In our photo group Photohaven Bremen we give ourself small weekly challenges to train and develop our photographic skills. We have a list from which we randomly choose of terms like sunset (oh my god, how to find a solution for this overstressed motif?), tools, quiet, night, ten or in the last week: man or person. One solution for man or person is to go out and make some street photos but this is not so easy in times of covid and nervous persons in the more or less empty streets.
Therefore the idea of a self-portrait came up and as a broader approach a family portrait. Additional came in my mind to shoot the portraits in the style of Peaky Blinders, who represent a very cool British dandy gangster style with their flat caps, vests, overcoats and Sweet Aftons in the corner of their mouths. I only had to assure my teen daughter, who is against everything in the moment 😉 This was a hurdle I had to jump over.
Below you’ll find the cascading stages from idea over sketch to the final photo:
1. The cool dandy style of Peaky Blinders:
(c) Image Credit: British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
2. First Sketch, which was focused on self-portrait in different clothing styles, replaced by family portrait in same style:
3. Shoot out, decision for black & white and different cut-out and pose:
4. The final arrangement of the single portraits:
projektkladde - ein illustriertes magazin von sven 