derek heisler photographer
Creative Director and Conceptual photographer Derek Heisler explains the benefits of directing your models rather than just posing them during your shoot. Here's a small bit from his talk in Toronto May 11th, 2017. We want to thank Canon Canada and Vistek for sponsoring the event.
Covered by
It's about the car, the girl and the road. All distractions we need. The open road gives us the freedom to stretch our wings and refresh. The car gives us the power we need to travel through miles and miles of thoughts. And the girl, the girl. Music reminds you of her, glimpses of her smile in your peripheral. She's the angel and the devil on your shoulder on an adventure we all need to take. Take a deep breath, this is what life is about.
I sit down with Pro Photo Blog from Vistek to discuss all things photographic. Check out the full interview here.
Warrior | April issue of Ellements Magazine
Photo + Creative Direction | Derek Heisler
Model | Raika Tavares
MUA + Hair | Sara Lindsay
Styling | Taylor Lightning
1AC | Nicole Sarah
Retouch | Pratik Naik
A Portrait Series; American Stuntmen of the Wild West
Throughout the years of motion picture making, the old western film faded in and out of popularity. The truth of the matter is that when the motion picture industry first started amid the early years of the twentieth century, the western was the best. Everybody wanted to make western films. Today we see a resurgence and rebirth of the western genre, most recently with the fantastic film, The Hateful Eight.
What makes westerns so immersive and exciting are the bountiful gunfights and impressive stunts. Without the stuntmen of the wild west these films could not be made. I had the opportunity to capture portraits of such men. Their stories are written in every wrinkle, every grain of sand and dirt on their faces.
Model Svetlana Romanova
If you'd like imagery like this with your products, feel free to reach out via our contact page.
Model - Rachel
Jerome, Arizona the largest ghost town in the United States of America. I've been to my share of ghost towns and Jerome is by far the most interesting/spooky. Founded in the late nineteenth century for it's rich copper mines. At Jerome's peak it had a population of 10,000. Much has changed since those prosperous mining days.
Clearly we are scared.
Alcatraz, infamously known as The Rock. Walk in the foot steps of the most feared criminals.
Mysterious and full of awe. There is no real way to explain the beauty of this place without seeing it with your own eyes.
\ˈsäl\
Light and dark. Polar opposites that require many shades of bending and blending to reach either end of the spectrum. The day night cycle of Sol (our sun) follows this practice. Like the rising and setting of a sun, our lives and personalities find themselves in the same such dance. Between light and dark, the Soul finds itself. We transform as we grow, and every new experience either drives us closer to light or dark. Some need to experience true darkness before they realize the importance of the light. Others shine brightly to lead the way for others. What side do you find yourself on?
SOL
Photography - Derek Heisler http://www.derekheisler.com
Model - Patience Silva
Creative Direction - Derek Heisler
Assistant CD - Bekka Gunther
Wardrobe Design - Derek Heisler and Bekka Gunther
Makeup - Marissa Vossen
Location - Santa Clarita, Califorina
Also published for 1968 Magazine and Stellar
I wanted to share a very cool campaign I recently worked on with WAX and DDG. The idea for this year’s TEDxYYC was Where Ideas Mix.
To achieve that we set out to make dripping mannequin heads which would appear to be dripping into each other… ideas mixing.. you’re getting it now.
It was amazingly fun to work on, and was very happy with the resulting stills. Follow below to see the campaign and the amazing video from the guys over at DDG. A few behind the scene shots follow as well.
Wax recently featured the campaign on their blog here
Make sure to check out the credits at the end.
Trailer:
Credits:
Client: TEDxYYC
Ad Agency: WAX
Creative Director: Trent Burton
Art Director: Brad Connell
Copywriter: Chris Lihou
Production Company: Deluxe Design Group
Director/Camera: Nick Thomas, Chris Krieger
Camera operator: Brock Mitchell
Editor: Brock Mitchell
Post production: Creative Fields
Supers: Greg Marshall
Audio House: Redemption Audio
Music: Mitch Lee
Photographer: Derek Heisler
BTS:
We often see female and male models in a studio setting, it has become a very large part of our advertising culture.
For this series I wanted to put animals in that very setting we are so accustomed to seeing people in, all while still capturing their essence.
The Bashful Black Bear. The Stoic King Penguin. The Motionless Whooping Crane. The Towering Andean Condor. The Vibrant Gentoo Penguin.
They are, model animals.
The Generations Project.
A gritty intimate portrait session with Don “The Rev” Brunning and his son and my friend David “The Kid” Brunning. The Generations project is glimpse into the deep bond between father and son. Two men, two motorcycles, two stories, one generation apart. Enjoy.
Please Share.
See the full series and write up here.
