Michelle Monique

By Alicia in Photographers on Oct 26, 2009

Explore the world of Fantasy with Michelle's unique talent of capturing the impossible.

Michelle Monique is an innovative photographer with a unique ambition. She strives to create photographs that have never been done before and her ultimate dream is to produce images that cannot be found in real life. In her own words, she likes to "create not interpret."

jitZul gained the opportunity to speak with this talented individual to get more insight into her photography.

For more information on Michelle and her work, please visit her deviantart and official websites

How did you get into photography at such a young age? Did you start with a point and shoot?

I developed an interest in photography at about the age of 14. I originally wanted to create more interesting Myspace pictures to draw attention to my page. All I had at the time was my dad’s Olympus point and shoot that I picked up and began taking self portraits. I started with doing crazy makeup and Photoshop that looked erratic but the attention I was getting further pushed me to take more pictures.

My best friend noticed, and wanted me to take her photos as well. We started with silly amateur pictures taken in my room with awful Photoshop but received compliments so we progressed into more and more complicated shoots. I actually continued to use the point and shoot for a few years, and eventually bought a Canon 40D when I was 16. I then started asking more of my friends to model for me and my style and technique further developed into what it is today.

Most photographers’ goal is to capture reality, or for the more obscure, to enhance reality, you, however, have gone the route of capturing fantasy. Do you find it difficult to capture that which does not exist with a device designed to freeze reality?

That’s an interesting question. I’ve never really considered a camera as a device used to capture reality, but rather as a tool to manipulate it. Your perspective on what a camera is for depends on your end result. You can make a river look soft and surreal by having a long shutter, or you can make someone look a certain way with angles, and in my case I can create a world that does not exist through sets and elaborate lighting. Fantasy is the only avenue where I can express myself fully because there are no boundaries. Whatever pops into my mind, I create.

Obviously what I do is more complicated than merely pressing the shutter release on automatic, but I’ve never really considered what I do as difficult. Photography is actually pretty easy once you get a system down. I used to look at professional photos and be baffled by what I saw, but once you understand the tricks it’s rather simple.

How do you go about planning a piece? Do you have the final image in mind when setting up the photo shoot?

I’m an obsessive planner – a trait uncommon among artists. Generally they go with their gut and start creating impulsively. I can’t say indefinitely which route is better, because some artists are more comfortable improvising which allows spontaneity, but for me – I need to have a plan. To begin, an idea pops into my mind or I get inspired by something. Then I grab my sketchbook and start planning the design for the outfit and what I want the setting to be. Then I figure out what model would be best suited and go location scouting. Once I have a pretty clear idea of what it is I want to achieve, I draw thumbnails of what I want the final image to look like (the pose, where I’m placing the lights, the color scheme, the edit, the time of day, the location) - down to every last detail.

Once I know what I want the makeup and hair to look like, I contact a makeup artist and tell them what I’m looking for so they know what to expect the day of the shoot. I then start acquiring materials for the outfit and setting if needed. It takes about a week from the original plan to the actual shoot. On the big day, I test the lights before the model arrives to make sure they’re working and creating the mood I’m looking for. The model and MUA arrive, we shoot, and then I go about editing the image and hopefully the end result is similar to my sketch.

A common feature of your work is very powerful, heavily saturated lighting, is this added later via Photoshop or do you manage to create such amazing lighting in the studio?

That depends on whether or not the lighting is feasible in the current situation. Most of the time the lighting and highlights are created in the studio and enhanced in Photoshop. I typically have two strobes that I put colored tissue paper on to color the light, and I place them behind the model to create a surreal highlight. In the front of the model, there is usually a softbox mixed with window light to create a soft lighting effect. The color of the overall image, however, is manipulated in Photoshop with curves, color levels, and occasionally painted on.

In "Death Eater" I had a strobe to the left of the model, and a strobe in the upper right front with a green filter on it and tried to place the light where it would naturally fall if she was casting a spell. In "Calypso", the cyan glow on her face was painted in Photoshop because putting a light where I wanted it was impossible.

On average, how much time do you spend in Photoshop with your images?

This varies depending on whether or not I’m adding in a background or some fantasy element. To change a background, I have to meticulously select around the model with the pen tool, and then manipulate the background so it looks like it was really there. That alone takes about an hour.

