Shoot Date: July 22, 2010

My shoot with Joshua Chu was on the unusual side, simply because he had me in hysterics the whole time! It was somewhat difficult to shoot through all the laughter. :)

I was excited about our decision to have him pose with his car – cars being props I had been meaning to explore. I love the lines created by his arms, legs, the paint on the pavement, the horizon, and the car itself.

Josh had a concept for a shot, and I think it was quite clever. Haha! Look! It’s me in the sunglasses! ;P

It’s important to me that the photographer and the model collaborate as artists. Models are not my mannequins, though there are times I will give direction for a certain pose… but there’s an energy that can exist in a shoot (similar, I think, to that in a play, where the audience and actors’ energies bounce off of each other) when the model participates just as much as the photographer. I like it when models feel free to suggest image ideas, and I am lucky to have worked with so many great models!

This was one of my favorite shots from the day. I had pictured an image just like this when we planned the shoot, and I absolutely adore the lighting on his face and on the dashboard in the back:

Josh is a model who is definitely comfortable in his own skin, and enjoys entertaining others. At one point during our shoot, a car pulled up and stopped right next to us, and a woman shouted out some encouragements, like, “ROCK IT, BABY!” He totally hammed it up and started dancing around in front of the camera for the audience, which -of course- I had to capture. Sadly, he made me promise not to post that photo. Luckily, he did give permission to use the following photo:

All in all, it was a very fun shoot, and I hope to see Josh on the silver screen sometime soon!

More images in the slideshow:

I met and shot Najarra Townsend once before.  She was such a wonderful model to work with that I had to shoot her again.  :)

My lovely MUA, Phi, and I were brainstorming ideas, and she said that Najarra had the perfect look for a “dirty bride” shoot she had been wanting to do. We took that idea and ran with it! My roommate used to be an avid paintballer, and still had some of his gear. We thought Najarra’s delicate beauty would look particularly awesome paired with a big ‘ole gun. Najarra, ever the trooper, jumped right into the dirt and started “shooting”. Check out those gorgeous blue eyes:

It took a bit of scouting to find the right location, but I was pleased with the one I found. The backgrounds really have that dirty, combat-worn feel I wanted. And doesn’t she just look like a post-apocalyptic babe, straight out of a movie? She nailed all the expressions and poses.

I also wanted to do some badass, sexy, super-spy shots with her… and our location accommodated both outfits. Her bone structure is just so beautifully fierce… I loved the idea of shooting her as the femme fatale.

One of the benefits of working with this model is that, while she can clearly pull off the glamorous, the badass, the fierce, the rugged, etc… she has a gorgeous smile, which she uses frequently, and is a total sweetie. When we were decking her out with this outfit change, a group of people was staring from afar, and rather than get cross, she grins all huge and starts waving and shouting, “Hiiiiiii….” at them. Gotta love it. :)

When I saw this area of dry brush and palm trees, I was ecstatic. Thanks to Najarra’s acting chops and some items from my old Lara Croft costume, this image leapt to life exactly as I pictured it:

There is something special about working with actors on shoots. There’s a movement to their poses, and they seem to be down for pretty much anything I ask them to do, even when it’s as physically demanding as supporting their weight by one arm, while hanging off a ladder, holding a gun out with the other arm, for minutes on end, as I shoot them from different angles….

I love my models. :)

Najarra was recently filming an episode for CSI: NY, and I have no doubt this Tru Loved star will continue to rise. Thank you, Najarra, for a perfect shoot!

To see more of the paintball shoot, click here:

And for more of the badass shoot, see:

Shoot date: July 17, 2010

It has taken me far too long to write this post. This is because I did not want to do less of a job than is deserved by its subject. This photo shoot and blog highlight my fabulous Make Up Artist (MUA) – Phi, of Orange County’s Phi’s Pretty Faces (please visit her website for booking info).

