“A Reading of the Velveteen Rabbit” was created by Portrait Artist, Jeremy Ridout and is an excellent example of how a good consultation can result in a timeless portrait for the client. Looking for a unique portrait of her 6 and 4 1/2 year old girls, Summer and Sofia, the client sat down with Jeremy to make a design plan. During the discussion, he learned that the girls loved to read to each other at home. In his mind’s eye, Jeremy knew exactly how the image should be created and shared his vision with the client. By the end of the short consultation, numerous decisions had been made including the style and color palette; the attire the girls would wear; props that the the family would bring; and even how the children would be placed in the image.
On sitting day, the client brought several family heirlooms including the chair for Sofia to sit on and the antique jewelry that the girls would wear. Once placed in the set, Summer read her favorite book, The Velveteen Rabbit, to her younger sister as Jeremy made several images looking for the perfect expression on each little girl. Elements of these images were composited into the final piece, which was then painted and toned to create an incredibly meaningful work of art for the family.
The scene was lit with two Einstein strobes: a main light with a homemade, window-pane gobo and an on-axis fill with a 32” Photogenic umbrella. A David Maheu background helped to set the elegant feel of the portrait. The image earned a merit score at the TPPA State Image Competition and will be entered in other competitions next year.
Jeremy Ridout operates J.Ridout Portraits from his recently opened Gallery in Frisco, TX. He began creating images in 2010 and has attended the Texas School of Professional Photography every year since 2011. He will be teaching a PPA Super 1-Day course, “Your Roadmap to a Sustainable Business,” this October.