Monday, March 29, 2010

The Art of Boudoir: Chicken Little, 50 times over!

The beauty of true art is founded in the visualization of what's to be. The artist must be inspired with a vision and then sets out to birth that vision to life. Interestingly, more often than not the artist's final creation may not live up to his expectations. Sometimes inspiration is hard to come by; other times the skill, talent, and resources to realize the vision is inadequate to the task.

And sometimes, you just have this goofy idea in your head that wants to burst out. It may not be a Picasso, but it can be fun and rewarding nonetheless.
I've had this "naked chicks" concept for years. A simple play on words and maximum cute factor. What's not to like?

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

And where do you get such chickens? And when? Remembering that birds are generally born in the spring delayed the project by a year due to the missed hatching season. That was after the year or two it took to figure out where to actually acquire them. Turns out Craigslist is the new ramshackle eBay, providing a no-fee flea market environment of local buyers and sellers. If you live in NYC, maybe you don't have a chicken farmer within reasonable driving distance. But without Craigslist, I would not have discovered the one living near me with a few chicks to sell... or upon further inquiry, rent.

Finding a couple of models willing to go through the indignity of being prodded by curious baby chickens was surprisingly easy -- both Olivia and Carrie were excited to shoot with them. In the process of getting the shots, the chicks even huddled around the models for warmth, like drawing to the mother hen. Made for a relatively odd and unique experience, I'm sure.

In the end, the INFINI team created two very cute, very funny posters. For Easter even.

We also documented some of the process in a little video so you can enjoy it as much as we did.


Happy Easter!
~ Dario INFINI




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Can INFINI Make Me Beautiful?

I receive many inquiries from women who are captivated by the images they see in my boudoir gallery. It is a basic desire of the female psyche to be beautiful and those gallery images resonate with that desire. Many women then turn to themselves and feel great inadequacy. They want images like this but feel at pains to take them. They worry they wont measure up. That somehow we wouldnt manage great images for them. That somehow they will be the FIRST to disappoint us, and in turn, disappoint themselves.


My heart aches for these women. They fail to understand that ALL the women in my galleries have been shot at their maximum potential. None among us are perfect. Hollywood actresses are not my clientele. Instead, I bring Hollywood caliber service to ordinary housewives across the country.


I have enormous respect for those who gather their resolve and muster their courage to come in and put it on the line to have their photos taken. We endeavour to honor that courage with striking images that far exceed their expectations.


How do we do it? How do we manage an unbroken 100% customer satisfaction record?


Lighting

You've heard it said that lighting is everything. Well, not quite everything, but a whole heck of a lot. Great photography is as much about what you dont see as much as what you do. Strategic lighting puts shadows where they need to be and highlights your best features. With the aid of well placed props, fabric, arms, hands, legs, etc, we can bring out the best in anyone.


Posing

Not every pose works for everyone. Body types are different and we dont bind ourselves to a specific set of shots and looks. No, we are a custom photography company. We choose poses that bring out the best in you. We guide you into scenarios that make you look natural and sensual.


Make up

We've all seen photos of celebrities caught without "their face on." We are shocked because these glamorous luminaries look like ordinary people and sometimes, worse! Professional make up and hairstyle makes a huge difference in how you look. We have the best staff in the industry, and provide this service with all our packages.


Retouching

I think at this point we all understand that "cover girls" dont really look like that in real life. The camera is a cold instrument, capturing every stark detail. It doesn't have a heart; it doesn't have emotions. It doesn't admire feminine beauty the way a man does.

Retouching is basically a way to close the gap between what the camera sees and what the human eye sees. It's truly amazing how little "adjustment" it takes to subtly align our real bodies into something even more beautiful.

I've often said if I could do in real life what I do in photos, I'd be REALLY rolling in the money! All wrapped together, our little bag of secrets revealed result in testimonials like this:

"Dario, I just viewed all those pics. I am speechless. They made me weep. No one has ever... what can I say? I had no idea -- I -- could be -- captured -- that way. You captured everything about me, every single thing about me. Viewing each of those pics was like reading an biography. I had a great appreciation for your work before, certainly, but now I see its genius." -Mia


Can we make you beautiful? Oh, I certainly know we can.


Dario

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

What Happens to My Photos??

One of the questions clients often ask is "what happens to my photos"? These aren't your every day family portraits. Where they end up matters, and in today's internet age, its a legitimate concern.

Perhaps the question is partly borne out on the question of where the samples in my gallery come from, or where the artwork I have for sale comes from. These are legitimate concerns and there is a lot of misunderstanding about these issues, even in the photography industry.

Be prepared to learn something about the law with respect to photographers and their subjects!


First, to put your mind at ease, privacy and security of customer photos are among my highest priority concerns. My reputation RELIES on how closely I safeguard my client's photos, and reputation is EVERYTHING in this industry. The images I produce belong exclusively to YOU, the customer.





Now to explain the nuances of how the industry works and the differences between photographers.

Copyright law gives the photographer ownership of the images s/he produces. Many if not most photographers retain this ownership following the business model established when film was the dominant technology. Thats why most of the time your parents had to buy prints from their wedding photographer. They could never legally make copies of their photos at a local photo shop to give friends and family -- they always had to buy them directly from the photographer. That's because s/he kept the film and only sold prints. It was a source of income for the photographer and they guarded it jealously. The law remains on their side in fact, and its a fair set of laws that protect artists of all kinds including those in the music industry.

While photographers in general own the rights to their images, they are actually restricted from using those images for any purpose without express permission from their subjects (except for specific arenas like journalism, etc). In order to use your images for promotional use, for marketing, as portfolio samples, or on a website, the person(s) in the photo must expressly give permission for these and any other purposes. Customers often sign forms when they are shooting or picking up prints, and it is possible that permission is hidden in the fine print .

I know of one photographer who frankly shocked me when she said she didnt care what their clients thought, she retained the full rights and posted the images as she pleased. What an incredible breach of trust! When you consider getting boudoir photos taken, it requires a lot of consideration and research, and a leap of faith that the person you select to take your photos can be trusted in every way. That they will do you justice in the final images, that they will treat you with respect and dignity, and that includes how they treat your images once they are created.

Why then are there customer images proudly displayed on my website gallery? How is it that the art I have for sale are in part from customer images? It is because every one of those customers have been approached for permission and given permission to use those images in that manner. Approached without obligation, and with respect, indicating that those images are very special. That they have value not just to the customer, but an objective value to ANY viewer because they are simply beautiful and artistic. And there is no pressure whatsoever; it is an open invitation to join the other spectacular images in the array. They retain the rights to those images, because I have released them completely. They are in effect, LOANING me the images with permission, but I no longer own them.

This is a significant difference to how many if not most photographers operate. Compare INFINI Boudoir to other photographers in the field; most retain their ownership of the images. This means you get monitor sized photos, not images you can legally print at any local shop. Nor would you want to as they would appear small and blurry or pixelated. We give you FULL SIZE images, and the full ownership rights. Many photographers will charge you exhorbitant prices for this type of licensing.

Why do we do this? Because we genuinely care about our customers. We care enough to create the highest quality images, to protect our customer's privacy by safeguarding their images, and to provide them with a great value for their money.

- Dario INFINI