Floral Portrait Photography | Tranquility Project
Floral Portraits
by Yuliya Panchenko
Photography started, at its core, as a way to capture moments in history as well as the story behind the person being photographed. There is something captivating about images of the past and the people they captured, their expressions, surroundings, posing; all telling us something hundreds of years later. For my clients, my hope is to provide a similar result in a unique and modernized style. As part of my Botanical Beauties project, I had the pleasure of working with a client, Guzal Kamilova, to capture who she was by using floral arrangements, correct posing, complimentary colors, and more. The right approach and photography techniques can make an image stand out and showcase the photographer’s knowledge.
After the initial meeting with my client and getting to know her better, we titled the project “Tranquility” as this was the feeling we wanted to convey. Furthermore, elements of Uzbekistan culture were included in the design phase to capture her heritage. The florist, Iryna Shulzhenko, created a headpiece that resembled the cone-shaped folk hats that were used in countries of Central Asia back in the day. The colors of the headpiece were selected based on the client’s love for the color blue and the way in which the tone represented a soft and tranquil feel. Purple tones were then discussed to showcase her sophisticated and luxurious taste and style.
Floral Portrait Photo Session
My favorite part, as you may know, is when the project and research all come together at the studio and the images begin. When capturing a feeling, posing is absolute key! I posed my client in a natural and relaxed sitting position. As these images were portraits, she was guided to relax her face and tuck her shoulders in create the look and feel of exhaling as one does when relaxing. For another shot I asked her to give a soft smile and look at the camera to create a sense of happiness and serenity for the shot. Though capturing images is my favorite part of the process, the research and planning that take place beforehand is key. Having a plan and idea crafted and laid out before the camera starts shooting is what makes the day at the studio easy and coordinated. This way one can focus on things such as lighting and posing with an end result already in mind. As it was the theme for the shoot, peace and tranquility come together to create and capture luxurious and sophisticated art.
Photographer: Yuliya Panchenko
Studio: Yuliya Panchenko Photography
Florist: Iryna Schulzhenko
Model/client: Guzal Kamilova
Makeup artist: Juliana Colon