ISSUE 17 “THE INFLUENCE OF BEAUTY"

COURTNEY PAUL

Written by Nubian Princess

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DSRPT: When capturing portraits what do you do to make sure you get “the shot”?

CORTNEY: When I take any shot whether it be portrait, full length, beauty etc. I always want to make sure a few things are checked off. The human eye is lead by different lines and points of call that attracts the eye to certain things that we see daily. For me, the shot is all about framing, angles and negative space. The combination of both, allows the image to really captivate the viewer, as well as from a far, the image is also able to catch your eye due to the lines and symmetry of the subjects body, outfit or pose. Sometimes “the shot” isn’t always as captivating fresh off the lens as it might be in post edit when you’re able to play around with different crops, light tweaks and background changes.

2.DSRPT: How is fashion and beauty photography different than other types of photography?

COURTNEY: I would say that fashion and beauty photography is something that really drives conversations in the world of popular culture, due to the way in which a true creative can capture the essence of what the image is taken for. For me, imagery is about telling stories and allowing the person who is seeing the image to feel a certain amount of emotion from it. Whether it be to movement in the image, the conceptualistic nature of the shot, or whether it be due to things such as hairography. When fashion and beauty merge, it allows me as the photographer and creative director to really work with the team on board to make sure everyone has an idea of the same visual outcome in their head. It’s always important to have a good team that understands you and trusts your vision because it’s all part of the process. Other types of photography, such as architectural photography, also has a play into beauty and fashion due to the silhouettes, shapes and textures that all come into play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSRPT:What’s your process when coming up with photoshoot concepts?

COURTNEY:Concepts are something id say comes naturally to me. It might start from something as small as a wig style to a piece of clothing that I see. Once I see the first thing that draws my eye and entices something, it’s like a snowball effect that happens and suddenly my brain starts to work over drive. For some other concepts, I might draw inspiration from past events, history, trends or music. The 90’s and early 00’s trends are something that doesn’t seem to die down over the last couple of decades as people try to emulate and take inspiration from things when the world seemed a little less strict and regimented. As much as I enjoy working with new people, keeping my same team around me of the same creatives allows you to always know what you’re getting on a shoot day and know that everyone there is for the same reason.

DSRPT: How important is lighting and how do you use than to your advantage when capturing shots on different heights and skin tones.

COURTNEY:Something I found when my work started to blow up online, was other photographers and creatives lack of knowledge or care when it comes to black people and their skin tone. Capturing the true essence of melanin, especially in black females, is something that I think would be lacked upon in the industry. I was tired of seeing dark black women, with washed out skin complexions, makeup that didn’t match their skin tones and an overall “white wash” that was apparent in the imagery. A lot of my first comments on my work on black women was that people loved how I managed to capture and highlight the skin tone, which actually allows the imagery to have much more contrast and depth behind because the human eye is able to soak up the true colours within the image. I really enjoy playing around with lighting because it can enhance your imagery a lot - the more depth that is created with light and shadow, combined with pop and gloss in peoples skin and whites of the eye is what I feel like makes up my signature style.

DSRPT:What’s a day like shooting with you?

COURTNEY:Shoot days with me? I would love to say that they’re super chilled and laid back but any creative knows that shoot days are extremely full on, often long days, but always worth it. If a shoot is running too smoothly, 9 times out of 10 then the outcome isn’t going to be one that is often exciting. A shoot day is always lead up to with a lot of phone calls, group chat messages and emails. I always dedicate 2-3 hours before the shoot for hair and makeup to be perfected while lighting is being tested. I have a very hands on approach when it comes to the hair and makeup which I like to add tweaks to before it gets signed off for the look. Being able to do makeup for day to day and being gable to do shoot makeup is often 2 different ways of makeup artistry. The bright studio lights and high quality camera shows up all details so it’s always important to do light tests before getting going with a shoot to make sure everyone’s happy with how the model/models look. The majority of shoots tend to run over the original time set out for the shoot due to things like technology, lighting or hair and makeup running over. Documenting my shoots more is something that is on the top of my list for this year as people always want to see the behind the scenes action and watch the shoots come to life.

6.DSRPT:How do you go about picking the right models?

