Fun with Portraiture Part One

If architectural studies of homes and hotels http://www.callananphoto.com/mexicohotels/are my bread n butter then people are my sandwich filler of choice. The options are wildly more interesting, and especially so if i’m working for creative art departments with a vision beyond the norm.

Thierry Blouet was a recent subject. Vallarta’s most celebrated gourmand and foody entrepreneur is always looking for ways to stand out from the crowd and attract customers to his downtown establishment Cafe des Artistes http://www.cafedesartistes.com/ . Over years of successful patronage, that restaurant has evolved into much more than a sophistocated eatery and now involves several styles (and prices) of gastronomic experiences under the same roof as well as a piano bar, a cellar and even a modest range of fashion accessories for those women whose appetites extend beyond the culinary.

In keeping with the chef’s flambouyant style his advertising agency http://colofon.com.mx/ were looking for something striking for some billboards. The first involved flambÃ© a la playa. The shot was not without complications and apart from the need for dramatic backlighting and flaming skillet, also required that I risk a new Nikon D2X with salty splashes, a chef who was prepared to stand in full regalia waist deep in the beachbreak and an assistant brave enough to shoulder the high-voltage ballast box and strobes to the water’s edge.

These combined efforts plus some dedicated post-production PhotoShop work yielded this result:

As with many photosessions the serendipitous shots are often just as rewarding. Our evening at the beach also produced a great moment between Thierry and his son, Sebastian.