Shanx Bose. Composite Wizard
On the creative scene of Canberra, Shanx Bose is without a doubt a composite wizard. I have met with Shanx over lunch and the way he talked about his craft is of a passionate with a critical attention to details.
His images are beyond normal and the execution is nothing but perfect. Every single element in each of his photograph has a sense of belonging. If it’s there, it is meant to be.
Shanx’s work is everything afterRAW.com is about. When shooting a model in studio with precise posing and careful lighting, no one but Shanx himself knows what the finished product would look like. He envisions the background in his mind, with the directions of lights to recreate the same lighting patterns in studio.
Compositing is a time consuming process and the end result outweigh the hard work. But to make it work one needs to have clear vision of what he or she wants to achieve in order to make it come to life. Only a very few skilled people can claim themselves being a composite photographer.
When there is no doubt that you have seen some of Shanx’s images but do you really know who is behind these awesome images? Find out more through our Q&A interview.
Spread the love, share. Leave us a comment on which creative you would like to see featured on this site.
1. Who are you?
Hi I’m Shanx Bose. I work in the IT industry in Canberra; photography is my hobby and something I enjoy immensely. I love all things technical and the instant gratification of digital photography is something I appreciate and gravitate towards. Together with my wife Emma, we run Max Photography where we strive to produce great images for our clients. While we dabble in hyper-real images that would look great on any wall, we also create portraits with a more contemporary look. You can check us out at www.max-photography.com.au to learn more about us.
2. How did you become a photographer?
My dad had a Nikon FG back in the 80s and I was fortunate enough to learn the basics of photography from him. I was very young back then and started to shoot a few portraits for friends and relatives – film was expensive and developing it more so. Photography was a bit of a luxury, at least for me. I soon stopped my expensive hobby and lost touch with photography till early 2010. Digital was taking over the world and my dad asked me to pick up a Nikon D90 which I had for a few months. Playing with it, I fell in love with photography all over again and after a few shoots, I started Max Photography. It has now become a creative outlet and passion, something I enjoy profusely.
3. What inspires you?
Currently the computer generated effects in movies are amazing. I am inspired by what is possible using computers and technology these days. I am experimenting with 3D software and software renders, and I combine images shot in studio with these CG (Computer Generated) backgrounds. I also draw a lot of inspiration from lighting in movies – I can never enjoy a movie because I am constantly pausing or staring at the scene and into the actor’s eyes (as you can see the reflections of the various lights) to try and figure out the lighting setup.
4. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt either from a teacher/mentor or by the hard way?
I am largely self taught. The most valuable skill I’ve learnt the hard way would have to be in the areas of lighting and post processing of my images to achieve a unique look and being able to ‘see’ an image in my mind and bring it to life the way I envisioned it. The other thing I have learned is that you have to innovate and constantly push yourself, strive for something unique. If the images are great, the rest will follow. I continue to improve on my skills but make lots of mistakes too!
5. Who would be the photographer you’d like to shoot/work along with? Who would you like to shoot/work with for your next assignment (Model/public figure ..)?
It would be unfair to single out any one person as there is so much incredible talent in Canberra across the board! I would love to collaborate with a talented team on an interesting concept or something never done before to produce an amazing result. I also have a few ideas and personal projects that I am working on that others might want to be involved in. I like to help fellow photographers and would love to assist anyone if they need. I enjoy photography workshops from fellow photographers that bring people together – they are great for learning and networking. As for models, I love working with all aspiring and established models-we are all learning in the industry. Ultimately we enjoy working with people who are passionate and work hard in what they do.
6. What’s in your bag/studio?
I am not a big believer in acquiring expensive gear. I use an older generation full frame Nikon D700 with a 24-120mm F4 being my workhorse lens. I also own 7 speed lights that I use in various configurations with modifiers such as whiteboards, snoots, soft boxes and umbrellas. I use a PC for all my post processing on Photoshop. While I use a Wacom Intuos 5 tablet for retouching, a good amount of my work is done using a mouse.
7. What’s your favourite piece of gear / tool / props?
For the kind of work I do, I love speed lights. I buy very inexpensive ones (SB25s)- I don’t need TTL or fancy features, just a manual flash that is consistent in colour temperature. They also allow me to be highly portable on location as well. I seem to be collecting speed lights more than anything else. I am very happy with my current workhorse lens (24-120 F4).
8. What would be your workflow, favourite piece of software / step by step to create a look ?
I use Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom for all my post processing needs. I also use Picasa. I go through a fairly complicated process to achieve my look. I use the HDR feature, RAW converter and smart objects heavily for non-destructive editing, filters, blend modes, masks, channels, refine edge tool, transform tools, gradients, colour balance, shadows/highlights, clipping masks, layer properties/blend-ifs, shadows, Gaussian blurs, frequency separation…and a lot more tools and techniques. There are many steps, so providing a simple step by step won’t fit here 🙂 Also, remember there are multiple ways to do the same thing in Photoshop!
9. Do you have any suggestions for aspiring photographers?
Try and create something unique and a style that is distinctively yours. The proliferation of digital cameras and the internet, coupled with advancements in image processing technologies has made creating images more accessible than ever. As a result it is more important than ever to create work that stands out from the crowd. Pick a category of photography and stick with it (portraits, weddings, commercial/advertising, etc.). Also, more isn’t necessarily better – I have always maintained quality, rather than volume is what will set you apart. Invest in photography skills, practice hard and not only master post processing skills but try inventing new techniques in your post processing software of choice. And of course learn to market yourself well – something I am not very good at 🙂 Build a body of top quality work and get it out there. Oh yes, try and hang out with people who are smarter and better than you so you can learn – and lose the ego because there is no place for that in this industry.
10. Anything else we should know about you?
Feel free to reach out for all your family, commercial and corporate portrait needs. Our latest work also features wedding themes coupled with our distinctive hyper-real post processing and CG backdrops that looks great on any wall so if this is something that interests you, get in touch with us – it is the perfect opportunity to get into your wedding dress again! I also plan to offer photography and post Processing workshops in the near future for my fellow photographers and anyone else who is interested. It will be only 1 on 1 instruction sessions for maximum interaction. You can apply the techniques you learn to your own style, no matter what genre of photography you are into. I have also written articles for Digital Photography Magazine, Australia that you might find useful (the magazine images are on the flickr link below). We invite you to view our portfolio at:
www.facebook.com/maxphotography.au | www.flickr.com/maxfotography | www.max-photography.com.au
If you are a creative and would like to share your work, get on touch, shoot us an email to hello @ afterRAW.com
4
