Heather and I get a little silly at times (gotta have fun while shooting, it’s my law), and I was seeing and shooting way too many just topless shots, so we decided to reverse that concept. I love the look in her eyes…a hint challenging yet at the same time, perfectly natural standing there.
If you’re considering getting a portrait done, no need to spend a fortune on an outfit! I’ve done many fun shoots with using tag sale items, inexpensive fabric, thrift stores, and snapping up things other people were going to toss. None of the items in these pictures cost more than $2…the scrap bin in fabric stores is awesome!
What to do when you find yourself on autopilot, turning everything black and white? Switch it up! This is Io, a wonderful alt model I’d been wanting to work with for quite some time, then finally ended up living in the same state!
Going to get a little more personal here today. I shot this self portrait last week since I haven’t done that in years. I’m definitely more comfortable behind the camera, which meant it was time to confront those nervous feelings. I’m going to be completely honest here…the range of thoughts and emotions that went through me during that 30 minutes varied widely. Some thoughts congratulated my willingness to do this, while other thoughts were more negative towards my body type. Some thoughts raised me up, while others tried to knock me down. It was like I was split halfway, one part subject, one part photographer. I allowed the photographer side to take over, eased into it more, and forgot about the negatives (ugh…photographer pun not intended). My role as the photographer is to make the subject feel good (while geeking out over gear) so I did just that. This was done with a timer, so there was a lot of hopping back and forth to reset the camera and look at the shots to see what I needed to adjust. Shoulders back. Leg a little to the left. All that fun stuff I usually use to direct others. By the end, I was having fun!
Yes, I’m aware of my body type. And I don’t hate it anymore. Yes, I’m aware that dropping weight will make me healthier…I’m working on it and already feeling better. It’s been a struggle and I take full responsibility for it all. That’s not the point of this though. The point was to confront some things and I did. I don’t know what I’ll look like in a year or even three months. But this is me now. And I accept that. To all those that have wanted to try this and hesitated: don’t worry. You’re fucking fabulous 😉
It’s a gray and rainy day here, so this one seems appropriate…
I met this sweet couple through a mutual friend. Originally, we were going to shoot just him jumping around, but when his lady came too, I invited her to join him in some shots. I’m glad I did, because the intimacy between them came out quite naturally as we progressed.
Alysa rocks. I did about three shoots with her, and she didn’t have the need to be “pretty” even though she is obviously quite gorgeous. Modeling was her way of contributing to the arts, and I’m so glad I had the chance to work with her. She wasn’t afraid of going dark and gritty. Fiercely intelligent, and I sometimes find myself going through her shoots and finding an image I hadn’t noticed before…
Another way to have fun doing photos is getting to be any character you want! Anduin and I wanted to create a modern interpretation of Ophelia from Hamlet. It was the dead of winter, so we had to make do with a bathtub…
I’d been wanting to do a joint shoot with Heather and Marisa here, but don’t ask how I came up with this one! Two models, two fish, my tattoo artist on makeup, several people thinking I’m out of my mind…and here we are. This took…many tries! Animals are can be pretty tricky to shoot and these lovely male models were no exception. CLICK! Annnnnnd the fish has retreated to the reflective part of the glass and is now invisible! Anyway…it was a fun/slightly nutty day, and both fish went on to live long and happy lives. Although my cat was very interested….
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