Connecting With Color
James Helms takes the hyperrealistic portrait route with his Tamron 24-70mm F/2.8 VC high-speed zoom lens.
Share the article:
More Photo Tips | Video Gallery | Photo Gallery | Enewsletter sign-up
By Jenn Gidman
Images by James Helms
When James Helms first began working for RK Motors, a high-end car dealer in Charlotte, North Carolina, he started out as their staff photographer. “I’m a car guy, so it was exciting for me to shoot these classic automobiles and performance cars,” he says. James eventually worked his way up to marketing manager at the company, but that didn’t leave much time for taking photos, and he found himself craving a creative outlet.
“My friend Rachel is a cosplayer, and she asked if I could create some images of her in her Wonder Woman outfit,” he says. “We did a portrait session, and when she saw the results, she encouraged me to post my work online. I wasn’t a social media guy at the time, but I took her advice, and people responded to my work and began reaching out. Today, I’d describe what I do in the portrait vein as a form of hyperrealism, with bright, vibrant colors and a cinematic quality that cranks up the details.”
To achieve his portrait style, James relies on the Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 VC high-speed zoom lens. “The focal-length range on this lens works great for me,” he says. “I don’t have to carry a bunch of prime lenses with me to every shoot. And being able to open up to that F/2.8 maximum aperture, so I can let in a little more light and draw the focus more onto my subjects, is fantastic. I recently did a shoot at a cigar bar, with a Peaky Blinders, crime drama-esque vibe to it. I turned all the lights off and worked with the window light. The room was a little dark, but with the 24-70, I was able to shoot handheld and not have to worry I wouldn’t get crisp, sharp images. The 24-70’s Vibration Compensation (VC) feature also helps immensely during these low-light situations, when I need to reduce camera shake.”
24-70mm (50mm), F/2.8, 1/640 sec., ISO 1250
Click image to view larger
Seeking out locations to shoot in is usually a combination of convenience and creativity. “I’d love to act like I have a big plan most of the time, but typically just try to find venues in a short amount of time, meaning ones that are close,” he says. “I’ve found folks don’t want to travel that much, and I’m often working within a limited timeframe. I’ll usually wander around Charlotte, or small towns nearby, searching for interesting textural or color elements that I can incorporate into my backgrounds.”
Being a social person helps James come up with unusual places to shoot. “It’s amazing how many times I’ll be out with a model, looking for a photo shoot site, and the most creative options will pop up,” he says. “For instance, I was at an airshow with one of my models, who was dressed up like one of those World War II-era pinup models. We had planned on shooting near the airplanes, but I got to talking with one of the pilots, and he invited us to shoot on his plane. I rolled in with my gear, set a single light up to fill in the shadows on the model, and exposed for the highlights on the plane. We captured some images we hadn’t expected to when we showed up at the event.”
24-70mm (46mm), F/5.6, 1/1000 sec., ISO 200
Click image to view larger
Because James doesn’t like to be tethered to a studio, he’s always on the hunt for places where he can work with the natural light. “I get bored easily,” he says. “I can’t be stuck in the same place day after day, so I look for sites where the ambient light works to my advantage. I’ll supplement that with my own lighting, if I have to.”
For example, for the model shown here in the garden, James was shooting on a bright, sunny day, but the awning the model was standing under presented some challenges. “I was getting really bright highlights and really dark shadows, so I inserted just enough of my own lighting to bring the focus squarely on the model without it seeming out of place in the image,” he says. “I used a diffuser to block out the sunlight that was hitting her and causing dark shadows under her eyebrows, then used a large softbox and pop-up flash from above to even her exposure out with that of the background.”
24-70mm (62mm), F/4, 1/640 sec., ISO 100
Click image to view larger
Having the gift of gab helps James keep his subjects relaxed. “As I mentioned, I’m a very talkative guy,” he says. “But I also read the room. I’m not going to take a model who’s giggly and bubbly and try to make her act serious in front of the camera. I’m much more prone to getting to know my models, then feeding off their personalities to arrive at the correct feel for the image. The shoot evolves more organically that way.”
Meanwhile, having a wife who’s a former dance teacher, and who often assists him on his shoots, helps James incorporate natural, flattering poses. “As we start to get deep into the session, that’s when my wife will step in and aid me considerably, being mindful of posing and keeping the body expressive, since that’s the world she knows,” he says. “Having her take care of that part allows me to focus on my exposure settings, lighting, and composition.”
How James composes his images is dependent on his subject, and on what story he’s trying to tell. “For that image of the redhead, I was going for a cozy fall vibe,” he says. “That’s why I photographed her straight on, with her eyes front and center, for a more intimate feeling. For the model in the gym, I wanted her to look strong and powerful. I’m 6 foot 2, though, and she was smaller than me, so I approached her from a lower angle to better highlight all the hard work she’s done on her physique.”
24-70mm (70mm), F/5.6, 1/200 sec., ISO 1600
Click image to view larger
24-70mm (52mm), F/4, 1/200 sec., ISO 640
Click image to view larger
For the photo that James calls his “Beauty and the Beast” image, he drew from cinematic inspiration. “I definitely wanted there to be more of a story in the viewer’s mind here,” he says. “I envisioned the viewer as the Beast, staring down at his Beauty before their big dance. I went up to the second level of the venue where we were shooting and took the picture through a broad iron railing. It’s a frame-within-a-frame shot that makes it feel like you’re spying on a special moment. I love expressive and dynamic images like that.”
24-70mm (50mm), F/5.6, 1/250 sec., ISO 640
Click inage to view larger
James is especially cognizant on the role of color in his photos. “There’s been kind of a trend toward more muted images lately,” he says. “While there’s definitely a time and place for that look, I’ve personally always gravitated toward bright, punchy colors—not going to the extreme of say, Andy Warhol, but simply capturing the vibrancy of the world around me without hesitation. I try to be especially conscientious about using complementary colors, like you see here with the young lady in the car. I knew the pinkish-red of her dress would meld well with the neon green of the car. We were also fortunate enough to have a bright blue sky that day, which added an additional color dimension to the shot.”
24-70mm (30mm), F/6.3, 1/800 sec., ISO 200
Click image to view larger
Color was also integral for his shot of a local cosplayer who created his own Batman costume. “He worked really hard on it, to devise a character based on an alternate version of Batman, in which Batman is actually Bruce Wayne’s father,” James says. “The cosplayer is a father himself, so he wanted me to help him create a character piece around it.”
70-200mm (145mm), F/2.8, 1/250 sec., ISO 1250
Click image to view larger
James brought in colored gels to produce the desired mood, and the fact that it started raining during the shoot only enhanced that dark, Gotham-style ambiance. “I’ve shot plenty of times in the rain,” he says. “I keep plastic gallon bags in my camera bag, which I place over my flashes. I cut a hole in the back of one of the bags so I have enough room to stick my lens through it. My camera stays completely covered. The water in this photo captured the light well and gave the image that cinematic look I mentioned earlier. It’s always fun when I can achieve that.”
Image 8 (??; Peaky Blinders, if we use)
More Photo Tips | Watch Videos | Learn More About Tamron Lenses | Photo Gallery