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Photography

Steampunk Portraits

An afternoon in the West Midlands, 2020
Close portrait of a long-haired, bearded man in a dark brocade coat and waistcoat against a cloudy dark backdrop

In 2020 I set myself a project: an afternoon of Steampunk portraits, held in the upstairs room of a pub in the West Midlands. I was fairly new to photography, and I decided the best way to learn was to put myself in front of real people and organise it all myself.

Black-and-white portrait of a woman wearing a silver mechanical half-mask and holding a black lace fan, in a corset with a pocket watch on a chain
Black-and-white portrait of a man in a goggled top hat standing behind a woman in a black top hat who holds an ornate prop pistol
Black-and-white portrait of a long-haired, bearded man in a long brocade coat resting a hand on a cane, against a dark stormy backdrop

I had very little equipment and only basic lighting, so the room was never going to do the work for me. The people did. Everyone arrived in their own costume, and the care showed in the details: top hats and goggles, a mask and a lace fan, pocket watches, a prop pistol.

Black-and-white studio portrait of a long-haired, bearded man in a dark brocade coat and waistcoat, holding a top hat and a silver-handled cane
Black-and-white portrait of a person in a top hat and long dark coat, tipping the hat in front of a large ornate round mirror, with leather bags and goggles at their side

These are some of the photographs from that afternoon.

There is also a short film of the portraits:

Steampunk Portraits — full-size film preview
Behind the scenes: the photographer shooting a portrait in front of a painted backdrop, lit by a few lights and a softbox in the upstairs room of a pub
The set-up: a backdrop, a few lights and a corner of the pub.

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