This week photographed Lawrence Pickrem, one of the co-founders of the Halifax Youth Co-alition and Youthscapes. It was a relatively short shoot. It only lasted about an hour. The goal was for a simple portrait of just him. Something not cluttered with complexities but zeroing in on the individual himself. These shots are a great example of how wardrobe can be quite crucial to a photos completion. We wanted to communicate a degree of formality and seriousness but at the same time, Lawrence is a young fairly relaxed and easy going guy and we really wanted to communicate that as well. We took a look at a couple of different wardrobe scenarios; a couple of suits and some brighter coloured ties and such. But Suits almost gave the impression of a young guy trying too hard to look sophisticated. I suggested how about a formal dark suit and black tie but getting rid of the blazer and loosening the tie. This allowed us the chance to keep an element of seriousness and formality in a relaxed youthful looking portrait.
