When Ramona Rosales received an assignment to photograph singer Anderson .Paak for Billboard, she was instantly excited and inspired. The assignment, Rosales recalls, was to aim for a look that is colorful, fun and true to the subject—and fortunately, Rosales was already a fan of Paak’s music.
To give the subject an environment that he could “bounce off of and also be authentic to himself,” Rosales suggested a karaoke bar in West Hollywood for its graphic wall texture and unique décor. “I felt the location would be a good fit and allow me to get multiple setups without losing a narrative or continuity, but also give me flexibility,” she says.
To get the red glow, Rosales switched out the existing lightbulb to a flash bulb with a red gel. She added fill by using a large softbox with a Profoto head “very turned down,” she recalls, “to fill in the shadows and to bring back some detail that was getting lost.”
(Captured using a Canon 5D Mark IV and a 24-70mm zoom lens.)
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