My Photos - Traditional Regalia

American Regalia

For my country regalia, I decided that I would let the military uniform (in this case, the Coast Guard) represent America. I know at first it may seem very stereotypical (especially with the hand salute) but for me it is a very real and accurate representation. My dad (and his dad, and his dad...) have all been in the military. And my whole life, I have moved around living on military bases. So when I was thinking of poses, I was trying to avoid the salute but then I realized what other kind of pose goes with a military uniform? I tried it, and it I think it worked. During the editing process, I altered the colors a little to give it more of and aged/traditional look, and not so harsh/military like.

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South African Regalia



For the South African regalia, I didn't know exactly what kind of pose would best represent the country. But for the photograph I tried to focus mainly on the headdress and the earrings. I was hoping that by focusing on those elements, the pose would come naturally to be incorporated with that.


Digital Test Shot

I really wanted the colors of her headdress to really stand out. So I played with the contrast and saturation of the colors and the final result makes everything look better. Especially the background. I didn't intend to alter the background when I first started, but I think the colors and tint on the background is much prettier and flatters the model.

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Saudi Arabian Regalia



Because my model is obviously not Saudi Arabian, I was looking for a pose that would better show off the regalia and not the actual person wearing it. My model is wearing a white cotton Thobe and a cotton Ghutra on his head with an Agal to hold it in place. This is very traditional dress for men in Saudi Arabia. There are also different styles in which to wear the Ghutra. The style I have in my photo is very common. In Saudi Arabia, most Ghutras are red and white checkered in the winter months and white in the summer months. Like I said before, my model is not Saudi Arabian or Middle Eastern, so for my pose I wanted as much anonymity as possible. Facing him to the side enabled me to achieve this, and emphasize the country regalia.