Capturing Future Visions: My Experience with the Memory Work Collective and the Influence of 'The Dramatic Portrait'
In the world of photography, every project is a new journey, a fresh opportunity to capture moments, tell stories, and create art. One such journey that stands out in my career is my collaboration with the Memory Work collective on a mural project situated at the western entrance to The Bentway. It consists of twelve embellished photographic portraits of revolutionary women and non-binary figures from a future Toronto.
The project was initiated by the studio From Later, artist Rajni Perera, and the Memory Work Collective. It imagines a city characterized by collective care and politics that value nurturing over growth. The people depicted in these portraits belong to a group known as the Mothers of Invention (MOI), pronounced like the sound of a kiss. They are revolutionary scientists, healers, creators, entrepreneurs, engineers, and organizers.
I was brought onto the project by the talented artist Rajni Perera. As the photographer, I had the privilege of collaborating on the art direction, including poses and lighting.
The Crew.
In order of appearance from left to right; Macy Siu, Rajni Perera, Dori Tunstall, Tala Kamea, and Naomi Skwarna.
The Gear I Used
The portraits were shot using the Sony a7iii, with a Tamron 70mm-180mm lens. For lighting, I used two sources: the Godox 400AD as my key light and a Neewer 300w as a hair light and highlight.
Regarding the Sony A7iii, it’s a full fame beast. I won’t get into it so IYKYK!
The Godox 400AD, known for its compact size and high power output, was my key light. Its compatibility with various light modifiers made it a versatile choice for this project. The Neewer 300w, appreciated for its affordability and reliability, served as a hair light and highlight, providing additional illumination and helping to separate the subject from the background.
Illuminating Artistry: Embracing Challenges and Harnessing Light in the Style of the Masters
One of the challenges was shooting the subjects in a way that mimicked fine art paintings to work seamlessly with Rajni’s style. This required a heavy reliance on lighting techniques and posing, with artist references including Rajni Perera and Peter Paul Rubens. Here, I found Chris Knight's book, "The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow," to be an invaluable resource. Knight's exploration of light, shadow, and portraiture, along with his discussions on the qualities of hard and soft light, the relationships between light, subject, and background, and lighting patterns such as Paramount, Rembrandt, loop, and split, greatly influenced my approach to this project.
The individuals in the portraits are represented in photographs. They are (Miranda) Shou, Cheyenne Sundance, Zanette Singh, Dori Tunstall, Mecha Clarke, and Jennifer Maramba Xiyao. Each is a leader spearheading change in their community, a present-day seed of the character they portray, prefiguring a transformed city.My love for fine art portrait photography played a significant role in this project. I have always enjoyed combining my love of painting and illustration with photography, and this project was a perfect opportunity to do just that. In future posts. Some samples below of my earlier visit to fine are portraiture.
All images were created in 2019
Beyond Collaboration: The Transformative Journey with the Memory Work Collective
Working with the Memory Work collective was an honor and a learning experience. I was in awe of everyone's creativity and input, and I appreciated how well we all worked together. Not one moment dragged on with this crew.
Each figure in the portraits wore their own apron, designed by Tala Kamea (Right) and Naomi Skwarna (Left). These aprons served as a distinctive uniform that was both protective and decorative, offering clues to the values, aesthetics, and labor of their time. The impact of the project didn't hit me until much later. The imagination and forecasting of this possible future conceived by From Later Studio and Rajni were immense. Almost a year later, seeing the scale of the mural was humbling, scary, and exciting. I had never worked on anything of this scale before, and it was a transformative experience.
This project was more than just a job; it was a journey into a possible future, a testament to the power of creativity, and a reminder of the transformative potential of art. It also underscored the point that even a project of this size doesn't necessarily require expensive gear, and that a lot can be achieved with a little. I look forward to sharing more about this project and others in future posts.
Until then,
O
