Rory Lewis Photographer Headshots & Portraiture

At the beginning of October, after a very long 18 month separation, I was able to reconnect with friends and clients in New York & Los Angeles.

In the back of my mind, I had been itching to capture long time friend and phenomenal actor Tony Amendola in the style of Caravaggio’s St Francis.

It’s not unusual for photographers to be inspired by other types of art. As you may have noticed there is a great deal of Renaissance Italian influence in my portraiture. Drawing inspiration from the Old Master painters like Caravaggio, Titian and Ribera.

Ciarán Hinds is an Irish actor, featuring in films such as Road to Perdition, Munich, There Will Be Blood, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Frozen, Silence, and Justice League, in which he portrayed the main antagonist Steppenwolf.

Saint Jerome Writing, also called Saint Jerome in His Study or simply Saint Jerome, is an oil painting by Italian painter Caravaggio. Working with model Frank Weitzel who assumed the role of St Jerome, we created living depiction of the work. Deciding to retain Frank’s Tattoo adds an interesting flair to the portrait.

Actor James Purefoy is a remarkable stage and screen presence. From jousting Heath Ledger in 2001’s pulpy A Knight’s Tale to manipulating a cult of serial killers in Fox’s The Following, James has appeared in a wider range of film, television and theatre productions than the lion’s share of his contemporaries.

It’s not unusual for photographers to be inspired by other types of art. As you may have noticed their is a great deal of renaissance Italian influence in my portraiture.

In his depiction of the doubting apostle Saint Thomas, he holds the spear that he was martyred with near Madras. The portrait inspired a recent sitting for my Selah project, with Actor Tony Amendola. Tony boasts a noble profile, sitting for me several times over the past few years, he is one of my favourite subjects.

Tess  Harper is an American actress. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in 1983's Tender Mercies, and for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1986 film Crimes of the Heart. Her other film appearances include Flashpoint (1984), Ishtar (1987), Far North (1988), and No Country for Old Men (2007). She also had a recurring role on the first three seasons of Breaking Bad (2008–10).

During my trip to LA in October 2018, I contacted Armin to arrange a second portrait sitting. My first took place in 2015 and I was anxious to have another opportunity to create a series of theatrical portraits. Armin Shimerman is an actor, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), The Hitcher (1986) and Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (2009).

Ciarán was very kind to accept my invitation to sit for a portrait in March of this year. The sitting was very memorable, Hinds was astonishing, creating expressions and emotions that almost hold the viewer. My directional inspiration for the sitting flowed from three themes. The first to capture Ciarán as a penitent man, who believes, the second, a focused individual, the third a man who doubts. Hinds created complex and vigorous characters were embodied by energy and animation.

Renaissance portraiture and the use of chiaroscuro by the masters has been of immense inspiration to my photographic style. For those unfamiliar, chiaroscuro is an oil painting technique, developed during the Renaissance.