Film Noir and Classic Hollywood Glamour

I don't often get a chance to sit down and watch a movie on satellite, but today I was doing some bored channel surfing and came across a showing of Casablanca. Having been a photographer for some time now, I now view the cinematography and the artistic way of filming and lighting with a different twist. I thought, now these guys knew how to compose a shot, how to light a set, and how to make these actors/actresses look stunning. I mean, just look at photos of Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman. Classic. And they don't look much better than they did in that movie.

I thought about some of my previous projects, such as the classic film noir session I did with my sister and brother-in-law. There was also a private party done in the Roaring 20s theme. The feedback and input on the prints made from those sessions has been overwhelmingly positive. Now, friends and clients alike are asking for the ubiquitous low-key, chiaroscuro "Film Noir" look for themselves. And they're loving it. So many people love the vintage black and white look, but are completely dissatisfied or turned off by the abundance of badly posed, badly lit, sepia-toned novelty portraits turned out by the gross at the local mall kiosk "studios" staffed by "photographers" still in high school who don't know their ISO from their f-stop and who think "faded and soft (blurry)" equals "vintage." I tend to agree with this dissatisfied demographic.

It is my goal to be the first in El Paso to specialize in Film Noir and Classic Hollywood glamour photography, and to be the best at it. I'm not talking about just regular black and white portraiture, or even low-key black and white. There are already plenty of photographers locally, and with great credentials, who do a great job at that already. No, I'm talking about film noir, the great and timeless look of classic Hollywood portraiture and films of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Remember Casablanca? Or Shanghai Express? How about The Maltese Falcon? All of those films had a great look, with dramatic lighting, shady characters, red fezzes, and fedoras. Of course you know the look. That's what I want to do here at Elysian.

If you'd like to take a look at some samples of past sessions done in this style, just check out our Film Noir & Hollywood Glamour gallery. We are ready to start booking clients for this type of portraiture, be it for a special event, anniversary, or just for fun.

So, if you're just not that into the cookie-cutter stuff at the mall, give us a call. It's always nice to feel like Bogart or Bergman for an hour or two.