I recently got this image of Lyz back from the developers…first film shot I’ve done in quite some time! Now I’m going to have to wrestle with my husband over the film camera more often…definitely going to be stealing it for some upcoming shoots!
Mirror, Mirror…uh…wherever I decide to put it….
A film shot, done in my former attic, with a mirror. Ok, that just sounded like a line from Clue.
Lucky 13th Anniversary!
Well…it’s my 13th wedding anniversary, so that gives me an opportunity to share one of my oldest shots. This was taken about a week after we got married. As you can see, my husband was in the Navy at the time and we had to rush off to get married before he shipped out to Japan. We got married in a court in Flagstaff, AZ and exchanged rings at the grand canyon…where he almost slipped off the edge! Very grateful for that handy branch he grabbed onto. Our honeymoon consisted of a drive across the country back to the east coast, and it was a blast…and a great way to spend time together for the many months we spent apart. We arrived home, and I demanded we do this since we didn’t on the actual day. I shot this myself with a tripod and timer. Grainy, horrible scan, but I like it 🙂
Instruments
….and continuing with the music theme from yesterday. Sometimes instruments can make pretty cool props! 
Natural Light
Sometimes I like to ditch my big power flash and just use natural light. This one was shot with film and window light. Kinda funny, with the blue wig and the dress, this was supposed to be more of a glamour shoot, but when I saw the way her coloring looked by this window, I scrapped that idea. Sometimes it’s the last minute decisions…
Oh, and I really miss having blue hair! Maybe Heather will let me borrow her wig…
Film vs. Digital
I did some portraits of a woman for her online dating profile. The goal for that sort of thing is to make sure to capture the person the way they really look when they are feeling good! Sure, a bathroom selfie can show that, but…let’s get the lighting right! Anyway, this particular person went on to find someone she really loves online and credits me for that. I told her, no way, that was all her…her beautiful and interesting self…just lit properly 😉 I cant’ share those here since that was a private session, but trust me, she was very cool!
On a completely different note, a question I encounter over and over is the old film vs. digital debate. I mostly shoot digital these days, since I can deliver a much faster turnaround time and don’t have to charge as much. However, I do feel that film has a certain quality that digital still has not reached. I used to spend hours in the darkroom…I miss that, but not the harsh chemicals. Here are a few shots done with film.
Vulnerability
I’ve begun seeing the beauty in vulnerability lately, after tackling some personal issues. I know many of my subjects feel vulnerable, especially first timers who are not accustom to being nude in front of others. Once they settle in, however, they tend to find the experience very freeing, therapeutic even. Since I wouldn’t ask my subjects to do anything I wouldn’t, here is my act of vulnerability…as someone who feels wayyyy more comfortable behind the camera! An older shot, taken with film and a timer.
LizZusev 