June, Jaime

I am way behind on blogging but it's only because EKP has truly been rocking and rolling of late. Where we expected June to be the start of slow slow slow season, it's been our most productive month yet. We are at 84 shoots now, with 7 more on the books, since we opened for business last fall.

In May I photographed a high school senior and her family and the sessions were amazing...such beautiful people and some of my best work. Unfortunately, they requested that their images not be shared. Much to my great disappointment, the world won't get to share in the delight of seeing their awesomeness. What I learned from their sessions were the following tidbits:

~No matter how much money people have or don't have, people are always still just people, with cool kinks and quirks, no matter their financial status.

~When it comes to doing something they don't normally do, people want guidance. As a photographer, I need to be prepared to create not only an experience during sessions but a journey. This requires both forethought and spontaneity.

I can blog about some other sessions...I'll start with Jaime. Jaime volunteered to be a model and together we broke free of some of what had been holding us both back. I hadn't explored Roosevelt Row with my camera and she hadn't explored how awesome she would be as a model and we both made amazing strides! Here's proof:

I really enjoy working one on one with people on their portraits - we both have creative control of what images we're producing and it really is a team effort. I love what Jaime and I produced together! Thanks Jaime!

Arizona Commercial Photographer - Commercial Shoots

Running a photography business is educational and incredible in so many awesome ways. We are in our 8th month and have completed 67 shoots. This post is dedicated to what I've gotten out of doing commercial shoots thus far.

I did a commercial shoot for GE at the end of April and it was a great experience. It was my third commercial shoot since EKP has been operating. The first was for an airplane company in Florida and I shot one of the Cubs' pitchers during spring training for them. The second was for an alumni magazine at the University of Texas, San Antonio and I photographed a leader in our community. Commercial shoots are unique experiences that, for me, have brought new opportunities to expand my skill set and comfort zone with photography and people.

Here are some of my take aways:

1. Stay committed to your vision. My goal is to "capture the love and energy of the good life" and while circumstances beyond my control (time to shoot, time of shoot, quality of environment, celebrity status, purpose of shoot) dictated these shoots, I eventually realized that my vision must always be the priority. I wasn't able to fully grasp this until the third shoot. I was star struck with the baseball player and mired in the hiring group's details with the community leader but finally found my groove with the GE employee. I spent 10 of the 20 minutes I had with her doing what GE wanted and then 10 doing what I liked. It wasn't long enough to achieve total perfection but I walked away feeling as if I had created some images that made her feel beautiful AND I accomplished what I was hired to accomplish.

2. Read the contract - not just the summary - but the whole darn thing. I read the summary of an 11 page contract and it matched my proposal so I signed it. Later, I learned that I signed off on some very basic things that you sinply don't sign off on...sigh - live & learn - and read every word.

3. Be quick on your feet and be flexible. For each of the shoots, I was fortunate to have access to open shade even though 2 of the shoots were at high noon, per the subjects' schedules. I arrived early to each shoot (on each subjects' home turf) to scope out available light, available shade, mood of the space and prospective backdrops. The extra scouting gave me a little more room to be flexible and fast with whatever circumstances presented themselves.

4. Gather & Disperse: Aside from the fact that commercial shoots can be more lucrative than highly personalized portrait sessions, another bonus is that commercial jobs have inspired a new level of spontaneity that I've been able to apply to all types shoots. This level of spontaneity is truly a gift!

5. Clarity matters. For each shoot, the subject was not interested in being photographed. I had to elicit something from them to get something in the images. In each shoot, I spoke with each subject maybe 3 minutes prior to clicking the shutter so I had to develop rapport AS I shot which is not always easy. Being clear in my direction and secure with my vision allowed images to emerge that met the demand of the project as well as my own aesthetic demand.

Arizona Portrait Photographer - Rachael

Rachael is a pro at modeling, for real, so I was grateful for her volunteering to sit for me for an afternoon. We headed to Downtown Mesa and a nearby overpass to get these shots. Her expertise in front of the camera made my job so much easier. But here's the thing, not being a natural in front of the camera doesn't mean you can't or won't look glamorous. I will always do my best during a session (and in post production) to bring your fullest you to the image. I understand that it's hard sometimes to have a camera documenting your every move so I will do what I can to make the process one of ease and enjoyment. We do offer custom touch up services but if you enjoy yourself during a shoot, it's almost a sure thing, the images will be a hit!

Mesa portrait photographer - Mesa lifestyle photographer - Gilbert portrait photographer - Gilbert lifestyle photographer - Phoenix portrait photographer - Phoenix lifestyle photographer - Arizona portrait photographer - Arizona lifestyle photographer

Arizona Family Photographer - H, J, M & Some Tips

H, J & M were a fantastic family to photograph! Not only did they arrive beautifully clothed (not matchy matchy but in a perfectly compatible color set of creams, beiges, and browns), they were happy to play together! It is such a joy to be able to spend time with happy people. I realize we can't all always be happy but when it's time for family photos, taking the strides necessary to keep each other in good spirits, will clearly show up in the images captured. I'll do my best to make you look as great as I can but whatever good mojo you can bring to your shoot will make a world of difference. Some tips on keeping spirits up:

1. Make a day out of the photo shoot. You're looking good - why not plan to go out somewhere after your shoot - maybe for a meal or to a show?

2. When toting little ones, have their favorite toy/s, drinks and snackies available.

3. For that matter, have a few of your favorite snacks waiting in the car for yourself!

4. Arrive to your shoot well rested and well fed. I will do everything I can to help you be comfortable in front of the camera but hitting the basics for yourself is a simple way to optimize your photo experience.

5. Collaborate on your clothes and have fun picking out what you'll wear. If there's a theme in your color choice, the pictures will have an interesting and rich continuity.

6. Be present for each other during your session so that you can help to create not only some amazing images but some fantastic memories too!

Arizona Family Photographer