Welcome! I have specialized in beauty, hair, fashion, celebrity and lifestyle photography.
My passion is collaborating with like minded and driven artists. If you are such an individual please connect with me.
I recently received an Honorable Mention from the IPA ( International Photography Awards) in the category: Movement
with an image that was part of an editorial beauty story shot for L’Officiel Indonesia and also published in the issue of L’Officiel Baltics the following month.
I am humbled and honored having received the 1. prize in the Fashion & Beauty category through the photo community of APA LA for one of my latest images shot for AMAZING Magazine. When shooting this story we were hearing about Covid-19 in the US, while Covid was already breaking news within China. Working as a beauty photographer out of Los Angeles for almost 15 years I like to share my approach about this particular editorial shot. Living through the pandemic, everything is different and everything has a different meaning now. Shooting this editorial, I was taking the global affairs into account. Nothing is the same anymore and even for my beauty image, I started to interpret a particular symbolism into each element of this shot. Instead of choosing a bright and light skin appearance for my freckled caucasian model, I was selecting an ultra-rich and a few shades darker and slightly textured skin appearance. We refrained from over retouching and left her skin as natural as possible. I chose the lighting to be particularly dramatic, elevating her from the dark. Directing the model to clutch the orange flower (since the color orange associates with joy and happiness) very tight, it is meant to be a metaphor for a positive future. The purple plexi glass (actually the opposite of yellow in the color wheel, purple has shown to help balance the mind and transform obsessions and fears) covering a part of her face, represents the feeling of isolation and solitude that we started to experience during the pandemic.
…..And
one thing is true, “The darkest nights produce the brightest stars”
– Unknown
Thank you for reading this, a big Thank you to my team, especially Creative Director Donald Lawson for giving me the assignment to shoot for AMAZING MAGAZINE, and to APA LA.
During these challenging times, staying motivated is just another challenge.
I have been a beauty and lifestyle photographer for almost 20 years, and 99% of the time I work with a creative team that includes producers, models, a beauty team plus assistants. Those days might have been the good old days, at least for a while.
Stepping into a new specialty can be humbling. We have to stay brave and take on this new world with all our senses, talent, and creativity.
The side frame on the left is another experiment in itself. I created a lot of fascinating light paintings about 10 years ago.
A few weeks ago I gave myself an assignment with a collection of beautiful vintage medicine bottles, that a friend had given me a while back.
They were sitting in my garage for all this time and had collected a lot of dust.
After a good cleaning, they looked pretty good. I loved the idea of adding vegetable color into the water while creating a dramatic lighting scenario.
I had so much fun creating this work.
Credits: Photographer, Product stylist, and retoucher: Dorit Thies
Copyright 2020 Dorit Thies
Below are a few products still lifes, that I enjoyed creating in my home studio.
I had the fascinating opportunity for a solo exhibition at the Space Place Gallery in Nizhny Tagil, Ural, Russia, with my personal floral and beauty photography.
So I decided to book my trip from Los Angeles to Moscow to Ekaterinburg, and took a taxi to Nizhny Tagil, where my wonderful curator and multi-talented host Evgeny Komukhin , a multimedia artist himself, was welcoming me. The opening was on January 24th with an overwhelming attendance.
Evgeny Komuhin, the curator and I, in front of the gallery
We had a full house at the opening night
Photo: Ilya Lokalin
The faces behind the fantastic printing job. Photo: Ilya Lokalin
I am proud to announce that I have been supporting the Australian Wildlife Society with 30% of the sale from my latest floral image, that I photographed just 1 week before my departure to Nizhny Tagil, the Ural Mountains in Russia.
This image was a Pre-show warm-up for my floral and beauty solo-exhibit in Russia at the Gallery Space_Place_NT
The size of the print is 11×14 inch, with 1/2 inch white border,
printed on archival paper, rich in tones and signed by me.
The price is $150.00.
Please contact me directly through my email if you are interested in purchasing a print.