COURTNEY:A “model’ now and a “model” 10, 20, 30 years ago is a completely different ball game. When I have full control over the model, I love being able to direct them and have them play around the direction with different angles and options of shots. This differs to having a model that is just able to be placed into a position or take direction but doesn’t expand upon the direction you give them. Modelling is a form of acting and dancing in my eyes, you’ve got to be care free and not be scared to try a pose that seems a little unfamiliar. If it’s uncomfortable then the outcome usually is going to be worth it. As a photographer, its important to be able to read the models body language and get on board with the flow of them shooting - this means you can almost guess before hand what position they’re going to move into for the next pose, before they do so you can transition with them and capture every magical moment. A lot of models or talent come to me and don’t have either the confidence or the ability to direct themselves or learn their angles in advance. It’s always rewarding seeing them by the end of the shoot come to the realisation that they now love themselves and have waken up their inner baddie. Seeing people bring out different sides of themselves that they didn’t know they were capable of is one of the reasons this job is so rewarding and i would never get bored of it - being personable and tapping into peoples inner self is a skill that definitely needs to be worked on to successfully delegate and direct a shoot.

DSRPT:What’s is it like to be on everyone’s inspo and mood boards?

COURTNEY:Let me just make sure we know they’re your words and not mine before I get cancelled (he laughs..)I’m only joking, I’m truly humbled everyday and It honestly amazes me still to know that the work I create connects, inspires and attracts the people in the way it does. Everybody around me knows that I’m very down to earth and grounded which I think is very important in the industry as people get caught up in it too quick and forget who they are or where they came from. When I started taking this seriously, I never imagined that just because I was so bored of seeing the same things in photography and fashion, that everyone would get on board, and be happy to see the movement and change within the industry too. At first, it used to upset me a little to see people trying to emulate and copy my aesthetic and work but now I see it as the biggest compliment - if you’re not getting copied then are you doing something right or challenging the standards?

DSRPT:How do you feel your photos have made an impact on photography?

COURTNEY:Following on from what I said before, I don’t ever like to blow my own horn or outwardly critique my own work, but I would also be lying if I said that I don’t think that my imagery had an impact on the industry. I didn’t see big fashion houses, brands or big artists trying to go down the wide angle route and playing around with angles the way I did. I grew up in times of America’s next Top Model polarising the world - Tyra would emphasise that the models should really commit to their posing and model from “H2T” (head to toe). This always stuck with me but the photographer on the show might not always capture the shot the way I think would elevate it. Fast forward to when I started picking up a camera, I was able to break down the almost 2D aspect of imagery and help elevate it so that it feels 3 and 4 dimensional. I think that my impact on photography has been to challenge everyone creatively and rather than just do something half arsed, really commit to what you’re trying to show. What’s nice is to still speak to people and people to send me different campaigns and say oh look they’ve tried to copy or emulate your style - as long as people know me for backing the change, I will continue trying to inspire and leave my mark on the industry - one concept at a time.

DSRPT: When editing what are you do’s and don’t’s?

COURTNEY:I wouldn’t say I have a specific do’s and don’ts when it comes to editing but what I will say is that I’m definitely a perfectionist within my own work, and borderline OCD with the edit, which works to its advantage and disadvantage simultaneously. I hate seeing shots with dirty studio floors, shoes with dirty bottoms or just a lack of care with the image. A lot of people spend little to minimum time when it comes to the post edit, however, I think this is where you really take an image and bring it to life. Playing with tones, textures and colour will allow you to take a flat image and make it feel like it’s full of depth and more dimensional. Never be scared to try things with editing - technology these days has given us the ability and playground to really get creative with edits and I intend on using this to my advantage and growing my craft and art with technology.

DSRPT:Who is someone you haven’t worked with yet that you would love to work with?

COURTNEY:SZA SZA SZA! Me and Solána have been connected and in touch for a number of years and every time we try and make something happen, it ends up being up in the air because our schedules change or get affected but I’m determined to tick her off my list this year and I know she’s really looking forward to getting to work together too. There’s certain people that I see, speak to or connect with and just know that the combination of creativity will translate to something powerful - she is one of those people who just get it. I’m headed back to LA next month so let’s see who I can get ticked off the list this summer.