Know Your Models.
Ever since I began my experience as a photographer/digital artist, I always have the chance to meet many great girls I’d never met otherwise, everyone of them is looking for not the usual portrait which I specialize in, so I have to work hard to find something that fits them the best.
A few days before the shoot, I make sure to chat with the model, we speak about what I have in mind for her and obviously I listen to what she would like to do too, even before the shooting itself I try to get some time to talk together in front of a cup of coffee about her passions, her experiences, everything to find the perfect setting for her and for me of course. The model is not “just a body”, she’s a person carrying tons of different emotions. In my work I always look for something beautiful behind their eyes, and for that to create the right atmosphere is mandatory.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”100%” img=”https://img.phototips.cc/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/3-The-surprise.jpg” alt=”Cunene” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”The Surprise” captionposition=”center”]
What You Want to Say.
I like to think about my pictures as a different language to tell a story, to carry a message, in which my model has to play a role, to be herself and someone else at the same time, that’s why I like to dress them with unusual clothes, put them in strange and fantastical environments. The choice of objects in the picture is never casual, it’s always symbolic. Choose them wisely.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”100%” img=”https://img.phototips.cc/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2-Third-eye.jpg” alt=”Cunene” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”Third Eye” captionposition=”center”]
Outfits
It’s true that the outfits are really important, but that does not mean you have to buy the perfect dress or the most expensive jewel. Everything can be part of the right outfit, some cloths wrapped around the model could work as just the perfect dress you had in mind, some flowers tied up with some metal wire could be the perfect headpiece, or a golden cardstock can be cut to make that perfect crown you were looking for. Creativity is the most important thing.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”100%” img=”https://img.phototips.cc/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/1-The-eclipse-Polaris.jpg” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”The Eclipse – Polaris” captionposition=”center”]
Location
This is a little complicated for me, most of the time what I have in mind for my pictures doesn’t simply exist or it’s difficult to find or reach, so I have to post product my backgrounds and to do that I shoot in my studio in front of a grey vinyl background to make the post production easier. It’s really important to collect as many samples you can, when I travel I often take pictures of walls, floors, seaside landscapes, woods, flowers, everything that could do a nice element for my backgrounds. Sometimes I just add some colored spots or lines behind or above the subject.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”100%” img=”https://img.phototips.cc/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/4-Amabili-spine.jpg” align=”center” lightbox=”on” caption=”Amabili Spine” captionposition=”center”]
Add Some Magic
Imagination is the most powerful tool of the human mind, and sometimes simply shooting is not enough, that’s why I usually post product my pictures to make them as I had in mind. First of all I change the original colors in something more vibrant, then I work on the background, I even add petals, snowflakes, thorns on the model herself, sometimes I hand draw over the picture… there’s no limit on what you can do, it just needs a little practice, I made many experiments with my graphic tablet, I’m still learning a lot by trying. It’s like mixing some “magic” to the shoot, to obtain something completely new, unique, literally out of this world.
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Inspiration
I think that the first step to make art is to love art itself, every single aspect of it, photography, digital art, painting, cinema, music, everything can be a source of inspiration for your work, you can learn from different artists, their techniques, ideas, everything. Never lose your love for other people’s art.
Cunene
I was born in 1983 and I grew up in a little city near Pavia, Italy, in which I live today. Since my childhood, I tried out different ways to follow my passion: drawing, painting, polymer clay manipulating and sewing. I think I really have some kind of a creative-compulsive disorder! I’ve got a graduate degree in psychology, and in the same period I took my first pictures, so I’m totally self-taught.
Website: www.cuneneart.com