Photographer Reveals the Truth Behind His Inventive Portraits

Photographer Geo Leon is regarded for his very easily-recognizable portrait photography design and style whole of detail and vibrancy and has shared an perception on what drives his creativity.

Based mostly in Los Angeles, California, Leon represents a photography style known as hyperrealism. This type of images produces illusions by improving truth, according to USEUM, the online encyclopedia of Art. Hyperrealism photographs can be regarded by their colour intensity, lighting, distinction, and sharpness, which in return produces a “more vivid depiction of what we can see with the naked eye.”

From Martial Arts to Images

Leon begun his pictures journey in 2012 even though touring competitively for martial arts. One particular of his teammate’s mom and dad employed to just take photos throughout the competitiveness and encouraged Leon to select up a camera. Obtaining grown up with an fascination in arts, Leon tells PetaPixel choosing up pictures felt so organic — just like drawing.

Leon’s Instagram account now offers above 335,000 followers at the time of this producing. Though Leon’s photography model is quickly distinguishable nowadays, it has been a approach that produced around time — from the way he colour grades his pictures to how he methods making dimension and depth inside of an impression.

“I appreciate my type of modifying and it is a little something that I really feel has defined me as an artist and which is not one thing I want to transform,” Leon tells PetaPixel. “I really feel it separates me from other photographers.”

Very simple Setups and the Magic of Picture Editing

When putting suggestions collectively for portrait shoots, Leon suggests he frequently will get inspiration from colourful and joyful artwork, as properly as various movies and Television set displays. Astonishingly, Leon’s portrait setup is relatively easy. For most of his out of doors photographs, he utilizes a reflector and a diffuser, even though for indoors he adds LED lights to aid gentle his topics.

While it is necessary to get the light, composition, pose, and subject’s expression suitable, the ultimate contact that certainly transforms the picture is in post-processing. For most of Leon’s photographs, he offers other photographers to see the right before and after, which gives a opportunity to see how considerably a image can be reworked by means of editing techniques.

Leon encourages other photographers to not be concerned of inquiring thoughts every time they experience trapped or want to get guidance on how to increase their portraiture skills.

“Don’t be fearful to shoot your shot as far as achieving out to artists that inspire you,” he claims. “Ask them for strategies, observe films on YouTube (there are hundreds of films on retouching). Also, spend in your craft! Numerous photographers and retouchers offer you one-on-one lessons and even promote tutorials.”

Leon has teamed up with photographer Chris Hernandez to open a themed photograph and video clip studio in Los Angeles called Vibrancy Lab. He also presents portrait retouching and overlay editing tutorials, which can be discovered on his Gumroad profile. Extra of his portrait function can be discovered on his Instagram site.


Picture credits: Photographs by Geo Leon.