I told the story of Phi and my introduction in a previous post. Looking back now, our meeting was incredibly serendipitous, and I cannot imagine where I would be had we not met. Phi has been such an incredible partner on this photographic journey. When I describe my desires for a shoot, she not only hears what I actually say, she also reads between the lines and hears what I want. She often surprises me with some aspect that I didn’t even know I wanted, yet which was perfect for my shoot. Having now had her do my own make up for two special events, I can say she is a wonderful person to work with, both when you’re in the make up chair yourself, as well as when you’re directing.

This particular shoot started very early in the morning, and Phi was on her feet making up our models for probably around six hours straight. It was quite an extravaganza! I had worked with only one of the models before, Lore Jac-Rey. She had organized some of her model friends for this particular shoot, and our aim was to show off Phi’s talent on a variety of faces.

Liz

We began with Liz, a beautiful blonde with lovely bone structure:

Phi gave her an elegant crystal teardrop pattern, in seafoam palette that complemented Liz’s gorgeous eyes perfectly:

I was impressed by how well Liz worked her angles; her poses and expressions were wonderful. I love how she draws you into the photo with her eyes.

Monica

Next, Phi created a stunning alternative-rocker bridal look:

As someone who used to dabble with the idea of doing make up professionally (Random fact: I worked under Steve Jan, doing make up for two runway shows, back in college.), I feel compelled to point out the intricacy of the shading and blending of the eyelid in this design. Look at the colors and the detail! Geez!

My model for this look, the lovely Monica, was a natural in front of the camera. She really knew how to fill the space to create a striking image:

Tish

Then, Phi created a colorful, vivid, 80s glam look. She drew stars on the model’s lips. Stars. On her lips! And I love the electric blue under-eye liner:

I had wanted to do a record themed shoot, and with Phi’s colorful creation, and Tish‘s fierce looks, I knew I had the right setup.

Tish knows how to find the light and do whatever it takes to get the shot.

Anisha

Next up was Anisha, whom Phi gave a dramatic, gothic, tear-stained look:

When she began, I was apprehensive. After knowing the model for just a few hours, I had already seen how marvelously nice she was. Utter sweetheart. How was she going to pull of this dark, dramatic look?

I’ll tell you how – she rocked the hell out of it!!

Despite her incredible sweetness (and all while having a lovely time between shots – smiling, laughing, and whatnot), she nailed the super dramatic, intense gazes I was looking for:

Lore

Having worked with Lore once before, Phi had a special idea for her make up, which was saved for last due to its labor intensiveness. She created a breathtaking Dia De Los Muertos face: half glamour and half skull.

Lore and I worked to create a Frida Khalo inspired portrait. To obtain the aged look I wanted, this is one of the few photos to which I have ever overlaid a texture effect.

We then took some outdoor photos, which I adore because the background in the photos feels very evocative of the environment I recall from my own trip Mexico.

With all our other projects completed, Phi and the other models retired for the day, while Lore and I headed out to a cemetery, wherein we created one of my (as of yet) favorite ever photos:

There is absolutely minimal editing done on that shot, and I will admit I’m quite proud of it. But here’s the thing: without my make up artist, this shot never would have been. The model and photographer are both obvious contributors to the art, but the make up artist is the unsung hero of any shoot.

I am incredibly lucky to work with someone as talented as Phi. Her contributions have taken my art to a higher level. If you are getting married soon, have a special event coming up, need a self confidence boost, or just want to look your best for a night out with the girls – contact Phi! Her rates are very reasonable, she’s a total sweetheart, and she will make you feel like a million bucks!! :)

Many thanks to my MUA, and to my lovely models! :)

To see more of the above sets, click to view a slideshow of each model’s gallery at my site.

LIZ:

MONICA:

TISH:

Anisha:

LORE:

Shoot Date: June 15, 2010

This blog entry comes late and way out of order. Why? Because friends are awesome.

Friends say, “Sure, I’ll drive down from LA to pose for your test shoot.” Then, even more lovingly, they say, “Don’t worry about processing the photos now. I know you’re super swamped, so wait until you have time. And take care of the edits for your other models first.” So, to my friend and lovely model, Artos the Bear, I tip my hat in gratitude. Your patience is superhuman. :)

I’ve shot Artos in the past, but this was our first shoot together with my DSLR camera. It was really fun for me to work with a friend while my camera was still relatively new to me. She was patient while I fiddled with manual focus…

….she followed direction as I ordered her in different directions to play with light….

