But Liz…why are there so many pics of women…don’t you shoot men? Sure do…happy Friday! This is over many years…guess which one I’m married to…
Corsets!
I loves me some corsets. I don’t loves me wearing them for too long…I do love shooting them though. Makes for beautiful lines, and not to mention, posture. I’ve been fascinated with them since I was a kid. I remember seeing Meet Me in St. Louis on Broadway, and getting to go to the dressing room of one of the actresses. She was absolutely wonderful to me…I remember the dress she had to wear on stage…that thing weighed a ton! The corset she wore underneath was authentic to the time period of the play. Later in life after trying my first, I was thoroughly impressed that she could sing in that thing! Anyway, corsets do tend to pop up in my shoots pretty often, and I notice the models attitude shift into a slightly more badass mode ;). Don’t worry, never had a model pass out on me.
What Happens When A Model Is Late And I Have Reflective Surfaces To Play With?
This!
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…
Cats and Photo Shoots
I’ve been asked several times if I ever want to publish a book of photography. I’m not sure yet, but if I do, I have all the material right here: cats interrupting photo shoots. Every cat I’ve ever had has done it…clearly it’s a theme I should run with…
Modern Renaissance Woman
I love going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by myself and getting lost there for hours. I had been wanting to try some photos that look like something that would have been painted during the Renaissance, so when I met Mikki here, I knew she was the girl for that. She had the wavy hair and more importantly comfort in her own skin.
Tea Party in the Attic
Ok…so, my mother-in-law gave me a tea set which included small pink cups with heart shaped saucers. What happens when you give me a pink tea set with heart shaped saucers? Uh…this:
I couldn’t help it. I had these ladies over to shoot when I first moved to CT (lived there about 5 years), add the hideous couch in the background with a game of Candyland, and the rest is history…I glad they shared my twisted sense of humor.
….yeah
Four Models in One
Favorite thing to do when working with a makeup artist? Turn them loose and let them have fun! These shots are all of Heather, from the same shoot. We went to visit MUA Theo Faulker and he spent the afternoon transforming her. After this, people were surprised to learn that Heather’s real hair at the time was long, straight, and black. My husband and Theo’s brother also made an appearance, the two gents in suits. Careful! If you hang around during a shoot, you might get drafted to be a prop!
I encourage fun, and experimentation whether you’re the subject, stylist, or just happen to be standing around at the time!
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.
Portraits – Up Close and Personal
Ready for your close up? I LOVE eyes. Faces in general, really, so sometimes I get up close and personal. “Pretty” doesn’t always have to be the goal. Sometimes, the gritty ones are the most interesting…
LizZusev 