Red River Pro
MATT HOYLE

© Matt Hoyle

The Photographer
Matt Hoyle shoots for editorial, entertainment and advertising clients worldwide. His fine art photography
has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London, The Farmani Galleries, the Thomas Werner Gallery, New York, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia, and at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai.

The Client
A portraiture series for a fine arts exhibition, posters and promotional purposes.

The Assignment
Photograph a range of extraordinary faces for a black and white photographic series of sideshow
performers entitled “Barnumville.”

The Execution
“I photographed these performers in a studio using a Canon 1DS Mark III and Profoto Acute2 2400 power packs with large umbrellas. I wanted the contrast to be soft overall– very soft shadows and nothing harsh. Their faces were naturally interesting and didn't need any emphasis of light, so I concentrated on the surface of their skin to bring out a little contrast and sharpness while still allowing the overall light to be softer.”

Post Production
“I converted the digital image into black and white with filters on each color channel. This way I had ultimate control over how dark each color would be in relation to the overall image. Then, I added an additional controlled amount of contrast to the skin and sharpening to the eyes and mouth.”

The Output
"I chose to output prints on Red River's Aurora Fine Art Natural paper at 8.5 x 11 on a Canon Pro9000 printer. The paper is more fine-surfaced than a raw, fine art, rag paper and it’s that quality that provided a great earthy texture and tone to evoke the vintage theme of my sideshow posters.”

Contact
Matt Hoyle's web site is at: www.matthoyle.com. He can be emailed at matt@matthoyle.com