Miss Peace
This girl. Bombshell. That is really the only proper way to describe her. Peace is a ballet dancer and teacher and my kids dance studio. I have taken photos her at ballet performances but wanted the opportunity to photograph her with her hair down (rather than a performance bun). I mean how can you resist all those awesome curls, right?
As I thought about the session I really wanted to create a simple fashion shoot. Great lighting, classic BW and simple clothing. Since this was a personal project I just wanted to play in the studio and try new lighting techniques. Sometimes as session can really take on a look and feel even beyond what you imagined. This was one of those sessions for me. I let the light and my model inspire me.
I started off the session with my favorite light. This is similar to a ring light but it is handmade by my husband. It gives a fashion look and is a good starting point. Here is a behind the scenes photo of the awesome ring light.
And here is the first shot of her "Straight out of the Camera" (Seriously. No filter needed) Isnt she STUNNING!
Not a bad place to start is it? As soon as I took that photo I knew the rest would just fall into place like magic. Here is one more with my fabulous homemade ring light.
After a few shots with the ring light we decided to switch up the lighting style a bit. If anyone has worked with me in the studio you probably know that I do not use strobes (or for my non-photographers reading this....there is no studio "flashes"). I prefer to see the light and use my lights as a constant. My husband recently purchased some new LED lights that I wanted to try. They are super bright and easy for me to move around. Here are my favorites from the next lighting style.
It just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? And I am not even close to finished! Ha! I was pretty excited at this point in the session and knew I already nailed what I was hoping for. What I didn't know was that I was about to knock it out of the park. It was also proof that a session can unfold into something so amazing, if you let it. After this 2nd lighting set up, we were going to move the lights for a brighter and softer look. I wanted to have her change into a soft pink and have some color images (or so this was my thought). I had put my camera down and was thinking through my next idea when I literally yelled at my husband to stop moving the lights. I had looked up and there was a light falling across peace that was so incredible. A complete accident. Somehow the light was bouncing off and hitting her so perfectly that I am not sure we could do it again if we tried. What I saw in front of me was a old classic Hollywood style lighting. All of sudden this simple shoot took on a whole new level and had me so excited! Peace also added so much to this inspiration when she asked for some fabric she could play with. I had some tulle that I grabbed and she literally KILLED it.
Love. This was something completely out of the box different for me and I loved every single minute of it. Being able to be creative and seeing it unfold in front of you is an incredible feeling.
After I took million photos of this accidental lighting set up, I moved on to the soft and sweet photos. I still wanted a fashion look to them but wanted a lighter background, crazy hair, light dress and soft expressions.
I really loved working with Peace and am thankful for her inspiration! Also, I wanted to post this today, as it is her birthday! So Happy Birthday Peace! Thank you for inspiring me and letting me take photos of you! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Enjoy your sneak peek and I hope you have a fabulous birthday today!
