FIRST FOCUS
PHOTOGRAPHY

My latest photo editorial has been three months of research, planning, prop sourcing , designing and organization. Based around the graphic novel “Tank Girl” the shoot features two very talented and creative models and performers Emily Aoibheann & Natalie Da Costa who are both fans of the cult comic book.

Tank Girl is a British comic created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin. Originally drawn by Jamie Hewlett.

As the name suggests, the titular character Tank Girl drives a tank, which is also her home. She undertakes a series of missions for a nebulous organization before making a serious mistake and being declared an outlaw for her sexual inclinations and her substance abuse. The comic centers on her misadventures with her boyfriend, Booga, a mutant kangaroo. The comic’s style was heavily influenced by punk visual art, and strips were frequently deeply disorganized, anarchic, absurdest, and psychedelic. The strip features various elements with origins in surrealist techniques, fanzines, collage, cut-up technique, stream of consciousness, and meta-fiction, with very little regard or interest for conventional plot or committed narrative.

So it was this eclectic, random and anarchic punk comic book feel that I wanted to interpret and to achieve visually. I thought about locations involving disused factory settings, forest elements and even got into contact with a military vehicle group who had a member that owned a Sherman WW2 tank (too expensive to hire!).

I eventually went with a studio option, Hi-Key combined lighting technique (flash, Tungsten and daylight) and created a comic book background using enlarged comic book illustration panels that I had blown up to A1 size to create a kind of “Living comic book” feel. Also subconscious inspiration came from the photo shoot that was done as promotion for the film Trainspotting this shoot has always stuck in my mind as a very strong , visually effective character driven shoot  in stark black and white shot from a high angle.

The props used were a combination of different props we had sourced and accumulated over the past while such as my bullet belt (that I had to consider taking through customs but eventually oped for the postal service), the weaponry was kindly on loan to me from a good mate Garret. Emily and Natalie did a great job on their own styling and make-up also.

Here is a sneaky peak at a select few shots from the shoot.

Emily Aoibheann

The selected shots ar now available for viewing in my main Gallery