…and she held her beautiful poses gracefully throughout…

Modeling isn’t easy, ladies and gentleman… even if the model is good enough to make it seem so!

It’s also helpful that Artos is a photographer as well, so she sees her poses from both perspectives. Her style is mythic and storytelling, so her poses usually have a romantic and ethereal feel to them. I must say, I’m perpetually jealous of the slender sleekness of Artos’ figure. She has the muscle and body of someone who really moves as a part of daily life, rather than just hitting the gym once a week. And her modeling practice allows her to twist and twine her body into beautiful designs:

She also has these really gorgeous, piercing, golden eyes. I absolutely love this photo. It’s just so…. raaaawwwrrr!!!! I love it when a model can convey so much to the viewer through his or her expression:

This next one is always going to be one of my favorite photos. I love her spunky attitude (“You just try to stop me from whatever delinquent act I’m about to do, little puppy!“), love the light that’s burning amber on her cheek, and perhaps I love the most the feeling I got when I first saw the photo on the computer screen. There was something about this photo that proved to me that I could really be a photographer, and I won’t forget that feeling. Thank you, Artos. :)

And of course, when you’re shooting with friends, you have to be sure to get a silly shot or two…

Later, Artos changed outfits for some experimental night shots. This was my first attempt at nighttime shooting with the new camera, and I didn’t really have my settings down. But I like what we caught, nonetheless, and it was amusing trying to time the open shutter with the passing cars for optimal headlight blur:

To see more images from my shoot with Artos the Bear, view the slideshow:

Shoot Date: July 1, 2010

After working once with Yessie and Phi, I was definitely looking forward to our next shoot. This second shoot was actually Yessie and my originally scheduled shoot, but Yessie had been great enough to come out for an impromptu shoot a few weeks earlier, resulting in the photos in the link above.

This shoot was more punky/edgy than the pinup romance and rockstar glamour of our last shoot. Of course, Yessie, being the gorgeous girl she is, injected plenty of glamour into her punk style, while still pulling off the edge I wanted. Niiiice.

I had this concept that I wanted to convey with Yessie on the railroad tracks. I saw this young, punky thing… either hanging out on her own after classes, or possibly even trying to get away from home, but not because she was just blindly rebellious, but rather because she was inspired: a reader, a thinker, a dreamer… wanting more from life than she was currently getting. I asked Yessie to use some books as props, and though I think it was an odd concept for most people to vibe with (and perhaps felt a little after-school special, lol), she worked with what I asked of her, and gave me a shot I love:

Another thing that always impresses me about Yessie’s modeling is her ability to fill the frame. I kept noticing throughout the shoot how every pose she’d strike created a beautiful balance of form and negative space within my viewfinder, and I had only to frame and capture it. Definitely a valuable sense of self awareness (or natural gift) to have in a model. :)

Shooting Yessie is a delightful experience, because she really knows how to move and can pose easily for hours with very little direction. She naturally shifts her body and expression from moment to moment, providing the photographer with plenty to capture. Sometimes it’s hard to STOP taking pictures of her. I am very fond of this photo… we had the most amazing golden light that evening:

Just a few days ago, I decided to sit down and make sure I had edited the photos I wanted to post from this set (moment of uber-frankness: because I wanted to finally get back on track with this blog after my vacation, lol), and I found this last one that I finished up and simply adore. I can’t even put words to why I love it so much, but I do.

