I want to share a themed shoot I recently did with Isabelle, who is always great fun to work with and has been something of a muse for me over the years. The theme was the myth of Icarus, and bringing that old tale to life through the camera was a real pleasure.
For anyone not familiar with the story: Icarus was a young man on the island of Crete, known for crafting wings from feathers and wax. His father, Daedalus, made a pair for himself too, and warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, where the heat would melt the wax. Overcome with the thrill of flying, Icarus ignored the warning, soared too high, and fell into the sea.
Tragic as it sounds, the tale has long been read as a warning about hubris and disobedience, and that timeless message is what drew me to build a shoot around it.
Isabelle and I brainstormed ideas together and came up with some creative concepts to help tell the story. My studio at Bentwaters near Ipswich made the perfect setting.
Through the session we experimented with different lighting techniques, working to catch the spirit of the myth in each frame. It was a great chance to be more creative and push beyond traditional portrait photography.
Themed shoots like this are always good fun, and they let me express ideas in ways an ordinary session cannot. I love working with models to bring a concept to life, and I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them.
