Contra Fates' Photography

It's been years since I've shown you guys any of the creative stuff I've done, be it RP characters, graphics, cosplays, or photography. So, with that said, here's a thread I'll periodically update with my new work. Comments and feedback are all VERY much appreciated, no matter how brief or how in detail. Thanks for taking the time to look!


I hope you guys like it! Any questions about the photos or the themes / ideas behind them, please feel free to ask! Comments are also adored. =)

DragonByte Tech said:

I really like the way you utilise colours & backgrounds together, thats what struck me immediately - you manage to use the two of them in concert to get more feeling rather than relying on a bunch of digital redshift or blueshift.

Picture 6 is absolutely amazing ^.^

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Thanks a lot for the compliments! =) All things considered, I'm still an amateur in every sense of the word. The photos posted were from a 'creative vacation,' where I traveled up the state for a week taking pictures of friends and models, for the purpose of improving my skills and forcing myself into situations I was not familiar with yet.

I'm hoping to take courses to help myself to improve my technical skills [lighting is still a major challenge for me], and also to learn more about how to really control my photograph from beginning to end. Hopefully it'll help my work to further improve.

It's funny, because I thought Picture #6 was one of my worst - from a technical standpoint. It has very hard lighting and harsh shadows caused by direct sunlight on the model's face [which is a major faux pas in photography, apparently. xD], but it's becoming my most popular photograph on deviantart. I'm both flattered, but completely confused. xD

Thanks again for the kind words, Decado!

I'm going with number 6 on this one. Granted, I know almost squat about photography (tried it once during high school, didn't work out), and I'm color blind, but 6 to me really stands out. The lighting, I believe, was very well done. With the way it worked out, the shadow on the right (her left) side of the face came out wonderfully.

The other one that I really liked was number 1. The way the background matched her hair was well done.

All in all, some great stuff in here.

Holy shit...

Kendra????!?!?!

It's me, Raiyu/Ryuga, remembar??

o_o.

Your fotogprahicz skillz are cooler than evar.

Alyss said:

I'm going with number 6 on this one. Granted, I know almost squat about photography (tried it once during high school, didn't work out), and I'm color blind, but 6 to me really stands out. The lighting, I believe, was very well done. With the way it worked out, the shadow on the right (her left) side of the face came out wonderfully.

The other one that I really liked was number 1. The way the background matched her hair was well done.

All in all, some great stuff in here.

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Thanks for the comment, hun! I really appreciate it! <3 Again, I'm boggled about 6, but very glad people like it so much! I was going for a 'fiery' look to it, somewhat fantasy-inspired, but mixed with a touch of Autumn in the colors. The title of the image ended up being 'Lolita on Fire,' because of the background.

Photo #1 was definitely the sharpest shot I got of her, and I was happy with the outcome - I was proud of myself because I thought it looked just like a Japanese Lolita photo you'd see from Japan. xD

Thanks again, hun. I've got a lot more photos, but I'll probably just post my new work moving forward, since I think my older stuff is a step back.

Kyoshiro said:

Holy shit...

Kendra????!?!?!

It's me, Raiyu/Ryuga, remembar??

o_o.

Your fotogprahicz skillz are cooler than evar.

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....RAIYU?! WTF! How many forums have I ran into you on now?! xD

Thanks for the compliment, also!
...Man the internet is small.

Hahahaha yeah, the internet tends to do that to old friends.

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But yeah, this is like the first forum I've ever come to, that I stayed on longer than any other.

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Anyways.

I like your pictures.

They have really great quality. What kind of epic ass camera do you use.

Kyoshiro said:

Hahahaha yeah, the internet tends to do that to old friends.

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But yeah, this is like the first forum I've ever come to, that I stayed on longer than any other.

---

Anyways.

I like your pictures.

They have really great quality. What kind of epic ass camera do you use.

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Haha, so it seems! xD I think any other forum I join or rejoin, I'll just run a search for 'raiyu.'

I'm glad you like the pictures. =) All of those photos were shot with my new Canon 5D Mark II, and expensive glass that I was renting. I've learned it's not the camera, though. It's the lighting. And it's so hard to learn about it. xD

Same deal with Alyss, i know squat about photography, but six really did jump out at me. Maybe its because im an anime otaku, but that pic reminds me of many well shot cosplay photos ive seen.

Aerith said:

Those photos are some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever had the pleasure of seeing! The 6th one is probably my favorite due to the expression and the lighting is fantastic. I love the rich colours in the background and in her hair. > u < <3

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That is very flattering - thank you so much! <3 I'm glad you enjoyed the photos as much as you did! I'll post up some of my earlier work shortly, as a means of keeping this thread updated. I really appreciate the compliments. =)

Tipsynaruto said:

Same deal with Alyss, i know squat about photography, but six really did jump out at me. Maybe its because im an anime otaku, but that pic reminds me of many well shot cosplay photos ive seen.

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Thank you, hun! I'm really shocked at how popular and well received the Lolita photos are. Truth be told, my most popular photos are the cosplay ones - but I suppose that's because they're easier to market, and to reach an audience.

Aerith said:

I really love the last one too. The longer I gaze, the more atmosphere I get from it. A beautiful young woman seemingly caught up in some form of a dramatic moment. I can feel a story forming in my mind as I look at her expression, background and clothing. Excellent work! <3

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Thank you, hun! The second, third, and last shots were from a concept series titled 'The Black Widow.' It was an idea I came up with that was inspired by the character Madame Villefort from The Count of Monte Cristo. I wanted to do a concept shoot with a beautiful seductress, classy and ambitious - and how beauty and evil can mingle together.

To give it more of a style, I decided to go with a Hollywood Noir look, and it really helped to pull everything together.

I think the smaller view doesn't do the image justice, so here's a link to a bigger version of it:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5423992034_7f86622b05_b.jpg

Thanks again for the kind words! Any other comments / feedback would be greatly appreciated, and always responded to!

Aw, you have a gorgeous shot at Photography. I really enjoy how vibrant the colours are and how the focal strikes you at first. I'm not a Photographer, so no C&C from me.

Absolutely stunning pieces.

Six said:

Aw, you have a gorgeous shot at Photography. I really enjoy how vibrant the colours are and how the focal strikes you at first. I'm not a Photographer, so no C&C from me.

Absolutely stunning pieces.

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Thank you so much! <3 I have a soft spot for colors, and while I'm trying to escape from my comfort zones, it still seems to be my focus.

Here's another batch of photos, though I admit my first batch contains much stronger pieces.


All comments are always loved and adored! <3 All questions are also welcome!

on the first batchi adore the first picture... the background goes sooooo well with the person and i love the cloths and her hair the way she has red hair and the red leaves in the background makes that picture sooo epic but alll the picture are really nice.. the best pictures i seen in a while

on the second batch.. the picture with the girl on the wall is sooo epic it just works sooo well can't say why but it just does also i like the first one in the way you have'nt shown the whole person, works well great pictures and keep up the work

4 and 6 stick out to me here. I love the way the makeup was done in 4, and the color of is complements the model. Overall, it's well done.

6 sticks out to me because I like the color. The kicker is, I can't tell what the majority of the colors are. It's odd how it works, but because I'm color blind, nothing sticks. It's hard to explain, but it's like things are changing color, and it looks awesome.

Aerith said:

Those images left me breathless! 3, 4 & 5 are just stunningly gorgeous and 1, 2 & 6 deserve to be on a magazine cover. 4 is probably my favorite. Just... wow. Are 4 & 6 the same model?

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Thank you so much - that's very sweet to say! <3 #4 and #6 are the same model. She was a friend of mine from work. =)

Yuna Lover said:

on the first batchi adore the first picture... the background goes sooooo well with the person and i love the cloths and her hair the way she has red hair and the red leaves in the background makes that picture sooo epic but alll the picture are really nice.. the best pictures i seen in a while

on the second batch.. the picture with the girl on the wall is sooo epic it just works sooo well can't say why but it just does also i like the first one in the way you have'nt shown the whole person, works well great pictures and keep up the work

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Thank you so much! The Lolita photos were definitely my most successful, and I'm so happy that they're as well received as they are.

The girl in the 1st and 2nd pictures from the second batch was a joy to shoot. She had some great poses, and I'll definitely be posting up more pics of her. The first picture was actually accidental, and we joked that it was 'hipster,' but I just liked the colors and composition so much, haha. It was an accidental shot taken when I was testing my wireless flash. I wasn't really pointing at anything - but it worked out well! xD

Alyss said:

4 and 6 stick out to me here. I love the way the makeup was done in 4, and the color of is complements the model. Overall, it's well done.

6 sticks out to me because I like the color. The kicker is, I can't tell what the majority of the colors are. It's odd how it works, but because I'm color blind, nothing sticks. It's hard to explain, but it's like things are changing color, and it looks awesome.

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#4 is probably one of my most popular images when it comes to something not cosplay-related, and I was really proud of it. I did the make up with lipstick on the eyes and lips and cheap eyeliner, haha. Cheap, yet effective! xD

#6 was a lucky shot. I saw some palm frans and told the model to hang around them - they created awesome shadows and made the pictures a lot more atmospheric. The colors are slightly muted, but are composed of blues, purples, greens, and a peachy skintone.

Thank you for the kind words again, Alyss! =)

I've been working on some more images, so I thought I'd go ahead and post them up. I really appreciate all the feedback you guys have been giving me, it's great motivation to keep doing what I'm doing.

Going to have to say, I like this whole set. While my favorite is 1, every shot in this set comes in close. The lighting really gets me, it's something that I don't see very often anywhere else. It stands out, and I really enjoy it.

The thing that stood out in number one for me was the angle of the model. It just kind of clicked, making me instantly liking it. Keep 'em coming.

I'm loving the new pictures... i really like the third one for some reason dn why just do.... i'm really get exited about saturdays now soo i can see the new pictures ur taking