This week, we highlight five eye-catching portraits and images that are bold and striking in tonality, form and focus. Photographers Alexandr Purcel, Herman Miller, Jason Buff, Sean Oblizalo and Kiati Plooksawasdi share their approach.

Alexandr Purcel has been working as a professional reportage documentary photographer since 2012, specializing in engagements, weddings, and documentary coverage. The eye-catching portrait below was taken in Embalse de La Pedrera, Orihuela Costa, Spain.

“The debate between film and digital returns to an active stage again,” Purcel remarked after taking this this ethereal image on a Contax T2 with Portra 400 film.

Below, an image by Herman Miller in Tazewell, TN. “My approach is usually laid back and candid, with not too much planning involved,” says Miller. “I let the subject be free and let them show me what they wanna show me.

This was taken during a Fall shoot—”I  always love the feel and look of this time,” says Miller. “Leaves were everywhere and the soft light worked really well with the look we were after.”

Jason Buff of Jabu Studio says his way of working is about half inspiration and planning, and half improvisation and really just playing around. “It’s good to go into a shoot having an overall concept and mood board but is also helpful to allow yourself and your subject to come up with ideas through a collaboration. And sometimes, you will capture a moment when the model is either between poses or not posing at all and it is just pure magic.”

Buff says he loves the combination of the hard light and flow of the dress in the image above. “The red and blue create a really nice contrast and the calm relaxed pose of the model contrasts the turbulence of the elements around her,” he explains.

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Sean Oblizalo of Vows and Peaks comes from a landscape photography background before breaking into elopements four years ago. “So with that, “I always try to highlight the landscape while putting couples in positions to look super dope on their wedding day,” he says. “It’s not too hard when you work with amazing backdrops like the one below. “I’m also a huge sucker for reflection shots, so chasing down those calm mornings and capturing alpine tarn reflections makes photos like these extra spicy.”

This photo, says Oblizalo, hits him on so many levels. “This was our third backup spot because the weather had washed out some trails. They really had no idea where I was taking them, so they were completely blown away when we arrived to their ceremony spot. This was a natural reaction after sharing their vows, as they were completely liberated and stoked about what they had just accomplished!”

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“This image was taken in my rain room,” says Kiati Plooksawasdi of Kiati Plooks Photography of the image below. “Four times a year I convert my studio into a full functioning rain room that was originally designed to shoot dancers.”

Plooks adds that since the creation of the rain room, he’s photographed dancers, athletes, fashion and boudoir in it. “I love the rain room because I get to play with water,” he explains. “I love the organic movement of the water and the shapes it can create with splashes when captured correctly. For this shot, I had Meli get into a pose laying on the ground and then asked her to make the biggest splash she could with her arms while holding the pose. This was my favorite shot of the series because you can feel the emotion of the pose and the splash reminded me of angel wings.”

Plooks used StellPro CLx10s and ReflexS lights to freeze the motion of the water and because they are water resistant, he says he was able to have them in the rain room without having to worry about them getting wet. 

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more eye-catching portraits and photos. Submit your wedding, editorial, documentary and other interesting and eye-catching portraits to: [email protected].