Vegas seems like a dream, even though it was just a month ago! I had the best time meeting other photogs, checking out the photo tradeshow, venturing around the desert, and of course teaching with Lindsay Rae. But one of my most favorite parts, of course, was PHOTOGRAPHING other photogs! This post is dedicated to ALL of the bad ass boss babes that jumped in front of my lens in an effort to remind themselves of what their clients go through!
A Little Bit O' Witchcraft {Minneapolis Diaries} ~ Inspiration Boudoir Session
When we arrived at our gorgeous Airbnb we immediately fell in love with the owners excessive candle collection and got inspired to do a witchy-inspired session after reading our tarot cards (cuz that's how we roll). I had brought the perfect crop top and Nicole had the best hat and had just picked up the coolest lipstick so we threw together this late night session, shot in the sun room.
Inspiration Was Everywhere ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss S. was a beautiful angel brought to me for a fun shoot day, post Oklahoma City workshop. Not only was she incredibly confident in front of the camera, but had a smile that could light up the room (as you will see in the images below). We didn't have too much time to chat about her life, but I did find out that this babe kills it at cross-fit and loves to eat! The location we were provided for the fun day was a sweet artist's loft in OKC where we not only had access to an open space, but also to the artist's studio and I was deeply inspired to create images in there. At the time, I had just finished watching Dear White People and LOVE the cinematography with it's framing, color tones, and overall vibe, so I threw a bit of that into this session as well. Lastly, the few images of Miss S on the rug inspired me to get a sweet patterned rug for the studio! It's sessions like this that remind me that boudoir or intimate portraits aren't always about looking sexy, pretty, or sensual...sometimes it's just about existing, finding the light and looking like a piece of art. When it comes to designing your session, I want you to think beyond the boudoir, so to speak. Some of my favorite images involve small patches of light and blurred creations that capture movement and emotion.
Stefania {Chapter 1} ~ New York Editorial
When I reached out to Ms. StefaniaFerrario a year ago via Instagram, I put it into the universe that we would someday meet up and when I didn't hear back instantly (because that's what we expect, right?) I assumed she was busy living the dream of being a model and doing her thang (which she was!). But let me rewind a bit: My first "meeting" with Stefania, was watching her interview in the Embrace documentary and watching her speak so eloquently about what it was like being a "plus" model who is between a size 8 and 10 and explaining about the terrible things that women would do to themselves and their bodies to be accepted into the modeling industry. As soon as I saw her poise and sparkle on camera, I started following her on the Instagram. Now, I had never really had the guts to reach out to professional models before, but for some reason I reached out to her because our dual passion for body neutrality and celebrating the uniqueness in humans was something that connected us. Anywho, fast foward now a YEARish after I sent the original message asking to work together and I commented on one of her insta stories about a book she had found! I guess, in responding to my message, she had seen that I had previously messaged her about working together and messaged me back telling me about the book AND THEN SAYING YES WE SHOULD WORK TOGETHER. I almost dropped my phone....but I tried to play it cool, because I didn't want to scare her off. But in Winnipeg, in my studio, I was fucking FAN-GIRLING. HARD. Anywho, she had just moved to New York to model with IMG Models (she's originally from Australia), so I took literally the only free four days I had off in the last 6 months and booked a flight to NYC. Sometimes, you just gotta take a chance. Now, this sweetheart also let me stay with her, which was freaking incredible, because she, like me, gets inspired at the drop of a hat so we found ourselves shooting throughout the day and even one evening at midnight (as you will see in another chapter later on!). So, the day I flew in, I had a hiccup with my luggage at the airport, but we ended up shooting anyway! Previously, I had found this adorable vintage cotton bra and panty set from the early 80s so I threw it in my bag last minute AND THANK THE GOOD LORD! It fit her like a damn glove. We paired that with her amazingly tiny pink bathroom and set to work on our first editorial! Now, as a she is a professional model, I doubted my skills for a second...especially when I pulled out JUST my camera and she said "You don't have any lights?" and look inquisitively at me. I choked down my fear and replied "Nope, I like shooting with ambient light." but in my brain was like "oh my fuck." But really, what was I going to do? I work best under pressure and have way more fun creating, so somehow we managed to throw together literally one of my favorite editorials EVER because it is lifestyle, but also bad ass. Oh, Stefania is also a big proponent in saying no to Photoshop! So, while her images have been color corrected and color toned, there is no skin retouching on this fierce babe! So, now that you have the low-down on how we met, I am going to let you get to enjoying this delightful session we did! I introduce to you Ms. Stefania - Chapter 1:
For Her, It Is Always ~ Winnipeg Intimate Portrait Photographer
TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM
I found ms. Chloe on the Instagram when I was scrolling through #therealcatwalk images, images taken during the Fashion Week in whatever city is hosting it (London, in this case) and I saw one of the other amazing models I follow: Khrystyana (from the latest season of America's Next Top Model) with this beautiful girl with a lion's mane of beautiful curls. #therealcatwalk is an event that happens to bring awareness to the "other" bodies that exist in the world and are just as worthy of strutting their stuff during Fashion Week! There are babes with disabilities, babes with body image issues, babes with bellies, and babes who self harm/ed...Chloe falls into the last category. I reached out to her and let her know that I would be coming to London and on a long shot, if she was free, would she want to collaborate and do a shoot with me. Within minutes I heard back. I was so pumped to meet this girl I literally knew nothing about. Fast forward to the day of our shoot and she met me at my teeny tiny little hotel room where we improvised and used strategic lighting to make the room look significantly bigger than it was (I could spin around in one spot and almost touch every wall). While shooting we chatted a wee bit about her modeling career (which started VERY young and was interrupted by her self harm) and we chatted about her favorite musicians and both of our loves for Primark. While we didn't get into the specifics of Chloe's self harm with her, it was evident that she had been through a lot in her young life, but the fact that she was there, on the other side of all of that darkness and ready to give life another go was very inspiring. I asked Chloe to write a bit about her life and she gave me a poem which she created during her treatment when she was diagnosed as Bi-Polar and it is her expression of BPD and how she experienced it. During the shoot, Chloe was extremely professional, amazingly open to creative collaboration with me, and I think she had a good time.
bpd issitting in the freezing cold for hours on end smoking countless cigarettes not knowing where you are or why you're there.bpd isfeeling so empty and emotionless that it's an emotion within itself, the numbness over takes your whole being clouding you're every move with a smoky veil of nothing.bpd isnot wanting to get out of bed because your scared of what you're going to feel today and how many different emotions are coming your way.bpd isnauseating anxiety growling in the pit of your stomach, catching you out at all the wrong times forcing you to retreat into yourself with clammy hands and a heightened heartbeat.bpd isfeeling ecstatic half an hour later, re- downloading tinder for the 30th time even though each time you have it and don't get a quick fuck soon enough, you get bored and scrap the idea leaving you feeling unloveable and dirty.bpd isNothing,And everything.It's tiring and exhausting.It's buying your friends gifts at every opportunity to make sure they don't hate you.It's hating the shell you reside in so much you slice it open just to see there's something actually inside of you.It's paralysing.It's constant.It's always.
