| Jeff paints the portraits from photographs he takes using flood strobe flash units. Painting from life is too time consuming these days, though Jeff would prefer that. In most cases he does quick sketches from life or takes notes with the model for color references that he refers to when painting.
Once the composition is determined, a photograph session is arranged. The sessions usually take a couple hours. They are very informal and everything is done to assure the subject that it’s not a life or death situation. It’s actually quite fun, even for people who hate to be photographed. If a particular shot is bad or awkward, it makes no difference. There’s no deadline and experimentation is encouraged. Jeff sets up a mirror behind him so the model can see how she/he looks and can adjust hair, clothes or facial expressions. Jeff uses a digital camera and shows each shot to the person posing so they can see how they look. He also sets up a TV monitor to show the photos larger and then they can discuss what is working and what isn’t. It’s an easy, casual process and most people feel like rock stars or super models when the strobes start flashing.
The choice of clothing is often an issue and sometimes it works better if a few different outfits are tried out. A particular outfit might look great in person but less effective in a portrait pose. That can easily be determined by immediately reviewing the digital shots for each outfit.
After the photos are taken they can be reviewed immediately to select several that work well. The biggest problem usually is choosing which of several good shots works best. After one is selected Jeff will use that to create a portrait that will look nearly exactly like the photo.
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