I had the perfect idea for a Halloween themed shoot this year. Had the person all picked out for it and everything. Unfortunately, the vision I had for it had to take place in Des Moines. Which meant I had to have all the travel arrangements worked out AND the talent would too. Because they had moved and weren't in Des Moines at the time either. Yes...I know it would have been so much easier to do all that right where I already was in the DFW area. I just didn't have the connections at that time that I do now. I'm all good come next year though.
Things fell through with my road trip that was scheduled to take place two weeks before Halloween. Then again with the weekend before Halloween. By that time, it was too late do do any type of theme. I had all but given up on doing one at all. It was killing me too because I was seeing my FB contacts posting pictures of them in their costumes. Some of them would have made INCREDIBLE shoots. Especially the one I saw from one of my friends in NC (even though that road trip was even more out of the question then the DMI one). Then I came across my very own frat brother.
I had collaborated with JT in the past when I was looking for a specific concept. He was another example of my frat helping out and being supportive of XL-Images. A couple of years ago, I realized that I didn't have any captures of anyone with a motorcycle. I had just started getting into "Sons of Anarchy" at the time when the idea came to me. I knew a few cats that were in a MC (Motorcycle Club) but JT was the first one that came to mind. For someone who didn't do the whole modeling thing on the regular (or ever, since I was his first shoot), he pulled it off without a hitch.
It had never dawned on me to do a superhero-- or in this case, super villain --themed shoot for Halloween. Primarily because I thought it would be a little too close to the whole cosplay fascination that I've seen springing up in several places. I am personally not a fan of it at all, but to each their own. I'm certainly not going to knock someone else for their hobby just because I don't get into it. I just personally feel it wasn't the type of 'modeling' shooting that I wanted to get into so I stay away from it.
When I saw JT in his Bane costume, I immediately began having visions of different looks I could do in it. Most of them involve the use of my favorite type of light set up which is a sole gridded strip box. The Bane look was MADE for that type of lighting. The only thing that could have made it was better was if I had done some on location ideas I had. Like a shadowy alley. But again, I didn't know what to expect with unpredictable Iowa weather so I played it safe with the studio. I think it turned out quite alright.
Now I know some of the real comic book/hero geeks (like both of my sons) will say that this isn't the real Bane. Not because he's a brotha of course. The reason being that he's not the one from the comics. This interpretation is the one made famous in the last Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises". I personally preferred the big screen adaptation. Mainly because I wasn't feeling the whole Mexican wrestler mask. I did like how he was more brute strength in the comics and not near as intellectual as the movie version makes him; however, the more I watched Tom Hardy playing him, the more I liked an intelligent Bane.
JT as Bane was just flat out insane. I was skeptical he would even go along with it since the shoot was well after Halloween. I should have known better. He had no problem with it. Maybe because it gave him another chance to showcase his physique? I'm not mad at him at all. If I was constructed like that, I doubt I'd own few shirts. But Frat brought just the right amount of broodiness that I thought he would. So much so that you may notice a similar framing on this one. Yep...another XL-Images Signature series addition.
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