I tell ya, it’s certainly rough working with someone with such excellent bone structure and flawless skin </sarcasm>.  As we were shooting, and as we walked back to the car afterward, Yessie was getting plenty of male attention and car honking.  After one of the final car honks, I told her she just had to go out on the town and have fun that evening, since she was apparently already rocking the heck out of the look.  ;)

To see all of the frames from Yessie’s 80′s punk shoot, please view the slideshow:

Shoot Date: June 27, 2010

Sandy Moore arrived exactly on time, and had interpreted my wardrobe desires perfectly. She greeted me with a huge, sweet smile, and we chatted amiably as we walked from the parking lot to the wilderness area. I was so excited to see her in person: Many of her profile photos had a glammed-up style, but as soon as I saw her face, I thought of nothing but “bohemian girl in golden, rustling, tall grass.” I had to do a bit of scouting to find the right location, so I was very pleased when she showed up and proved me right as a perfect natural, bohemian model. :)

Since early morning assignments are not my MUA‘s favorite (she’s got kids!), and because this was a very natural-beauty themed shoot, Sandy provided her own make up, which was lovely shades of brown and neutrals.

We walked out into some tall grass, right off the bat, and the funny thing I noticed: when I had scouted the location a few days earlier with my best friend, I was pretty nervous about actually entering any of the grassy areas and whatnot, since I am a first.rate.PRISS! But once the camera was in my hand, and the model-photographer magic started flowing, I found myself tromping through grass, sitting in dirt, sticking my face through plants to get close ups… it was pretty amusing.

And Sandy was right at home in the wilderness! Within minutes she was sprawled out in the grass for me, providing that shot above, which I absolutely adore. :)

At one point, both the model and I heard a sound that sounded enough like a rattlesnake that we both, wide-eyed, did a “Did you hear that?”, “Yep… you did too?”, “Yep. Let’s scram!!!” I’ll tell you, that (be it snake or not) was my closest experience with a rattlesnake. Ever. Oh, how I hate snakes. But oh, do I love photography. ;P

I had really wanted to do a shoot in a field, where the varying depths of field are evident in the flowers/grass that surround the model. I got exactly what I wanted:

I’ve been told the photo would have been more striking with a portrait lens, rendering the background blurrier, but personally, I really like the bokeh as it is.

My scouting buddy and I had found a dried up creek bed, but assessed it a little too dangerous to climb into, since the rocks were unsteady and whatnot. But did that stop our Sandy? Oh no. She saw a prime location and she was not about to pass it up!! She found a path and jumped on down, and I followed, yet again amused. We got some great shots in there!

The lighting was beautiful:

And we’ll just ignore the fact that we found a dead bird carcass while there. Because, you know… that would taint an otherwise lovely story. ;P

As you can tell, Sandy and I had a really miserable time. And here’s the photographic proof:

I kept snapping candid shots of her laughing, and she told me I could post them and say, “See? Proof that I’m funny.” So there you have it. I’m funny. :)

In addition to mailing me her model release (since I, in my morning stupor, forgot to have her sign one!), Sandy was even sweet enough to contact me the next day, when she fell unexpectedly ill, to warn me to take a bunch of vitamin C. Adorable!!

For more images from this wilderness shoot, view the slideshow:

Shoot Date: June 24, 2010

There’s something special about Lore.

It started when she commented on one of my pictures on Model Mayhem, and I saw a very intriguing avatar of her rocking it in a trash-bag. No, really! One of her designer/photographer friends whipped up these avant-garde outfits from trash bags and tin foil. And there she was, modeling the hell out of it, with the fiercest attitude. I knew I definitely wanted to shoot her, so I sent her a message and we set up a date.

This was my second collaboration with the marvelous and creative Phi of Phi’s Pretty Faces. Just as with our first collaboration, Yessie, our three personalities clicked beautifully, and we all had a blast gabbing as the make up went on and the hair went up!

This shoot is particularly special to me, because it was really the first execution of a concept I dreamed up pre-shoot and brought to life with the help of my model and MUA. My other shoots thus far had been mostly model-style portraiture (a favorite genre of mine), in which most of the details (such as location, poses, and wardrobe style) were determined by factors other than my own creativity. But in this case, I really had a style and feel I wanted the photos to evoke.

