The majority of iconic, mainstream superheroes were created decades ago and historically have been predominantly white characters. As these characters are modern myths that inspire and empower readers, there is a real need for diversity and representation in the kinds of heroes we put on a pedestal. All readers should be able to envision themselves as the strong, principled protagonists at the heart of epic battles of good versus evil.
My series aims to reimagine instantly recognisable heroes with models of different ethnic backgrounds. My goal is to trigger that same sense of wonder and possibility from my childhood, when I could see my own face reflected back in the mask of the hero.
I also wanted to provide an imaginative counterpoint to the all-too-common practice in Hollywood of whitewashing characters. Instead, I'm intentionally bringing diverse representation into iconic roles typically filled by white actors. Just as society continues to make strides around inclusion, so too should our modern myths evolve.
Behind the visuals, I explore themes of identity, challenges around discrimination or stereotyping that impacted the heroes' origin stories, and universal questions around power and responsibility. How do your abilities empower you to enact change? What struggles or societal barriers limit you, and how do you overcome them?
I hope through photographing an array of diverse models as these instantly recognizable characters, viewers gain a renewed sense that anyone can be strong, moral, exceptional - a hero. Please check out the photos and let me know your thoughts in the comments! What characters would you like to see spotlighted in this series next? Which portrayal resonated with you and why? Let's continue this dialogue around representation in popular culture.
Check out the gallery here:
https://www.active8images.com/p17418756
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So...what have I been up to? Well I have just finished my MA - I wish I could say it was in photography but it was in another subject equally as close to my heart. AND...I have been getting out there....
What does that mean...? That means I have been putting myself in the spot, pushing my boundaries. Only last week was I at the top of the mighty Ben Nevis only after driving through roads filled with so much beauty that I wish I could have stayed there a lot longer. Scotland is one of those amazing places; if you haven't been, I highly suggest that you do. There is a reason why it is fondly called the “ancient kingdom,” and indeed there are so many places that would not have seemed out of place in many of the Jurassic Films. Scotland is one of those places that if you look at the scenery whilst driving you are going to end up crashing or worse going off the edge, so most of my time my hands were spent glued to the steering wheel but when I had a chance to park, my gosh did I take some shots. After just three days being blessed by the Scottish hospitality do you know what I realised? God loves the Scots. Not only were they granted incredible lands but they were blessed with some of the most wonderful natured people I have ever met. I literally felt depressed coming back to London getting on a tube and having my head under someone's armpit for 20 mins of a journey without even a hello; intimacy I say which should never become a normalised experience for anyone unless they are family and you have no choice but to sleep toe-to-toe.
I have so many photos to work on it is unreal although I will try and post one or two for this blog I was well aware that if I did the photos first I might never get the piece out.
O.k So a few people have asked me already what's the best advice if you are shooting landscape and you are looking to improve your game. So I have come up with the following advice - hope it is of use:
]]>Its well worth checking Maryam out and the different services she provides. Her website is: http://maryamtaqi.co.uk/
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As a photographer I carry that ethos; that determination to help those trying to establish a business for themselves, change their lives or create something that makes a difference. In my time at Active 8 Images I have successfully provided packages to several brands that have been essential to helping them succeed at competitive pricing that really makes it possible
Quality photography can make all the difference, having incredible images that engages the eye can equate to customers staying longer on your site, having an accurate representation of your skills, having a 'wow' factor portfolio that gets you hired or casted and even having a solid promotional base for all your material.
My latest assignment was for a jewellery company established by a woman who had overcome incredible odds to find her inner polish and is now helping others to do the same. K.ing was one of those kinds of work which at first glance seems relatively straightforward but actually is quite an intensive piece of work.
First thing was the shoot. I have been highly recommended on many occasions for my proficiency in casting. With my contacts I have been able to cast often at short notice with high quality models and I have a shrewd short-listing process preferring to work with those I have worked with before and can trust. Models don't get a second chance if they fail to show or cancel at the last minute. Time is money.
Four models were selected, three female and one male and a studio was sourced. Again, I have a solid reputation with different studios which have different types of looks and feel. I built a solid relationship with the brand owner, for me it was essential that I understood her brand and could translate it in terms of a vision and images. In the studio I am a consumate professional; model releases were signed, the females were given every ounce of privacy and I like to have fun, experimenting with new ideas. I remember seeing this huge silver reflector against the wall and I am like "hey - lets shoot against that" the outcomes were incredible.
