Tom Tiger III Photography
I had the unique opportunity to art direct the photoshoot for the University of Memphis Magazine of Tom Tiger III. Our crew went to his habitat and photographed him in his element to get the most natural shots. The end result was just as I had imagined.
The idea and direction was to capture the emotion and beauty of TOM III. With that direction in mind, I chose to use a black background to contrast his orange and black fur. I felt that this technique really brought to attention the beauty of this animal.
I used Adobe Photoshop to do all of the retouching. I started by getting a detailed cutout of TOM III. I then put him on a black background, and added shadows and highlights to bring out the shape of his body. Lastly, I added a reflection to ground him. I felt it was important to do so because it created a space for him to live visually.
The response I got was overwhelming. The client couldn't believe the before and after. I learned that getting the best you can get in camera can really affect the outcome of the photography. Getting great light and framing makes the post work easier.