Over the last year or two, I had come across a male photographer on Instagram. Content Creators on YouTube that I watch and follow on Instagram had posted these very colorful, magical-looking pictures of themselves with lights all around them. I clicked on the photographer’s account, and my eyes grew wide with excitement and filled with the colors that were used. I instantly got hooked onto Brandon Woelfel’s photographs. Each photograph tells a story, and it feels like I am looking through a fairytale book, except with string lights, disco balls, and color smoke. I always look forward each day for his Instagram post notification. No matter what type of facial expression the model has, the lights bring a very happy and joyful vibe, so I always feel happy and inspired when I look at his photographs. Even though Woelfel is not a nature photographer, he is currently one of my all-time favorite photographers.
If you have an Instagram account or are interested in photography, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Brandon Woelfel. If you haven’t seen his photographs... well, I’m almost positive you’ve seen at least one of them. They’re hard to miss.
I even just wrote a paper about him - that’s how much I love his work.
Like I mentioned above, his photographs are so magical, and he uses props that I wouldn’t think of to use, especially when photographing portraits. I have used string lights in my black and white portraits before, but even taking color portraits, I have never thought of to use prisms, CDs, glasses, bubbles, transparent umbrellas, color smoke, and everything else that he uses - there’s a list.
Woelfel grew bored with taking basic portraits and wanted to switch it up and use objects that you can even find around your house. Anything that produces light, color, and reflection, you’re set.
Woelfel’s editing skills are also incredible. Cool temperatures with just the right amount of saturation that brings life to his photographs.
Thanks to YouTube videos, you can search on how he shoots and edits, which I find to be very helpful as a photographer, if I, or anyone, wanted to do a shoot inspired by him.
Another reason why he’s my favorite photographer is because of his amazing imagination and creativity. I find that he and I think alike. When I think of “my dream photograph,” I guess you could say, it includes all the colors, emotions, and string lights that he uses in his work. I admire that he can find inspiration from anything out there in the world and immediately think of a composition and use props that other photographers don’t necessarily use. His creativity is non-stop, he’s constantly improving, and shooting every day on his own schedule, which is something I strive to do.
I can without a doubt say it would be a dream to be able to shoot with him at some point in my life.
Woelfel mainly shoots models from the brands of Urban Outfitters, Aeropostale, Macy's, Bose, Brandy Melville, etc.
While I could literally go on and on about Woelfel, let’s take a look at a number of his photographs because I can’t choose just one:
You can find his edited photographs on his main Instagram: @brandonwoelfel, his before and afters on his personal account: @bran.wolf, his website is: http://www.brandonwoelfel.com , and his new book at:https://shopcatalog.com/luminescence/ .