With the shots in the bag the real work began in terms of retouching. Those of you who know me well or have seen me work will know that my style is to shoot as much as possible, hence there was a mammoth amount of images to go through. From those a short-list of about 100 were selected and from those about 60 went into the final pieces. I aroused interest from Frost Magazine who were really interested in the work and were happy to consider and article, I even organised a writer to cover the first drafts.
From there came the video promotional material. In this case with the subject matter being jewellery, the project warranted images of elegance and sounds that mirrored the magnificence. Of course copyright issues are paramount which mean that the soundtrack was required to be sourced before even the images were put into place. Then came the structuring of the showreel and timings. I place emphasis on pacing, timing and emotional content. I always feel that the strongest images are those which create emotion and convey a story.
The video complete, I tested the video with a small selection of the models and with the jewellery designer. The feedback fantastic the final pieces were to create a social media campaign and various articles for promotional material for K.ing to showcase to customers. The end result from a commitment of hours is a wide variety of materials for the customer to use, a fantastic response from the client base and increased engagement and ultimately potential sales.
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Either way as photographer one of the biggest compliments I regularly receive from my clients is on my personable nature with people and highly professional attitude. Put it simply, I just love people and love to have fun. In the field of photography this means that in events I get invited to take a lot of snaps purely because I am approachable and people come up to me (even when I am setting up) and say ‘hey, can you take a snap of me and…my girlfriend/my boss/my ceo/me defacing this wall/my tattoo on my left bumcheek’ etc. Equally, because I work quickly and I’m unobtrusive I get in and out of groups quickly, taking snaps that most people don’t realise until after.
Last week I was out covering two events and in one case they had their own ‘company issue’ photographer as well. Working the event was real fun. I am a true team player and work as such; I didn’t see them as competition as we were on the same side which was keeping the client happy as that was going to be most important at the end of the day. But I watched him and it was such a shame that despite the fact he had all the gear, he simply had no idea how to communicate with people. He also fell a little bit flat because when you are taking shots in a dark environment such as the arena of a club, you should be checking your shots back often as the lighting radically changes moment to moment. Also in contrast to popular belief you don’t ‘always’ need a flash which is great for ‘freezing action’ but terrible at sucking the life and colour out of people’s faces.
I could see the surprise on people’s faces when they were asking me ‘why didn’t the flash go off?’ and then when I showed them the image they were like ‘WOW’. Now, the use of flash is a very personal choice, but for me I like ambient light and save my flash for times when there is little other choice for example portraits of the team by the bar. Anyway, all of this meant that I got invited to take some very limited edition snaps of the CEO drinking what must have been her 12th shot of the night which unfortunately I cannot share – personable and professional remember…
Now the professional part means as a photographer I work very quickly. As of my last count there were over 250 usable shots for each event for just the few hours I was there which means that my rates are very competitive. The only disadvantage being that Onedrive and Dropbox really suffers when it comes to uploading them as I shoot in hi-res (4.5GB upload anyone?) so it can take time to get a link to the client. But when the client sees the shots, that’s when I get the emails of thanks and the only shame is I never get to see people’s faces when they see the shots themselves because if what they tell me is true then they effectively relive the moment which can only be an incredible thing.
Anyhow I am going to leave my blog here and get back to editing the snaps. If you want to see examples of my Event photography click on this link and if you are interested in booking me head over to the Prices section by clicking on this link.
Best wishes for now
Jnr
]]>Why is this weekend so important? Well, with the clocks going back the sunrise aka the magic hour is within reach of mere mortals as thanks to the time adjustment sunrise is actually brought forward (6.45am) and remains there until much closer to Christmas and New Year when unfortunately it gets damn cold. Prior to today sunrise was really early (4.30 – 5.30am). Now, whilst the early starts may not present a problem for determined landscape photographers it can present real problems for those looking to capture models especially if they prove to be ‘no shows’. Fortunately for me I spotted Jasmine T’s casting which was a request for photographers looking to capture the said ‘Magic Hour’ and not only did she choose me but she turned out to be every bit as good as her profiles (she has loads Purpleport, Starnow and Model Mayhem) dictate. Believe me, given the early start and it being a Sunday I did check out every one of her references.
I arrived a little late but still in good time (I blame a certain golden arches fast food restaurant and their long queues – I needed coffee). Still, I wasted no time and got us warmed up with a middle of the road shoot on Tower Bridge itself. I think she was a bit surprised at how eccentric I was, my main aim being not to waste any time. I was clicking away literally, measuring the light, checking the shots back and then making adjustments and then having us dashing back into the centre of the road to take more shots until I was happy.
