Opera Portrait Project

Theatrical Magazine Project: Opera, Portraiture & Digital Art

Theatrical portrait of a woman in an ornate silver period costume in a dramatic moonlit composite scene during a theatrical costume photoshoot.

Opera-inspired portrait of a woman in a pale blue royal gown seated in a luminous theatrical interior

Theatrical portrait in a blue and gold Japanese-style costume beneath a full moon during an opera-inspired art portrait session.

Fine-art costume portrait of a woman in a purple historical gown against a dramatic painted backdrop

Theatrical male portrait in an ornate white and gold ceremonial costume with a sword

Royal theatrical portrait of a crowned woman in a gold gown and red cape seated on a throne

Elegant theatrical portrait of a woman in a black evening gown and feathered headpiece beside a stone lion

Dramatic portrait of a man dressed as a Russian tsar in richly decorated royal costume during a historical costume portrait photoshoot.

Vintage theatrical portrait of a woman in a dark period dress holding a folding fan

Fine-art portrait of a woman in a red Russian-inspired gown and ornate headdress against an icy blue backdrop

Ballet-inspired portrait of a dancer in a black tutu performing en pointe in a moonlit theatrical scene during a ballet fine-art photoshoot.

Editorial theatrical portrait of a man in an ornate white and gold costume gesturing in a grand historical setting

Two women in elaborate historical gowns posing in a European-style theatrical street scene

Elegant woman in a long black gown posing on a moonlit terrace

Theatrical fashion portrait in a dramatic black and red ruffled gown with vintage styling

Fine-art period portrait of a woman in a blue and black gown against a romantic estate landscape

Theatrical portrait of a woman in a red and black period gown with a feathered hat under stage-style lighting

Classical ballet portrait of a dancer in white performing under a dramatic studio spotlight during a studio ballet photoshoot.

Opera-inspired portrait of a woman in a voluminous blue and black ball gown with theatrical styling

Royal fine-art portrait of a woman in an elaborate blue gown against a fantasy winter castle backdrop during a fine-art costume photoshoot.

Romantic theatrical portrait of a woman in an ornate pink rococo-inspired gown

Japanese-inspired theatrical portrait in a blue and gold kimono holding a decorative fan

Editorial portrait of a woman in an elaborate blue Russian court costume against historic architecture

Theatrical female portrait in a blue and gold royal Caucasian-inspired traditional costume with raised hand against a dramatic sunset during a theatrical editorial photoshoot.

Elegant fine-art portrait in a black feathered evening gown on a luminous terrace

Regal theatrical portrait of a crowned woman in a gold gown seated on a throne with a scepter

Russian-inspired costume portrait of a woman in a red and white traditional dress and ornate headdress

Fine-art portrait of a woman in an elegant white and gold historical gown against a luminous painted landscape

Editorial costume portrait in a folk-inspired Caucasian costume against a bright pastoral landscape

Theatrical dance portrait in a flowing orange Oriental-inspired theatrical dance costume against a stylized sunset during a theatrical dance art photoshoot.

Dramatic fantasy portrait with theatrical body paint, braided hair and elaborate feathered headpiece during a fantasy art portrait session.

Avant-garde black and white theatrical beauty portrait with graphic face and body paint

Before-and-after theatrical portrait showing the original flash-lit studio photograph and the finished moonlit fine-art composite showing theatrical fine-art before-and-after retouching.

Before-and-after editorial portrait showing the studio photograph of a man in royal costume and the finished theatrical composite artwork

Opera-Inspired Theatrical Portrait Project, 2007–2008

This project was created for a magazine in 2007–2008. Its subjects were advertisers and business owners who, for the duration of the shoot, were transformed into characters inspired by opera, ballet and classical theatre. The theatre provided the space and stage environment, costumes were selected for each participant, makeup artists created the character looks, and a ballet master helped with posture, gesture and posing.

My part of the work began before I pressed the shutter. At the time I was working as both a magazine designer and photographer, so I approached every portrait with the final editorial composition in mind. In the space provided by the theatre, I set up the flash lighting and photographed each participant so that the figure, gesture and light would work well in the finished image.

After the photography came the second stage. My friend and colleague, an artist and designer, separated the subjects from the original background and manually created the artistic environments around them. A relatively simple portrait made in a temporary studio was gradually transformed into a complete theatrical composition — no longer just a photograph of someone in costume, but an independent visual character.

The project was published in the magazine, and the finished works were later printed at large scale and presented at a separate exhibition and reception. For me, the series still connects two sides of my professional background — photography and graphic design — and shows how far a portrait can develop beyond the original camera frame.

I am now based in Nha Trang and continue to work as a photographer and designer, but I keep this project on the site primarily as part of my professional history and my years working in print and editorial media.

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