Photo Of The Week rounds had never seen a week like this, what could only be described as FIERCE! There were over hundred votes that was submitted and second and third place were biting right on the heels. It was very suspenseful week to watch and I felt my heart thumping out of my chest watching the leader board race back and forth like a day at the horse races, but in the end it was Greg Cunningham’s photo which is just one image in a photographic series, entitled “Vapour”, that won the crown of Photo of the Week, with only fractions separating second and third place.
With the race to the finish line over, I was able to get a chance to interview Greg Cunning on how he started as a photographer and what is the inspiration behind his hauntingly beautiful photo submission. When asked about his beginnings in fashion photography Greg explained that, “Fashion photography for me is a creative outlet. My career as an air crewman in the US Navy has little to do with artistic expression so it really helps to keep me level as a person.”
From operating planes to operating cameras he explained, “I was looking for a hobby around 6 years ago when I was based in the Pacific Northwest. So my intent was to take beautiful landscape photos of Washington state and that never happened. I knew a few of the night life promoters in Seattle and they would hire photographers at their events to take candid snaps for a little money, so I figured if I was already going to be there I might as well make some money and meet some new people.
That grew old before I had even photographed ten events in a three month period. The last event I photographed was a charity fashion show and I surprised how striking some of the models were. After I turned the photos over to one of the local boutique owners they asked me if I had ever thought of photographing fashion on a more serious level. They graciously introduced me to the agency models that I had seen walking in the show. So from then on I have been studying fashion and beauty photography and the professionals past and present.”
Greg remains humble about his photographic abilities stating “I am not proficient enough to consider myself a professional fashion photographer. It is a hobby that became a passion.” That is very true for most photographers in the industry on how they got started, and everyday is a learning experience in the field.
To create the shoot for his Vapour series Greg used the following:
Alienbee 1600 w/ 22″ Beauty Dish Key light
Alienbee 1600 w/ 20 degree grid for rim light
Canon 5D MK II w/ 24-70mm f/2.8
The results? Tremendous, breathtaking and surreal. When asked if there was any last words of wisdom he would like to share to the next generation of photographers, at the end of the interview, he shared these words, “Stay humble out there.”
To find out more about Greg Cunningham and photos from his Vapour series, including the one featured here, you can visit his website: www.gicunningham.com and blog: www.gicunningham.tumblr.com
You can also catch greg via email, instagram and Twitter:
Email: greg@gicunningham.com
Instagram: gicunningham
Twitter handle: gicunningham
Currently, we have another round of Photo Of The Week running. To participate in the voting, make sure you “like” our Facebook page here and vote for your favorite photographer‘s photo out of the finalists in the comments section of the post. The photo with the most vote’s by the end of the week at Sunday midnight will win Photo of the Week and win the great prizes on offer.
Since FashionPhotographyBlog.com is Google’s #1 site on fashion photography in the world, you might be interested in entering our Photo Of The Week competition. this could be your entry to some great exposure if you submit your photo and win. To find out more details on how to enter, make sure you join our mailing list. We will send you the entry details via your email.
As a reminder, voting ends at the end of the week so make sure you get voting on our Facebook page here. Tell us in the comments below, do you agree with how this week’s voting outcome? What is your critique on this photo? We want to here from you!