The sun started to rise but then came another problem of why ‘Magic Hour’ shots can be so tricky. If the sky is cloudy you get no ‘magical light’ at all; magical meaning gold and red, instead all we got was erm…shades of grey. I felt rather disappointed that I was seeing nothing out of the way incredible. Fortunately Jasmine had a couple of places which were really local we could shoot which were largely unnoticed by the mainstream public and one of them we found by accident was a set of stairs which led down to the water’s edge. Bearing in mind the Five Key Points of Photography (which I will explain in another post) we were thankfully able to grab some really good shots.
The key lesson is always when life throws you lemons make lemonade and when I am faced with challenges I always think to myself are there any skills I can practice here or any way I can turn this image on its head. The results always surprise me.
Jasmine was a lovely girl to work with, really easy going, a ‘non-complainer’ which meant I could try stuff out. This is probably the first time I have ever been on a shoot and the model has bought me coffee which was a nice touch. As soon as I got home I left her some fab references on all the sites I could find for her. It was great to know that on a couple of the sites she had done the same for me. So now this afternoon I have a birthday party to shoot (lots of coffee between now and then I assure you) and then a good night’s sleep before I am back to the grind again tomorrow.
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Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊtəʊbɒm
INFORMAL
NOUN
A photograph that has been spoiled by the unexpected appearance of an unintended subject in the camera’s field of view as the picture was taken
Everyone loves a good photobomb and the only thing even more hilarious is when celebrities or members of Royalty get in on the action. Yes, we may have the Commonwealth Games and England clocking up gold medals. Yes we may have those planned to a tee special and expensive events; the birthday parties, the weddings, the christenings. If truth be known the ‘oh look where I am/what I am doing/who I am with’ shots will never really be remembered or valued more than just a reference point. The images that we will really look back on will be those shots that went slightly awry by an unexpected head, arse, bottle, fish, whale, camel even that intrudes on the shot and rather than spoils it makes it – well just that bit more interesting. It will be those images that convey not a pose or a pout but that moment of almost brutal honesty.
First roll of honour goes to Her Majesty the Queen for photobombing two members of the Australian hockey team as they posed for a selfie. Not to be outdone Prince William’s photobombing came as he visited the athlete’s village in Glasgow with the Duchess of Cambridge. Olympic Photobombing technique runs in the family as Prince Harry was the next to make an unexpected guest appearance in the photo at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre.
Unfortunately for me I have yet to have a photobomb experience with the royal family but what I have got is one heck of a beautiful moment that occurred recently at a wedding I was shooting and is nevertheless an image I will treasure as much as the family I was shooting for. So there I am taking reportage style shots and to be honest I am really in my groove; the family is one of those types where they make a laugh and a giggle out of everything, the people in the registry office are really accommodating so I have free reign. When I shoot at events like this I am always clicking the camera often because you never can tell when the next incredible moment will happen. Anyway it's going well, I am taking some shots of the newly married couple signing the book, just getting the focus ready and literally just before I take the shot the Bridesmaid; this adorable five year old girl with bright red hair and freckles runs up to the table and looks straight down the lens. Click goes the camera, priceless. I look on the back of the screen and amazingly the bride and groom are looking straight at her laughing. This shot remains one of those images I think I will never forget.
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You ever had one of those shoots that just go on and on because everyone brings ideas they have to the table in terms of ideas? Well this was such a shoot. Imogen brought her friend along and so did John. Both were interested in modelling so gladly helped take some shots which would help them build their portfolios.
Can't wait to post the images - going to be fun.
]]>Its great to get repeat custom - Olu - whom I'd worked with before on the TRU Tarpan Shoot got me to take snaps of his wonderful wife for their pregnacy - went for a nice simple look - works a treat
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Done back in 2005 this image was about a man who for whatever reason lost his life and finds himself snapped to heaven. I remember it took me ages to do I took shot after shot of a man in a suit because I wanted him to seem as oblivious as possible to what has just happened. Notice his brief case is open and he is just letting go of a newspaper. the next issue was with the background and foreground - I mean, how do you encapsulate something that is supposed to be beyond imagination? I think I settled with this image because it managed to get everything into perspective including the height of the angel. Funny thing is I woke up this morning and everything seems slightly different somehow which is a great thing as life once again beckons.
]]>Have a good look round the site - please leave a message on the guest book and don't forget to share, like and be proud if any of the pictures feature you. Do come back even if you are not featured as I intend to add more of my back catalogue daily.
Thanks for visiting
Kindest regards
Jnr
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