360Photography

Patrick Brassard caught my attention when he showed me the work from his Dream series created earlier this year. He is a fashion photographer based in New York City that endeavours to produce photographs unlike anything created by the photography predecessors before him. His use of light, shadow and rich, dark colors are used to transform the atmosphere of his sets of his mysterious settings and intriguing style that have become a testament to his technique. Patrick has also shot for for top modelling agencies and his passion for his photographic work has led him to Europe, South America, as well as the Caribbean Islands. I managed to catch up with Patrick to ask him more about his series, Dream and to get more a more in-depth insight into his photographic style.

When asked how did his passion for photography came about, Patrick explained that he gathered his skills early on in his journey, that  seeking opportunities and finding a unique style became a necessity for academic survival during his time in photography school, “During my summer break from photography school in Boston I realized two crucial steps would put me ahead of my classmates for the returning year. First, I’d push myself to seek out every possible photography opportunity. Second, and most importantly, I needed to develop my personal style.

During the summer of that year I reached out to shoot fashion events and was fascinated by the production that went into creating a look. In the city of Boston, where the fashion scene is relatively small, it was easy to meet and develop relationships with the designers, make-up artists, hairstylists, and models. Before I knew it they started asking me to shoot their look books and portfolios. By the end of that summer as a 20-year-old student, I had been published, found my personal style, and created a network of clients.”

I asked Patrick about his recent series, entitled dream and how this photographic story with its haunting, surreal and dream-like compositions came about, he replied that the inspiration was a combined effort by his team as well as the locations he shot in “The series Dream developed over the course of the shoot as the designer, Long Tran and I worked together. His vision and unique talent combined to produce a remarkable outcome to the shoot. His style, similar to Lady Gaga’s, inspired me to shoot without restrictions. The designs added a crucial element to the series.

I was also fortunate to work with a team consisting of many talented people. Two make-up artists,  Goran Sliskovic and Madison Mills both developed striking contours on the models’ faces to bring out the severity of the looks. Hairstylist Egypt Buck He designed wigs with long extensions that transformed the models with over the top hairstyles. Our two models were from Fenton Moon Modeling Agency NYC. I was assisted by photo assistant Nixxie Blanck. I shot the models in an outdoor location in NJ, both in the woods and on a rooftop. The locations always provide more inspiration for props and subject background.”

Fascinated by how Patrick was able to achieve the moody effects he does so well in his photos, which he describes as “The way I approach shooting is dark and mysterious. I like to play a lot with the shadows and highlights to contour my subjects.” I had to ask what photography equipment he used to achieve this, he informed me that “I shot this series with a Nikon D300. My lighting was with one strobe and a soft box. I carry a portable battery for the strobe.  My assistant was holding a light reflector to give me some fill light. Some images from this series were taken when the sun had set.”

Since my interview with Patrick, he had also been involved with another project, collaborating with world renowned photographer, Robert Farber and he would like to invite you all to visit, entitled “The Fabarge Egg Hunt in NYC.”

To find out more information for Patrick Brassard’s Dream series you can:

Visit his website at PatrickBrassard.com

Stay in touch with him on facebook: Patrick Brassard Studios

Or contact him via email: info@patrickbrassard.com

What do you think about this photo set? Please post your comments below.

Fashion Photography Blog