I haven't posted any e sessions in awhile, so I thought I'd put up some of my recent faves.
Nicole and Steve (with Joe), Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts
(wedding 10/05/08)
Bhavna and Emil
I had a lot of fun at this E session. Bhavna and Emil were great to work with, one of those couples who just seem to read my mind--knowing exactly what to do and when to do it to portray everything about their love for one another. In planning our session they said that they wanted to visit some SF locations that were meaningful to them as a couple, of which there were many, but after talking for awhile on email we settled on the Ferry Building and Fort Mason for their variety and placement close to some of the best views in the city.
I always ask my couples to choose an E session location that has some relevance to who they are, as opposed to just somewhere pretty or romantic, or where "everyone else" is doing it. It could be a place that is a part of their history, like where they got engaged or where they went on a first date, somewhere they used to go or have always wanted to go, or merely a place that reflects their personalities...but it has to be relevant. The reason for this is that it helps get their minds off the fact that they are being photographed.
If they've been there before, they can talk and reminisce about the last time they were there. If they've never been there but have always wanted to, they can enjoy the process of discovering the new place and everything it has to offer. Both of these activities help to get them out of the stiff, self conscious, camera-aware frame of mind that is the enemy of any documentary-style shooter looking to capture real connection. The couple gets wrapped up in the moment and in each other, they start to forget I am there (or at least they cease to care), and everything feels and looks very natural.
Its kind of like watching a good movie. Even during the best movies you don't 100% forget that you are watching something contrived, for the sake of entertainment; but you do make the choice to suspend your disbelief and to allow yourself to be sucked into the moment. That is similar to what my couples do during our E sessions, and finding a relevant location is the same thing as turning down the lights in a theater. In the dark, with the movie images and sounds filling your senses, you are able to become fully immersed--sometimes having very intense emotional reactions. It is often only when the movie is over and the lights come back up that you realize just how far gone into that other world you were.
Here are some highlights from the shoot:
out behind the FB
in the front of the FB, where the low sun made for some incredible light puring through the arches
B & E were such troopers out on the windy, freezing pier at Fort Mason
across from Greens, one of the couple's favorite vegetarian gourmet restaurants
Lydia and Mike weren't sure where they wanted to do their E session...until they saw Karen and David's E pics on my blog. They loved them, and wanted to do something similar. But, every couple has a different feel, and no two are alike.
We started off in the Mission, planning to shoot a bit in a pie shop since it was Lydia's birthday, and I thought a birthday cake and candles would be a nice starting point. But no one thought to bring candles, and the shop was kind of small and packed, and it's usually a bad idea to start off an E session in a busy place anyway (makes the couple more nervous if they are not used to being photographed, as they feel like a spectacle). So we shot pics of the couple feeding each other banana cream in a little alcove down the street, and then got up to start walking around the neighborhood, which is when I noticed this cool sign:
Mike has that punk rock wall-lean thing completely down. I always used to try it myself when waiting for the Subway but could never get my leg up high enough to look cool.
Most of the shoot took place in and around mission dive bars like the 500 club and the Elbow Room...but as usual the best shots came from little places that just caught my eye as we walked around.
Finally we ended up in Muni, and I was psyched to try a blurred train shot or two. I'm surprised how nice I was able to get the color of these shots in post, given the horrible florescents that are everywhere underground.
Lydia and Mike wanted a shot of them jumping the turstiles, as a finale. I have about 6-7 images of the entire course of the jump, taken within a second or two, but so far I like this one best.
Angela Gail Banchi, my friend and fellow photographer, was kind enough to be my official light schlepper when my regular assistant was not available. She was a trooper, especially in light of the fact that the shoot was again approaching 4 hours in length. In my defense, most of my E sessions don't pas 90 mins and if the couple begins to look bedraggled, then we end it...but Lydia and Mike seemed to be right there with me the whole time.
After we dropped them off at 11PM, Angela and I stopped for food at the one restaurant in the Mission that was both still open and not a taqueria, and then headed back over the bridge for home.
Karen and David
(a bartender at Fuse celebrates Karen and David's engagement by fixing up some complementary fire shots; a mixture of Malibu, pineapple, and 151, poured into shot glasses and lit on fire)
My session with Karen and David was awesome and HOT (in more ways than one); easily one of my favorite E sessions of all time.
From the beginning the couple had expressed a desire for something new and different, with perhaps a bit of an urban/edgy feel. After weeks of thinking about where to start shooting, they chose the Mint bar on Market St.; a location with sentimental value from early in their relationship. They also wanted to incorporate some of the city's famous neon signage in their pictures, such as the marquee of the Presidio theater and the strip clubs around North Beach. We planned to meet shortly before sunset, and continue beyond dusk to catch the different parts of the city as they were lit up for the night.
I was a bit worried when I saw it was going to rain; of course I've shot E sessions in the rain before with no problem, but usually in the park or other places that provide some partial cover. I knew that if the couple felt cold or uncomfortable it would be hard to get good expressions from them, and we might have to reschedule. But K & D really were up for anything, and didn't mind getting a little wet...of course it probably helped that we started in a bar, and then hit another bar about halfway through to warm up both inside and out. In the end the weather turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the wet, foggy atmosphere gave the streetlights and neon signs a kind of mystical glow, and the water on the ground provided lots of cool reflections to play with in the pictures.