General touchups, changing color, and painting skin takes another hour. If I add smoke, fire, vectors etc. it’ll add another hour to that. So time spent editing can go anywhere from 2-5 hours. I know some people can paint an entire image in less time than that so I guess I’m just a slow editor.

Do you plan to further your education in the arts or do you plan to immerse yourself in the industry?

I will most likely just go for it and enter the industry. I’ve only taken a few photography classes, but I’ve decided that I like the freedom of being self taught and I feel like I am exposed to more art by looking at various photographers rather than being told what to do.

In my experience with photography classes, the material covered is just basic elements that I already know. I may be close minded in that I don’t want to further my education in art, but I feel the benefits of acquiring knowledge for a backup career are valuable. I’d like to have both as an option.

What sort of photographic equipment do you use? Do you have favorite glass that you use to get tack sharp?

The only photographic equipment I own are 3 Minolta auto 132x flashes, a black and white backdrop, a 50mm Canon lens and a 28-135mm lens, and a homemade softbox. I don’t have any lens filters.

Where do you find the perfect model for a scene? Do you hire professional ones or do you tend to lean towards friends who want to give it a try?

I usually go with the first model that pops in my mind when I think of a concept. Some models have a bubbly look, some are edgy, and some are sophisticated etc. I’ve had many friends and models on model mayhem volunteer to model for me and if I think they fit a certain theme, I’ll ask them to give it a try. I’m attempting to lean away from just using my friends though, because I need to network and get more involved with the actual industry.

What is your favorite scene that you have created to date?

My favorite scene that I have created would have to be for the Voodoo shoot. It took about a week to build it and fix all the small details, but it was well worth it. Not only did I enjoy creating it, but it was a theme that I absolutely loved. I learned a lot in the process of this shoot, and it was probably the first I've done with extensive planning and obtained several shots that I could publish.

If you want to see the entire process, I have it blogged here

What is the most difficult piece that you have created? What sorts of challenges were involved with it? How did you overcome them?

I don’t have an individual piece that was the most difficult, but the hardest shoot I did was the romance one. It was a collaboration between me and another photographer, Elizabeth May. Creating the costumes, putting everything together, getting a time that worked for both models and both photographers was tricky too. Also, there was a bit of a hike to the location and we had to fix up the model’s makeup from smearing, plus there were mosquitoes everywhere.

Directing two models was something new for me, and to achieve the perfect shot BOTH models had to look good which was also a challenge. To overcome that, I took tons of pictures of each pose to ensure a good result. Always take as many frames as possible.

The grand majority of your subjects are female, do you ever plan to work more with the opposite sex?

I would like to work with male models, I just haven't really thought of any ideas that would work with a masculine figure since everything I think of ends up being feminine/fantasy. I don’t have many guy friends anyway, and I never got around to asking them. I do have a few shoots planned with male models in the future though, as I need to expand my creative boundaries.

Have you ever explored other aspects of photography such as architectural or landscape photography?

This is going to sound horrible but honestly I've never really tried anything other than photographing models. Whenever I go out and take pictures of inanimate objects it’s just boring and lifeless to me. Being able to capture emotions from a person is more satisfying for me than a building or trees. For some people, that fascinates them, but it's just not my cup of tea.

What do you think are some of the most common mistakes that photographers make?

I see a lot of photographers doing "safe" photography i.e. doing things that have been done over and over again. They're afraid to take risks and do something new and I'd really like to see photographers develop their own style instead of copying an easy or popular style.

A common misconception about photography is that the quality of the camera determines the quality of the photo. This is simply not true. I’ve seen plenty of talented photographers who use a point and shoot, and if they didn’t tell me otherwise, I would’ve never guessed what type of camera they had. So even if you can’t afford a SLR don’t be discouraged. Still push the boundaries of what you think you can do – you might surprise yourself.

What advice would you have for aspiring photographers?

From the perspective of a self taught artist, the best advice I could give is to analyze and mimic your favorite photographers until you're comfortable and can develop your own style. I looked at other photographers work, breaking down all the bits and pieces that made their work stand out, and looked through tutorials online.

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t create amazing art at the beginning. I know I got frustrated a lot and felt hopeless when I couldn’t figure out how professionals did it, but with practice and time you’ll get it.