I am writing this while I am sitting in an artist loft in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. I will present my first solo exhibit of my floral images at the Space_Place_nt Gallery tonight!
I have been invited by the curator Evgeny Komuhi of the Gallery Space Place and we have been busy promoting the show this week through TV interviews and other journalists at the gallery space.
Our latest beach shoot with Aliya Protto was pure joy. Spending a day with this extraordinary talented model and highly accomplished rhythmic gymnast allowed us to create many iconic images. To see more, please go to my web site https://www.doritthies.com/Instagram
Shooting with celebrity trainer Ashley Borden always brings out the best in us. These images are proof of a fearless, fun and trusted collaboration. More exciting images will be shared here and on Instagram.
Ashley Borden is a fitness and lifestyle consultant to
some of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces and world class athletes.
Her unique approach to fitness can be attributed to having tackled her
own personal struggles, transforming them into a positive philosophy and dynamic training program – making her one of the most sought-after experts in her field.
Clients have included: Christina Aguilera, Chaka Khan, Mandy Moore,
Sean Hayes, Tori Spelling, Poppy Montgomery, Sydney Poitier, Lauren
Graham.
I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph the band Opium Moon for their latest record release, A Band of Immigrants.
Sensuous
and hypnotic, elegant yet deeply emotional, the music of Opium Moon
evokes the mysteries of ancient worlds while remaining thoroughly
contemporary. The Los Angeles-based ensemble’s cinematic soundscapes
draw upon the virtuosic skills and diverse ethnic backgrounds of its
members: Iranian santoor master Hamid Saeidi, innovative Israeli bassist
Itai Disraeli, sought-after American percussionist M.B. Gordy, and the
exceptionally expressive Canadian-American violinist Lili Haydn, whose
passion and fluid mastery of her instrument enchants in every song.
In
five original, long-form compositions, the four master players craft a
striking sonic chiaroscuro; the dramatic counterpoints of viscerally
resonant percussion and driving yet subtle fretless bass underpin and
carry the music forward with mesmerizing rhythms, while the shimmering
delicacy of the santoor – a 100-stringed Persian hammered dulcimer – and
the soaring voice of Haydn’s violin (and lilting vocals on two songs)
deliver supple melodic contrast.
With
compositions that meld sacred/classical traditions of both East and
West with trance-inducing, ancient grooves, the result is at times both
stately and rapturous, a sultry and passionate instrumental music that
seems to emanate from a profound, even carnal wellspring.
Lili Haydn says, “In
this era of ‘fake news,’ I began to feel that words no longer seemed to
matter. I lost my faith in my protest songs and threw myself into
creating an album without words, one which was simply an embodiment of
the peace and inclusiveness I wanted to see in the world. In these
polarized and frightening times, simply making beauty – and loving
across boundaries – is a revolutionary act.”
Check out the latest images from my Elemental Exposure layout published in Elle Bulgaria this month.
When it comes to our skin, we need to protect it from harmful elements that are surrounding us in the air and in the water. If you like to see additional and related images to this story please go to my site.
Before I shoot my conceptual editorial submissions, I always take the time to photograph the model with very minimal makeup on her face. I ask the Makeup Artist to just moisturize the skin, use a concealer to cover up any blemishes and add a clear lip balm for the lips and of course brush her eyebrows.
This is a great way to warm up and to find out about the models best angles.
I just had the pleasure working with these 2 beautiful ladies recently.
What: I’m well known for loving fearless makeup on models during advertising campaigns and lifestyle photo shoots. doritthies.com/beauty
Why: Mo’s skin is flawless though and I wanted to present her as purely as possible. I went to the flower market at 6 a.m. in the morning _ Flower Market_ and purchased sprigs of ivy and flowers – and traditional herbs like chamomile and lavender – known to contain natural, calming antioxidant nutrients that also boost your immunity.
When I photographed Mo nousmodels.com/Mo Stuck we agreed to use only non-toxic beauty products and avoid any lotion or potion tested on animals. If you want to support a more humane beauty industry, like me and Mo, make some promises you can keep.