VICTORIA WEST
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR By Victoria West, CPA AFTER MY SECOND CONSECUTIVE WIN OF PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR, I WAS INTERVIEWED BY OUR LOCAL PAPER. IT WAS A BRIEF INTERVIEW, DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH TIME TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF IMAGE SALON. THEN, TO MY SURPRISE, AND EMBARRASSMENT, THE RESULTING NEWSPAPER HEADLINE WAS “THE BEST PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER IN CANADA LIVES IN OROMOCTO”.
SUMMER 2020 | GALLERIE MAGAZINE | 30
I never said that (and I don’t even live in Oromocto, although my studio is there). As much as I would love it to be true, I’m not even close. But I am a very hard worker. I put a ton of time and energy into my submission each year. I take it seriously because I want to win. I set that goal, I met that goal. So I should be happy right? Never, because the first thing that goes through my mind after I get the good news is, “how am I going to top this next year?” Overachiever issues clearly. A blessing and a curse. So let’s get into my submission….
Micheal - Figure Study - Merit Like my image Exsanguinate from 2019, this is also a composite starring my husband. Both of them are him. My inspiration came from Ancient Greek sculptures and classical paintings, although not one in particular. I shot it in the studio with a two-light setup, one for fill and one for direction. The background was from a ceiling in the Alhambra palace that I photographed in Spain, and the frame came from a photo from that trip as well. The wings, I photographed and added after that fact. I felt like he looked about ready to take off once I had pieced it all together, and since he’s basically an angel to nude model for me, I went with it.