Karen and David were SO much fun to hang out with, and so easy to shoot--their chemistry is undeniable. They had lots of ideas and suggestions of their own, and we often found ourselves noticing the same place or having the same idea at the same moment. Furthermore they trusted me completely, and were not afraid to try new things or feel a little silly for the sake of good photography.
Here are a few teaser pics (more than usual because I am just so in love with them);
Inside the Mint
walking around the Presidio area
on to Broadway and Chestnut
(thanks to my friend Ed Pingol for the inspiration)
ending up in Chinatown at 11:30PM, (4 hours of shooting! time just flew by)
The rest of the images will be posted here by the middle of May.
Edit: someone asked about my lighting--most of the images were lit with an off camera Qflash (in the hands of my totally awesome and quite-a-trooper intern Gerald), gelled with 1/2CTO and with a 20 deg. grid. The sitting on the bar image also included on camera flash bounced off the ceiling for fill.
The results
I was really happy with my images from Day 2 of Flourish Workshop: the bridals and Lights Out sessions especially. I am hoping to do more of both of these this year. Taking bridal portraits is not really something that we do on the West Coast, perhaps because of the stigma of formal, stuffy, cheesy studio photography that the genre has endured. Yet brides out here put just as much thought into their dress, and their overall wedding look, as do brides in the South or East...sometimes even more so. With all of the cool location possibilities that exist in the Bay Area, I think it would be a no-brainer to reframe the bridal portrait as a way to express the individuality and real beauty of the bride on her own, without her partner in tow. And although these bridals were shot in the studio, the variety of set design and lighting gave all three women a very distinct look and feel:
Soft and classically romantic Erica (gown by Romona Keveza)
Clean and modern (and kinda sultry) Sarah (gown by Amsale)
Quirky, avant-garde Leah (gown by Paloma Blanca)
And one shot to convey the papparazzi-like atmosphere of the sessions:
The Lights Out shoot began with Kitty going over her approach and what inspires her to do this kind of work. Her work is very much about creating a fantasy...but not the cliche, bubblegum-fake Playboy starlet fantasy that currently dominates the boudoir genre. For her the illusion is not about altering reality; rather it is a place for a woman to find herself by becoming something else...by adopting a character (or caricature) and giving herself permission to play.
One of my favorite quotes from Kitty's presentation was, "Put a woman in a costume, and she will act. Put a woman in her underwear, and she will hide." It is because of the fantastical nature of these shoots that she finds the courage to be the beautiful, sexy person that she truly is; free from the limits and expectations that come with being "herself."
I am fascinated by this approach for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it shares a common inspiration with my wedding images. Showing brides how beautiful they are while staying true to who they are is and always has been a huge part of my wedding work. Of course the interplay between fantasy and reality is a huge part of weddings as well, and it is always interesting to see how each couple takes the tradition of the wedding day and makes it their own. I have shot many intimate portraits on request, but it's not something I ever advertised...mainly because I feared that it would be misinterpreted, and might put off some of my more traditional brides. But now that I've found a way to reconcile it, and a language to explain why I do both and what I'm trying to accomplish, I can see that changing. :)
Here are my images from the Lights Out shoot: (mature content ahoy!)
Denise
I love the way the shadow of the camera gives this shot a touch of voyeuristic thrill
Sarah
this shot makes me think of Uma Thurman circa Pulp Fiction for some reason
Kristen
I love that her red velvet shoes are just barely visible here
We also did an Engagement shoot at Flourish. I am very well versed in shooting E sessions, but it was fun to shoot one in a real winter environment for once!
Sam & Lizzie
and with a little extra flavor:
Angela & Luke
If Day 1 of Flourish dealt with all things practical, Day 3 dealt with all things artistic. We covered Photoshop first, specifically how (and why) to retouch images from the Lights Out and similar intimate portraits. Kitty again talked about treading the fine line between the fantastical and the real, and showed us how to do subtle body retouching to smooth imperfections while still retaining the overall natural look of the woman's body. Kim went over her Lightroom workflow for editing and post production. And Angela discussed creative album design.
Speaking of which, I am very excited to debut my new Couture Book line of albums for weddings shot in 2008; these books will offer an alternative to the straightforward flush mount wedding book that is made up solely of images. Each Couture book is the result of an intense collaboration between the photographer (me) and my handpicked professional graphic designer, combining beautiful storytelling images with elements of design, texture, color, and line art, all of which will be influenced by the look and feel of your wedding including invitations, monograms, fonts, decor, colors, flowers, etc. The result is an art book that is entirely your own, reflecting the intrinsic feel of the wedding and the couple themselves, that elevates your wedding story to a work of art. No two books will look anything alike...because no two weddings are entirely alike. More details and images on the new Couture book to come soon...
When all is said and done, the most important thing I took home from Flourish was a sense of how crucial it is as a photographer to be yourself. You can't be all things to all people, so don't even try...instead, find what you truly love to do, what you are good at, and do THAT. Once you do, you'll find yourself loving every aspect of your work...and surrounded by clients who support your vision.
Shoutouts:
Dresses courtesy of Bluegrass Bride
Makeup by Ana Crane-Simpson
Hair by Rodney Farmer, Salon Figaro
Studio lighting and set design by Angela Anderson and husband/cinematographer Gary, Kitty Maer
Kim Reed, Kitty Maer, and Angela Anderson for being so generous with their knowledge
And special thanks to all the women and couples, none of whom are professional models, who gifted us with their time and their permission to post images publicly.
