You know how every time you have an idea about something or you see something that you want to try in the future, you grab a pen and write it down so you don't forget it later? Well, I keep a drawing album where I put my ideas for the same reason.  I have to admit though that I used to sketch a lot more often than I do now.  

So one day I showed this album to Denis. As we were flipping through it, I realized how precise the final images turned out compared to the original concepts I drew in the beginning. 

All the following images (except for "Slash") were created during the Marathon shoot. It was my first time working in a professional studio, so figuring out lighting was as important as coming up with concepts. Even though there are plenty of places online where one can create lighting diagrams,  I prefer using a pencil. Drawing forces me to think, re-think and then think again a few more times.  It also trains pre-visualization. It helps me see how the final image should look before I even get the camera out of the bag. 

My inspiration, concepts and lighting ideas came from all kind of different places: music videos, commercials, other photographers work, movies, painting and plenty more. 

Looking at these images kind of inspires me to begin working on new concepts and to start putting them on paper. 

I truly hope that it inspires someone else as well! 

*Click on the images for larger view.