Advertising Feature
By David F. Rooney
If you yearn to be a model or fashion photographer you can explore your potential through a series of workshops starting July 8 created by photographer John Morrison.
Set in locations as diverse as Three Valley Gap and an industrial junk yard, as well as a traditional studio, Morrison’s workshops introduce photographers and models to high-style photography with live models.
Morrison, who grew up here in Revelstoke and and went on to Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, enjoys using different, edgy backdrops for photo shoots.
“Most of what I shot during those 30 years working commercially was fashion and advertising for international and national advertising agencies and designers,” he says. “I did everything from the X games in SanFrancisco, Nokia, BMW, Pampers, Sunkist, Supre Tanning, liquor campaigns, models , actresses — my work took me all over the world. If you’d like to see some of what I did checkout www.johnmorrisonphotographer.com (one of two websites he maintains).
His company, Bad Engine, is a renamed version of a production company called Mad Engine that he put together from a select group of talented freelancers in various cities.
“Depending upon where we were shooting and what was on board, I’d assemble the right people for the project,” he said.
“We operate today as Bad Engine Productions for commercial shoots. The kind of stuff Bad Engine does isThe kind of stuff Mad Engine does is usually a lifestyle look with some edginess, some grit and some individuality. Clients looking for cool, movie clip-looking imagery that suggests a story unfolding or about to unfold, look to us to take them from Pablum advertising to another level altogether. I like quirky shots and often cast real people who have never been in front of a camera before.”
Morrison is currently offering workshops for photographers and aspiring models who wish to hone their skills and the way they perceive the photographic opportunities the world present them.
“You’ll learn how to use the landscape to achieve a certain tone as well as the importannce of photography makeup and styling,” he said in an interview.
“What sometimes happens at other workshops is you get a few girls dressed up like Playboy bunnies and 10 guys who just start shooting. That’s not what’s going to happen here.
“What I plan to contribute is the experience of putting together a professional photo shoot — from the landscape you’re using to the model — that captures a particular mood or sense of lifestyle.”
If you have photographic skills you’d really like to hone or are interested in modeling contact John Morrison at 250.837-4039 or send him an e-mail at bengine@telus.net. You can also visit his website at www.badengineproductions.com or his Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BadEngineProductions. Shelly Isfeld’s makeup website is http://blackcatmakeupartistry.com/.
Here are some images of John at work shooting Sister Girl’s Janine Carey Bourke in his studio:
