Fave Photographer of the Month Oct ’12

Untitled by Lucas Passmore

It’s that time again, and this month we bring you a fave which we’re sure you will follow. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Lucas Passmore.

He hails from Los Angeles and likes “shooting people. With cameras, not guns”.

There are many aspects of Lucas’ work which grab me. Yes, the subjects are gorgeous, the composition is natural, the soft, subtle editing is pleasing to the eye but the main thing is … all it takes is one quick glance and you immediately know “this is a Lucas Passmore”. He’s got his signature look down pat. I think the visual signature is not only the most important thing for a photographer but it’s also the hardest to achieve and it sometimes takes years, especially when it comes to portraits. Big respect for those who have done it. Others which have this trait are Michael Tarasov and Alexander Tikhomirov (we’ll blog him soon).

Lucas, much love to you and your work. Next time I’m in LALA land, the Patron is on me 🙂

We asked Lucas our 3 questions. Here’s what he had to say:

1. If you could shoot anyone or any place, who or where would you choose?

No question, I’d shoot in Ireland or Scotland. Not only is the landscape nothing short of breath-taking, the light-quality there is second to none. Shooting in early morning mist or with an overcast sky on sheer cliffs looking over the ocean would be a dream.

2. We have a saying at 36Moments, “It’s not about the camera man, it’s about the Cameraman” … Do you agree?

Absolutely, it’s about the cameraman. No one hires you because they know what camera you use. They hire you because of the way you interpret your subjects. Your vision. Your voice. Whatever you did to make your work stand out to them, that is why you’re getting the job. But, yeah, a Hasselblad couldn’t hurt either.

3. What preparation do you do before a shoot? Do you picture certain shots in your head beforehand or just go-with-the-flow?

If I’m shooting a test for a modeling agency, I just go-with-the-flow; there’s really no point in prepping until you meet the model and have a conversation with her. Beforehand, you have no idea who she is, how she moves, what kind of mood she is in, or even what she ‘truly’ looks like; until you see him/her in three-dimensions, then do a few test-shots, I really can’t stick to any kind of preconceived vision. If I’m working on an actual gig, like shooting a look-book, catalogue, editorial, or magazine submission, I’ll usually put together a mood-board, pulling from literally thousands of photo/image references I have saved. I created an additionally library in iPhoto that has dozens and dozens of categories: everything from hair and make-up styles, to different genres of clothing, to model poses, to lighting I want to emulate, to even the ‘mood/tone/emotion I want to convey. By doing this, I can easily communicate everything I want to get out of the shoot, to my team, as well as the client.

Untitled by Lucas Passmore

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