Portraits of Amber: Not what you would expect from a Cellist

Purpose :  Promotional Images for socials and new music releases.

Styling : Amber Walton Amar & Stephanie Trattner

Hair & Makeup : Amber Walkton Amar

As a lifelong music lover, I have a deep appreciation for the cello; if I were suddenly able to play any instrument, the cello would be my pick , without a doubt. When I think about the cello, I think about its feminine shape and the deep, steady, rich sound that makes you feel classy and cultured when you hear it. 

I have had the pleasure of working with cellist Amber Walton Amar a couple of times, and though the images were lovely, they were what you would expect from a photograph of a cellist and lacked the impact of what I KNEW Amber and I could create. So, when we started discussing a promo shoot for her this season, I wanted to push it. I wanted to make art with her, and of her, which showed her dedication to her instrument and that she was more than just a jukebox with a bow; she IS an artist. 

Unsurprisingly, I started with the surrealist artist Man Ray's photograph Le violon d'Ingres. I am a big fan of Man Ray and an even bigger fan of his muse/assistant, Leah Miller. I have always revered the Le Violon d'Ingres and hoped that Amber would be okay with paying homage to the piece by becoming "the cello of Amber" and bringing it to our time. Amber said YES! I wanted to push the cello's likeness further to the female body, which was so successful in Man Ray's image. I decided that backlighting to create a silhouette would be the best way to achieve that and drive home to the viewer that Amber is so dedicated that her instrument and her physical self have become almost indistinguishable. To complement and further connect the musician and instrument, we did a couple of tighter abstract photos of Amber with detailed parts of her cello.  

Continuing to experiment with form and shape, we styled her in a very structured cutout gown. We used inspiration from modern dance for posing to show Ambers's contemporary flair, which sets her apart from other cellists. The final images resemble ink blot diagrams, where the viewer can decide what they are looking at. 

Last but not least, the multiple exposure portrait represents all the influences and styles of music that make up a musician. 

If you are interested to learn more about Amber and her work, you can visit her website at:  https://www.ambercello.com

I hope you enjoyed this series of portraits as much as I enjoyed making them