Figures in Armour

This was a test shoot with PHEMAS, a Singapore-based group focused on Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), studying and practising combat systems from medieval and Renaissance Europe.

The approach was simple. I wanted to reference classical aristocratic portrait paintings, but translate that into a contemporary studio setting. Instead of oil on canvas, these are direct, controlled portraits, using light and posture to echo that tradition.

The armour becomes both subject and framing. In some images, it conceals. In others, it reveals the person within.

It’s a small study in bringing a slice of history into the present, and documenting it as it exists today.