Phi interpreted my rather vague descriptions beautifully, and created the perfect rocker style. I couldn’t have even imagined the style coming out so right – both in the intense eye make up and in the gorgeous curled faux-hawk she created. And Lore has the most gorgeous, natural red hair I’ve ever seen:

The concept centered around an edgy, metal/rocker feel. The location was the top floor of a parking structure, at sunset, with a backdrop of shiny corporate buildings. I was holding this ideal vision of what I wanted, and man if Lore didn’t give it to me exactly:

I can’t even express how giddy I was when I was editing these images. To see the visual embodiment of the concept I’d been ruminating on and mentally nurturing… it was just mind-blowing. And I honestly couldn’t have had a better model for this shoot. It was like Lore and I were connected, brain to brain, and she kept giving me the exact poses and attitude that I wanted:

But at the same time, while appreciating her following my vision, I also love letting models do their own thing. Yes, it’s nice to direct them to get the pose you want, and sure, I do that sometimes. But I also value the fusion of two uniquely creative minds. See, I would never have posed a model like this… and I never would have gotten this shot! I love the detail in Lore’s poses. Note how her left heel is slightly lifted, millimeters from the ground:

But I must say, I think the show-stealer from this shoot is the following image. The fierceness of her attitude, the motion in her pose, the lighting of the sunset, the colors of the foliage behind her, the angle of the framing, the rebel faux-hawk curl, and the glint off of her shiny (sexy!) heels (which I asked her to bring)… it just adds up to more photographic satisfaction than I think I can bear:

On second thought, I’ll bear it gladly. And with much giddiness. :D

My vision being fulfilled, Lore and I decided to play around with some other ideas as the light faded:

Due to some garish yellow paint in the parking garage, I decided to give this shot a bit of a cyanotype feel. It came out with a very 60s spy feel, to me. (Okay, minus the modern cars in the background… :P)

And since our shoot started a little later than planned, we were soon testing out night photography! I had only done one previous night shoot, and with a bit more light, so we had some struggles trying to get good images. Luckily, Lore and I were getting along swell, so we just had fun playing around:

Also, note her necklace in the following shot. It’s from her own independent jewelry label, Rawwrkat. Yep, she models, makes jewelry, writes, learns languages, sews… the list goes on. My kinda girl! I’ve got lots of admiration for the way she lives her life.

After a very satisfying few hours (Lore arrived for make up around 5, we started shooting at 7, and ended after 9), we packed it up and headed back to the car… only to discover that the gates to the structure had been lowered, and the pedestrian doorways had been locked! Slightly panicked -since both of our cell phones, wallets, etc were in the car (lesson well learned!)- we tried to wave down people inside the structure, but were ignored. We were glancing around at all the closed or closing businesses, pondering our fate, when Lore (ever cool-headed, and apparently having been in this situation before) insisted that we try every door. We found an open one. Oh the relief! While Lore was uncertain, I was pretty sure the gate would lift as we drove near it (not entirely sure, but surely hoping!), and it did. So we ended our fun shoot with a little adventure!

I really clicked with Lore on a personal level, in addition to being impressed with her modeling, so you’ll definitely be seeing more of her soon. (In fact, since I’m writing this post weeks after the actual shoot, I can say that I just sent her proofs last night from our second shoot, on July 17th! She was, again, amazing! Can’t wait to blog about that day! 5 models, 9 hours, tons of fun!)

For more images from Lore and my first shoot, with make up by the incredible Phi, view the slideshow:

Shoot Date: June 20, 2010

I didn’t get to spend a lot of time shooting Shannon, but I really loved some of the images we got.

Shannon is a minor, so her mother was present, and they were both very sweet people. I heard that Shannon is a very busy girl: in addition to school and modeling, she’s also in a band!

I also saw that she’s been in (another) band’s music video. Very cool!

Shannon has a delicate frame, and a very elegant way of posing:

Best of luck to her in all her future pursuits! It’s so awesome that she’s going after what she wants so early in life. Luckily for some of us, even though the savvy whippersnappers may get a jump on us, it’s never too late to start dream-chasing. ;)

To see more images of Shannon, view the slideshow:

Shoot Date: June 20, 2010

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I was a little intimidated when I met Najarra.  

Ok, a lot.

But I mean, come on… did you see the image above?  And what about the name Najarra? Never mind the fact that she’s an actress!

