Cinematic Portraits - by Pete Wright (Paperback)

About the Book

Classic Hollywood portraiture is cinematic and striking. The subjects in the portraits are perfectly coiffed and attired, their skin is flawless, their wardrobes showcase the cutting-edge of fashion, and they seem to stare out from the frame with a godlike and storied presence. This is Old Hollywood portraiture, produced with excruciating precision to ensure that the stars and starlets of the 1920s and '30s would look larger than life. Here, Pete Wright talks you through how to craft such images yourself.

Book Synopsis

Pete Wright teaches you how to re-create mysterious, dark, and glamorous cinematic portraits reminiscent of those taken of 1920s' and 1930s' stars and starlets. The book contains 60 discrete sections which contain 60 of Wright's most impressive, nostalgic black & white portraits, along with some alternate poses and lighting diagrams. In each section, the author details the steps taken to create the final portrait. You'll learn how Wright conceptualized the shot and will gain insight into the location of the shoot, props selected to create the theme, wardrobe selection, and hair and makeup styling. The lighting units used on the set, light modifiers, and lighting setup employed will also be covered, allowing you to readily re-create the classic, dramatic Hollywood look with your own subjects. Wright will also discuss how he posed the subject to give him or her that superstar, larger-than-life look.

About the Author

Award-winning photographer, journalist and lecturer Pete Wright, a fourth-generation artist and a second generation photographer, was raised in North Carolina in an environment rich in art and photography. His photographs were first published when he was 14 years old when he accepted his first paying job as a photographer working for a regional newspaper. Years later, in 1997 PW Photography's first studio opened in Greenville, North Carolina. The following year the company moved to Richmond, Virginia. The studio's work has ranged from portraits and weddings to sports and editorials.

During his decades of working as a photographer Pete has earned the distinction of Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman from PPA. He also received Photographer of the Year honors from PPA seven times, has been awarded several Fuji Masterpiece, Kodak Gallery, Polaroid Prestige, Lexjet Sunset and Canon Par Excellence Awards, was accepted into the PPA Loan Collection multiple times, has been featured in several national publications and is fortunate to have lectured around the world about his passion for photography. He loves to teach and inspire others to follow or find their passion in photography and use that passion to build a successful business!

Pete is a true believer in the motto "pay it forward" and feels it is his responsibility to be an open book, sharing his own knowledge, and to help create educational opportunities to expose new photographers to a diverse and talented group of photographic educators. It is his life's goal to see the photographic industry survive and thrive in change!