i've planned parts of this shot for some months now - i found a wonderful little re-sale shop where i happened upon previously loved prom dresses for $12 and wanted to stretch my comfort zone a bit. when the models fell through in atlanta i put feelers out for girls willing to be a bit silly. one of my friend's daughters was happy to take a chance and brought along her friend. the girls and i had a great time today - i gave them some general instructions and told them to roll with it. they knew better than me what angles worked for their body and had some great ideas with poses. they were so naturally sunny and happy that i had to remind them sometimes not to smile. we played with luggage, balloons, cut up prom dresses - all while a parade of cars rolled pass (of course i would pick the one day that traffic was being routed through the park due to an accident).
and after we were through, what better treat than ice cream, right? gotta love models that will work for ice cream. i've wanted to work more with people and have searched for models to expand my portfolio. i think now i have enough to start working on senior portraits and casual family sessions. i learn something different to do each time i do a session. i need to continue to work on directing the poses and lighting issues that i seem to continue to have. we put the reflector to use today but often i forget in the excitement moving props and locations. there are some more of the shots without editorial comment really. i tried a variety of processing as i have been waivering between styles again. lately when i've been applying textures i haven't feel as comfortable as i once was - i'm not sure if that means i'm moving away from them or the photography is just not melding with my choices. *shrugs* funny how i can move through cycles - color, no color, soft color....textures, no textures....soft then crisp. anyway.
They are so gorgeous Char!
ReplyDeleteLove the one by the green cool grass...
XO*
How fun Char!! Please post more of these, they are so good. I'd love to do portraits and weddings someday too.
ReplyDeleteThey turned out great!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! The first one with the balloons is amazing...gave me chills (in a good way!!!).
ReplyDeleteI like the baloon one the best and the one of the two laying on the ground. I think it is good you go from style to style, that is your freedom as your own boss. You rock,
ReplyDeleteThe first picture has a wonderful whimsical quality to it. I think it is my favorite.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I like minimal processing, and most of my favorites of your photos are like that. I think you are moving in the right direction for portrait photography. My niece, who is an excellent photographer, started out doing only weddings. Then when my daughter was getting her senior pics done, I wanted Brenda to do them. Aimee was her first attempt and it turned out so well that she used her whole session to sell that aspect of her business. (It didn't hurt that my daughter was gorgeous.) Now she has more seniors than she can handle. It's very lucrative.
ReplyDeletei really like the first one. i like the others too, but the first is my fav. good job, gal! i'm sure the girls had fun too!
ReplyDeleteall are so different ...that is what makes the experiments interesting.. the girls look so natural
ReplyDeleteoh what a fun day, so exciting to see your vision coming to be step by step
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful pictures, and what a great idea to consider expanding into senior portraits. There is such a demand for all types of grad packages, it seems like an interesting market to consider.
ReplyDeleteThey are sunny girls! I am on the bandwagon with the first photograph being my favorite. It has "fashion photography" written all over it. Using balloons and old prom dresses was a fabulous idea. Love the crisp shots and the whimsical. Always. Good luck with this new adventure. :)
ReplyDeletei think i can relate to waivering between styles issue. i go back and forth on so many things as well, just trying to find what "my style" is.
ReplyDeletei need to get models to take photos of... i am a little nervous about it because it'll be a first for me, but i just need to take that step and do it... whether the first is successful or not. your work with these two girls is excellent! love the one of the girls running up the stairs!
I feel like taking a glace at model on the 70ies. Elegant and vintage at the same time, love it!
ReplyDeleteThe first picture and the grass are my favorites. Very nice!
ReplyDeletehmm. very interesting shots. and it is cool that you are experimenting!
ReplyDeletei really like where you're going here. a few shots definitely caught my eye when i saw them pop up on flickr. photographing people definitely calls for its own look/style that can be very different from still life shots. it's no wonder you're having to experiment with new ways of processing. can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteThese pics are SO lovely!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! I have been trying to work more with people, too. I just did a shoot with a couple of little boys about 2 weeks ago and worked on their photos twice over, trying to decide texture or not, b&w or not, soft or not, you know what i mean. I think trying to settle on the best photo choices afterward is the hardest part.
ReplyDeletenow, i just did a mini-session with my mom and dad and need to edit those. i hope practice makes perfect :)
oh, my gosh! so so neat. that just looks like a total blast. and your results are amazing. especially the first shot. i just love it, char.
ReplyDeletei love seeing your creative mind churn from the resale shop all the way through to the final product—these wonderful textured shots.
like i told jamie, it takes a special person to be able to work with people and make them feel comfortable on the other side of the camera. i'd say you did it here. of course, i'm sure getting to dress up and run around like two school girls didn't hurt. :)
i've been thinking about you and praying for your job prospect today. i hope all went well.
hugs.
g.
These are great. I much prefer the natural look to portraiture, and love the look of the first one. All the photos tell the story, and as a group the girls must love them! Well done.
ReplyDeleteThese are wonderful. Lovely and amazing. To me, they perfectly capture all the innocent beauty that is being a southern teenaqer. I miss it. Oh, I do miss it.
ReplyDeleteIt is so much fun to see you experimenting with different styles of processing...I can understand why you are wavering...they all look good for different reasons!...You definitely have a career here with this talent...love your models and the setting...love everything about these actually!
ReplyDelete...and to show my generation...I first thought senior pictures meant photos of one's grandparents:)