Luckily, she turned out to be a total sweetheart, and her disarming charm actually put me at ease. (I think it’s supposed to flow from photographer to model [and not the other way round!], so I was grateful for her kindhearted nature.)

I loved Najarra’s clothing choices. Her first outfit was both elegant and urban, and it didn’t hurt that her shirt was my favorite color (undefinable blue-purple):

Najarra has a beautiful, graceful presence. And I love the way all the lines and angles came out in this shot:

Najarra’s hair is superhuman. It must have sentience, the way it moves and curls and flows perfectly to compliment her face in every shot. I burn with jealousy!

Her second outfit was also perfect. Very pinup-y, which looked fabulous with her porcelain features and dark hair:

One of the best parts of shooting with Najarra is her smile. She often can’t contain it (or the giggles), so a photographer really gets the chance to catch a genuine moment:

She looks like something straight out of a movie… Wait… maybe that’s due to her impressive IMDB credits!

This glass was a little difficult to work with (especially since there were often other photographers and models in the background), but I love the way it compliments her skin, dress, hair, and stunning eyes.

For more images from my shoot with Najarra, view the slideshow!

Shoot Date: June 18, 2010

What a talented and motivated young man! Still a minor, and Ian Alexander is already entering the modeling biz to see the industry from all sides, since his heading is Fashion Design at FIDM next year. Not only is he already building momentum towards his career, he’s already started it, by launching two independent tshirt labels! Impressive!

Ian came down from San Bernardino to shoot with me, and I’m glad he did! His love for couture fashion pulled me into a new mindset while shooting, which was really fun to explore.

One of the first things I noticed about Ian, other than his beautiful bone structure and intense eyes, was the gorgeous smattering of freckles across his face:

I asked him to go urban style for me, which seemed to work well: I noticed his shirt is one from his personal line!

Since he’s big into fashion couture, we made some interesting urban/fashion fusions:

Ian has a gorgeous smile, but it took a while before he’d flash it in front of the camera:

He was also awesome with taking direction and going with my ideas. He even stared in a ridiculously bright, sunny direction to get this shot I really wanted. I love the intensity of color the bright light gave us:

I learned a lot on this shoot about going with the flow when things don’t work out how you were planning. We were warned off from one location I had planned on using by a loiterer who claimed he’d seen photographers get $2,000 fines for trespassing. The loiterer himself was also camped out in another location I had planned on using, and insisted I not get him in any shots. Hrm. Then later, I was looking forward to this gate that fenced in a bunch of trucks and a beautiful guard dog, which I had found when doing a test shoot in the location with my friend and model, Artos the Bear. I was looking forward to a really tough-looking image of Ian and the dog… but the dog was MIA on the night Ian and I shot. I even meowed a bit to see if I could entice him out of hiding, but no luck.  So, I took a different angle on the location:

Since I really love natural light and urban locations, I think it’s essential to develop a go-with-the-flow mentality and the ability to take what you’re given and rock it. This is also a philosophy I struggle to embrace in life, so bring on the training! In fact, I’m finding photography is helping me with a lot of life skills… :)

I asked Ian to play with some cards in one of the last locations, and neither of us much knew what to do with them, so in a couple photos he’s holding about 20 cards in a splay in his hand!! *palmface* It’s one of those things (that happens pretty often with photographers, at least at the beginning) that you just don’t see until you’re editing, because when you’re in the moment you get so caught up in the photo and the excitement! Note to self: must pay more attention to details. :P Nevertheless, the card-playing setup produced one of my favorite images from the shoot:

My best friend Brian, who had come along as a sort of chaperone/escort/witness (because working with minors can be a big deal), gave me an excellent compliment when this shoot had ended and we were reviewing some of the pictures together. He remarked on being less than impressed after arriving at the locations I had chosen… until he saw the photos. He said, “I was looking at it thinking… it’s a fence. So what? Anyone would have just passed the location by, thinking it was nothing. But then the way you caught the light through it… it’s actually a really awesome location. You just see things differently than other people.” I was (though I’m not a fan of the expression, there is no better to describe it:) tickled pink.

To see more images (and full-screen sizes) from this shoot, view the slideshow: