howtophotograph: @daltonrapattoni is a friend of mine, known him since he was in a band at the age of 13. When he finished @americanidol ’s final season we wanted to capture who Dalton really was, not what the network pushed for ratings. Because of that I took him to a hilltop in East LA (away from the typical LA spots) and we shot. We didn’t make rules up, didn’t plan ahead, didn’t invite a stylist of any kind and let this be 100% Dalton by Dalton for Dalton fans. He wore one of his favorite shirts, grabbed his jacket and we photographed until the sunset and into the night. For this particular shot… I grabbed a @paulcbuffinc #alienbees head, put a grid (20 degrees) on it and used one of their battery packs. I used the lowest setting, because we didn’t want to overpower the setting sun. The 🌞illuminated the dry weeds, and the strobe made sure his face wasn’t a silhouette. Simple set ups are the best… Because I’ve known him for many years, I am familiar with his angles and when he tunes out on me. That’s a plus and a minus! For this particular image I remember telling him that I was still “adjusting my settings”. That allowed Dalton to relax and have a moment where he looked off to the side, pondering (probably thinking of where we should eat after the shoot). That’s my favorite way to capture a known personality - to show a side of them never before seen, when they’re not ON for the camera. That’s the Dalton I know! He’s the guy who watches one YouTube video after another, on all subjects pertaining to the world, music, politics, life, etc…he thinks and thinks, always wondering. That’s the story behind this image. My message: get to know your subjects. You’ll get so much more that way. 📸 @walid.azami
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