Gavin Goodman

Pleating Paper into

Sculptural Headwear

South African photographer Gavin Goodman had a vision to create a series influenced by traditional African headwear done with a modern and simplistic touch. Commissioning a local origami artist as a unique way to bring this vision to life, they transformed delicate paper into beautiful African-inspired sculptural objects. 

LUHLAZA

Gavin’s series titled LUHLAZA translates to the word “green” in Xhosa, the main African language spoken in Cape Town. With a simplistic approach in mind, the choice for a minimal colour palette was twofold – “Firstly, from an aesthetic point of view, I've always loved how beautifully this color compliments darker skin tones. And green has a calming, tranquil effect with strong associations towards nature which felt like an appropriate connection towards the imagery of African tribes I was originally inspired by,” says Gavin.

ORIGAMI PROPS

After stumbling upon unique origami art online, Gavin was inspired to execute his series with this delicate, malleable paper. “With a few designs drawn out and a detailed moodboard provided, we commissioned a local origami artist to create these gorgeous props for our shoot. Each prop was made by pleating a single piece of paper,” he explains.

SOFT LIGHTING

Keeping his lighting soft but still directional, Gavin created a key light overhead by shaping and bouncing 2 flash heads off of a large white bounce that travelled through another large diffusion frame before hitting the subject. On the ground, there were two backlights also travelling through full diffusion frames. Creating a large, soft light source allowed his subject room to move around without the need to move lights accordingly. 

 The X1D II was an absolute pleasure to use on this shoot. It's officially my favourite camera system to date! Everything from the simple touch screen focus features to the quiet, unassuming size and manner it captures high resolution imagery really appeals to me and my process.

 I'm still in awe everytime I see one of these images captured on the X1D II in print form. I always strive to create as close to the final image as possible in camera. The color accuracy from my NEC calibrated monitor to the final prints are spot on, and honestly these images required very little fine tuning. The detail captured is so good it forces me to be quite precise on set as I know everything will be seen in glorious detail!

ABOUT GAVIN GOODMAN

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Gavin Goodman is a passionate surfer and image maker. After film school, he spent 7 years shooting mostly TV commercials within the local film industry. Somewhere down the line, Gavin felt the call to switch to still photography and was able to transfer his eye for storytelling and technical knowledge of light and camera over to the new medium. Being based in Cape Town has given Gavin the opportunity to take part in many incredible campaigns over the years. Recently, he started a new venture called Semblance Agency where the team collaborates with interior designers to create photographic fine art for various developments around the world. See more of Gavin’s work here or @gavin_goodman.

DISCOVER THE POWER

OF THE X1D II 50C

More Hasselblad stories

All stories
Walter Janach | A Love Affair with Aviation on the 500C

Walter Janach

A Love Affair with Aviation on the 500C

Unable to become a pilot due to his eyesight, the young Swiss photographer and later professor of technical thermodynamics Walter Janach channeled his passion for aviation into capturing these majestic flying machines on his 500C.

Donald Michael Chambers | 60 Minutes of Silence

Donald Michael Chambers

60 Minutes of Silence

No talking. No phones. No distractions. For 60 minutes, Donald Michael Chambers sat with each of his 30 subjects in complete silence. Once the hour began, Donald gave no direction and simply decided when to click the shutter button.

 Tomás Karmelo Amaya | Native Love Stories

Tomás Karmelo Amaya

Native Love Stories

Born for the A:shiwi, Rarámuri, and Yoeme tribes, creative Tomás Karmelo Amaya’s ongoing series Native Love Stories illustrates the abundance of Indigenous circles, including love, service to others, community strength, and the ability to thrive.

 Luka Trajkovic | Cinematic Scenes in Serbia

LUKA TRAJKOVIC

CINEMATIC SCENES IN SERBIA

Inspired by the greatest film directors and DOPs, Serbian photographer Luka Trajkovic creates images that appear to be taken right out of a film.

Roman Jehanno | Artisans of Southern France

Roman Jehanno

Artisans of Southern France

Creating his dream roadmap that took him from Monaco to Bordeaux with all the stops in between, Roman discovered the rich multitude of craftwork and ancient practices still being used by his fellow countryfolk in France.

Isabella Tabacchi | Magical Mountainous Landscapes on the XCD 30

ISABELLA TABACCHI

Magical Mountainous Landscapes on XCD 30

Italian photographer Isabella Tabacchi escaped to the dreamy mountain views of the Dolomites and the Swiss Alps to capture the beauty of the Milky Way across the skies and the grand Matterhorn Mountain with the X1D II 50C and XCD 30 lens.