I’ve always loved the work of photographer, art director and Hasselblad Master Maria Svarbova for her colorful and conceptual approach. Lately, however, I also realized that a big chunk of her visual language also involves clever interactions with locations.

If you’re still establishing your own approach to portrait photography, let me share one more body of work that I’m sure will give you some ideas.

The first time I shared her work, I mentioned that her work is a great example of genre-bending photography. Part conceptual portrait and part fashion photography to some extent, her “Lost in Valley” series also used her chosen spots as scenic playgrounds for bringing her ideas to life. A look at one of her 2017 works called “WA LL S” shows us how she had already mastered this a while back.

Using walls as creative backdrops for portraits

While walls are common backdrops for outdoor portrait shoots, Svarbova took up a notch up by approaching it more creatively. Under her art direction and the scout location of Martina Siranova, she was able to incorporate the walls as part of the visual impact of the entire composition. We see this in the way she heightened the pop of color in the frame or completed the color palette.

It’s also interesting that the walls themselves were eye-catching subjects. Take away the human subjects and they can still stand on their own. It’s easy to imagine them in an abstract composition or a collection of color studies. As such, one way to use walls as creative backdrops is to base the rest of the visual elements around it. I can imagine Svarbova putting together the props, wardrobe and poses for the entire project based on what the locations presented to her.

So, if you’re planning to do a portrait shoot, keep an eye out for interesting and colorful walls outdoors. They might just inspire you to try something different for your shoot’s look and mood.

Blending geometry and colors with portraiture

Another detail I like about Svarbova’s work in general is how she masterfully combines geometry and colors with portraiture. In a good number of her portrait projects, she sets her models against various shapes to lead our eyes to her subjects. In “WA LL S,” she makes this even more apparent by using the shapes as an extra framing device in her composition. Add a generous splash of color and you have a portrait that commands attention.

Of course, these aren’t the only reasons why her portraits draw our eyes and catch our interest. Her choice of subjects also added different flavors to her series’ visual story. In “WA LL S” for example, she featured a cast of different ages to explore different ways of being playful in her compositions. This allowed her to tell a different mini story or scenario in two or three photos. Again, this is something you might want to try in your next portrait work.

Got inspired by this portrait project? Don’t forget to check out Maria Svarbova’s website and Behance portfolio to see more of her impressive photography.

All photos by Maria Svarbova. Used with Creative Commons permission.