Japanese-inspired photoshoot

It all started with an idea to just get out and do a little photo shoot. Where? Morikami Park, since I had never been there. The ambiance should have been enough of a theme in itself, but developing the idea further, the model who volunteered for the project - Nelly Iskhakova (one of my favorites!) - happened to have a Japanese-looking top, so it was decided to compliment it with geisha-inspired makeup with a modern twist to it. The images below are what we came up with! 

We purchased a handheld fan at the gift store upon arrival at Morikami Park, and when the model put it up to shield her eyes against the sun, I was mesmerized with the shadow pattern that it cast on her face. After a few minor adjustments to ensure the shadow covered her entire face, this final photo was taken. Used natural light and a neutral density filter to allow for a wider aperture.

tough stuff

"Give me some time to get into better shape and we will do a photoshoot", were his words before I left for a long vacation spanning two countries. Having come back hungry for work (photographing places and things does not give me the same high as a photo session with a person, a photo session with objectives to capture a certain mood, or something special about that person), so I was very psyched to have an opportunity to photograph Kerem. 

It was an indoor photo session with one light, tons of coconut oil (to enhance form and give the skin a glistening look), and lots of fun, as always. As many other clients that I work with, Kerem was concerned about how to pose himself in front of the camera for a natural look. To alleviate this anxiety for him, I suggested some poses which he openly tried and we also improvised a little. 

Side by side comparison of the photo straight out of camera and the final edit. As you can see, the abs are really his :) 

Originally I had planned Kerem's final photos as high contrast black and white images, but when I started editing them, I decided to try a brownish/golden tonality and am very pleased with the results. As you can see from the side by side comparison of the two photos below, the only things that I changed in Photoshop were color and contrast and no alterations were made to the actual body of the model. By the way, the response to my request to provide some insight on how to get a body like that was simple: work out and watch what you eat, especially eliminate carbs. Sounds easy enough, right? ;)

These are the final images from our photo session. Hope you enjoy them! 

fun couple shoot

Always experimenting and pushing outside of your comfort zone is a great way to stay inspired and to grow as an artist. I was fortunate enough to come across a couple who was willing to be experimented upon and trusted me in choice of poses for them. While doing my research in preparation for their session, I came across photos of Adam Levine and his Russian supermodel girlfriend Anna Vyalitsina for a recent issue of Vogue.  Kerem and Elia, my models, recreated two of the poses, the side by side comparison of which is presented here. I know, I know, my angles are wrong, and I didn't edit the cropped backdrop, and my models are not ten feet tall, but, nevertheless, it was so much, and next time I will do better. We must try and fail many times before we perfection is born, and I will not relent :) 

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My angle is not as low as in the Vogue photo, (don't even get me started about my backdrop), and the pose might not be exactly like the celebrity couple's, but it's close enough and it was so much fun to create! 

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And this is my favorite shot of Elia from our session: 

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fascination with hats

I have always been drawn to hats and lately had a chance to photograph many women wearing them. There is something about hats that just transforms you into an elegant classy lady or a playful sassy girl. My friend Claire (in the first two portraits) has tons of hats, from fancy to cowboy and beach hats, and after our photo shoot she said that she might transform her style and start wearing hats all the time and become known as That Lady Who Always Wears Hats. Why not? And the Russian beauties in the third and fourth portrait brought their hats to the shoot and felt so liberated by being able to wear them in a judge-free zone of public opinion. How feminine and sultry they look! Here is to ladies wearing hats and to looking fabulous! 

Which hat reflects your style? Or which hat would you want to wear for your dream photo shoot? Tell me in the comments! 

Snow Queen - the story behind the image

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The idea to create this image of Snow Queen came about at the end of September when, pondering about upcoming Halloween, I realized that have never done a photo shoot in a really exaggerated disguise. Having conceived that notion, I immediately contacted a professional makeup artist Aradia Vive whom I had met just weeks before. Aradia of Bridal Makeovers by Aradia (www.bridalmakeovers.com) told me she would be interested in working on a project after having seen a few screenshots that I dug up in Google images. My next step was to find a model for the role and I immediately texted Nelly, who has been my contributor and friend and who is always willing to partake in my photographic experiments. After scheduling an appointment for the makeup to be done, Nelly and I set off on our quest to obtain all the materials to bring the image to life and it just happened so that in the car, on the way to the local arts and crafts store, I casually suggested the idea of a snow queen as a theme. I guess it struck a chord with Nelly so it was determined that snow queen is what she would to materialize into. Having narrowed it down to a theme made purchasing supplies so much easier - we bought rhinestones of assorted sizes, a jar of glitter,  white hair spray, wired tinsel, a bag of foil bits, and silver nail polish. The crown was created out of a decoration that was sold in the bridal/floral section, which I cut into smaller branches and attached using wired tinsel to a headband. I must say, I'm extremely proud of my creation - tis the first crown I had ever made! The entire trip to Bal Harbor and back, where Aradia performed makeup magic, took about five hours, but fighting rush hour traffic on the way back to Boca to do the shoot, we both felt satisfied that the hardest part of putting the image together had already been done. Once we got to the studio, the magic of transformation continued as Nelly skillfully (insisting she did not need me help when being asked five times) put her hair up in an intricate yet tasteful design and adorned it with a crown. To make sure the queen looked like she was made of snow, I proceeded to spray her hair with white hair spray, which on accidental contact with skin proved to be useful in that regard as well, so we sprayed Nelly's arms as well to give them a silvery glow. The final touch was to tie Nelly's chest with a silver belt (yes, it is a belt indeed) which we found at Marshall's for five dollars - those who seek truly find! 

The actual photo shoot was conducted with just one speed-light and a soft box. After having experimented with a number of poses, the million dollar shot turned out to be this image you see here. It was lots of fun to research ideas and come up with a theme and then manifest that vision into life. I am also very proud to have won an honorable mention for this image at a monthly photography contest that is held for members of a meetup called The Art of Seeing (it's a wonderful group of seasoned and aspiring photographers that provides a lot of inspiration and feedback).