Lights, Camera, Action

No bones about it, a photograph is a two-dimensional item. It does not live; it does not breathe. But it does capture. It distills a moment in time—an essence, a scene.

New Orleans-based photographer Brei Olivier calls the process a conversation. “I’ve always been drawn to [facial] expressions,” explained Olivier, who first picked up a camera in eighth grade and now shoots everything from fine art portraits to dancers in mid-leap. “I like watching people’s faces while they talk.”

And so in her portrait work, she shoots for a natural environment. “I pose their bodies,” said Olivier, “because some people seem to get stuck in front of the camera. But the face—that’s all them.”

Her fashion photography is more structured. “I pose [the models] and make it very dramatic,” said Olivier.

Olivier works mostly out of her home studio, where she holds the reins on the setting. “I’ve learned how to manipulate light to get the best shot,” said Olivier.

Her current Painted Ladies series, a more glamorous take on the average headshot, emulating old-style, seated portraits, starts with Olivier carefully posing her models. “Then I play the light off of that before editing tones a little in post-production.”

The resulting portraits have fooled more than one potential client. “I get emails all the time asking, ‘Can you paint me?’” laughed Olivier.

But the ample studio time does have a downside. “It’s really made me appreciate the outdoors!” she said.

Olivier appreciates the spontaneity  provided by varying the locations of her shoots. While the limitations of a studio challenge her creativity, shooting on location forces Olivier to think on her feet. “You’ve always got to have another trick up your sleeve,” she said. “And you’ve got to anticipate the moment.” 

Olivier’s photography can be found in two articles in the September issue: “Marigny Opera House Dance Company” and “VegInvasion." View more of her work (as well as her fine art photography, which is currently for sale) at breiolivier.com.