Busy Busy Busy and a portfolio builder shoot

Ok, so i really truly wouldnt have thought I would be as busy as I have been this winter!

I am definitely not complaining! But my grandiose plans of getting my youtube channel and this blog updated better has well... not happened very well!

I did have 3 weddings in December as well as family in town, but also lots of bridal consults.

I have already had 2 weddings this month and I have another 2 to go this month... but here's the amazing thing, I have 34 weddings booked so far for 2011! So if you are a bride... please dont wait to ask me about your date because I'm getting calls daily!

I've also had lots of portfolio building shoots for both models and photographers as well as some boudoir sessions (most of those I am not able to show you, but if you are interested in having boudoir photos taken, please let me know and I will point you towards the photographers I work with on these).

It's been crazy fun! I will try to be better about updating some of these portfolio building adventures on here!

SOOOOO... where to start?!

Let's start with a shoot i did last month. I was learning studio lighting with photographer, Alex Frazier. He was also taking the photos, but then we let me try each shot when he was done. The shots shown here on my blog are ones that i took with my camera. :D

Model is Sarah Ingle.

This was a portfolio builder shoot for the photographer, though i really think we all won out with this shoot!

With Portfolio Builder shoots I like to show the progression of the looks and what i do to successfully go from one look to another.

First, we start off a little more simple. You definitely need to be able to add on from this look.

We started with a sophisticated look that could easily be modified. I used the icon eyeshadow palette from Smashbox with a fluidliner by MAC in wavelength. Her lips is one of my new lip tars from Obsessive Compulsive cosmetics ( will do a whole post on this new gem of a product soon!)

Her hair we pulled to a low side braid. Sarah has extremely long hair! It was so much fun to play with!

Next up... what i call the Edward Scissorhands if he were a beautiful model!

To change her eyemakeup, i actually just wiped off the blue and started fresh on her lids only. I did have to use a bit of eye makeup remover to get the fluidliner off. The trick to that is to just put the makeup remover on a qtip and wipe off exactly what you want wiped off leaving the rest safe! Then i used an eyegloss i picked up what seems like ages ago from Frends Beauty Supply. It was just dying to be used! Of course in these photos, you can't tell at all that it's an eye gloss! Oh well!

For those gnarly lips, i used a black lipstick i picked up from the halloween section!

For her hair, we actually twisted it up the back (like you would if you were just using one of those massive claw clips) and used the big bobbi pins to secure it. Then we teased the snot out of it!

And now... look 3!

From the start I knew the plans were to have these shot options in both black and white and in color. So i had a lot to think about for color options. I wanted something easy to build off of for the next look... but still look different. Hmmmmmm. Oh yeah, it also had to look good in black and white!

And in color... ok, so my color version is a little enhanced...

I went with bright oranges and yellows because I knew in black and white they would add a nice contour shades even in the black and white photo. Colors too similar to the skin tone in brightness just get washed away in a b/w photo, and i didnt want to get too dark because I wanted to really change up the look for the final look.

I used the bright orange on both her eye and her lips (using a paintstick by MAC in genuine orange) Her lids were heavily lined using a cake liner by Kryolan.

For her hair, it's pretty self explainatory! We combed out the teasing (not... do not put a ton of spray into teasing if you know you will be brusing it out later, just be on standby to beef up the teasing if need be) And then we flat ironed it so it would be silky smooth!

Ok, are you ready for the final look?

Well i started playing and decided to leave her lid and added more yellow tones. The original plan was to add the dark silver to her lid as well, but i was really feeling this random eqyptian mode thing so i ran with it!

First i extended the shadow to her temple. Then i extended her brow with dark silver shadow and extended her bottom lashline. The inside designs were painting using the cake liner by kryolan and a small brush. I love kryolan's cake liner!

I did add more of a blush to her cheek to balance every thing out and i toned down the lip color by adding a pinkie brown right over the orange.

Hair: we just turned on a fan. hehe.

So that was our portfolio builder shoot and while I did take the photos, Alex Frazier set up the lights (except for the last shot in which he challenged me to do it myself!)

Is there something you'd like to see posted on my blog? Let me know and I'll try to get it done for ya!

Fashion Shoot with Brett Marler and Emily!

This past weekend I had the priviledge of working with a photographer from Atlanta named Brett Marler. He is a great photographer and had some really fun ideas to do with our muse, Emily.

Now I have worked with Emily many times this summer as she really works on her modeling porfolio and she is just as sweet as can be! You wouldnt believe the legs on this girl and her devotion to learning about the modeling world!

Ok... i've gotten off track. Back to the shoot... the shoot is what I would label as a Portfolio Builder shoot. And i LOVE working on Portfolio building shoots! What happens in a shoot like this is that the model will be dressed in very different outfits. The overall goal is to get numerous different looks for her portfolio or look book or possibly even develop a new comp/zed card.

Where this is fun for me is that I get to help the model achieve those very different looks. I do not want the model to simply look like she changed her clothes. What fun is that? I like to really vary her styling from makeup to hair, but you cant wash it all off each time... so this type of shoot must be PLANNED to be successful.

First I talk with the stylist or photographer (and model if she is planning her own wardrobe) about the looks that will be shot. Then I help to plan their order and how i can adjust her makeup and hair with each look. Having it planned out also helps the shoot to speed along. You dont want to spend 30 minutes with every change. That is only going to cause the flow of the shoot to slow down.

With Brett we discussed the outfits right down to the accessories. It was great to have a photog know exactly what he was shooting. Often times, that only happens when there is a stylist involved. Then i planned the hair and makeup and sent it to him for approval. Things may change of course, and you need to go with the flow, but this greatly helped me make sure i had everything mapped out for the shoot.

Here is look 1...

Her makeup was kept clean and simple. For a shoot with lots of looks, this is the best thing to do first. If the model does any acting, this would be where you would do an actor's headshot. I did of course cover any blemishes, etc and do a bit of contour around the eyes to make sure they were seem. Liner was kept to a minimum, but i did use a bit of shadow to help inhance her eye shape. Blush used was just a sheer peach tone to make her naturally flushed.

Her hair was a bit more fun. I made 2 side ponies and then wrapped her hair inwards and secured with large bobbi pins. You dont want to use TOO much hairspray because remember, you will be changing the look shortly.

Look 2...

This look i think was my favorite of the 5 (actually, the next look which i dont have a photo of yet was very similar with only a hair change and lip color change).

Makeup I added a bronze smokey eye using the Too Faced Natural Eye palette. I dusted a light highlight powder on her cheeks. I wanted to leave the color, but give her higher cheekbones for a slightly edgier look. Lip color was changed to a very pale/blend into the skin tone (i used Myth from MAC).

Hair - super easy! Pulled back into a moderately high pony and fluffed a bit. Added a wooden headband. The focus was on her face. :D

Look 4

Now we started to play a little more with wardrobe and makeup. I actually used a very bright purple liner and a purple shadow to smoke out her eyes just a bit. We ended up playing with the glasses a bit more so you dont see the eyemakeup as much (totally fine, it happens!) There may be a shot or 2 in there that shows more of the makeup, but i havent seen them all yet. ;)

I changed the lip color again to a brighter cool pink (scandal by Too Faced) and added a touch of a pinker blush to her cheeks.

Hair again, pretty easy, just taken down and tousled.

Look 5

are you ready for this...

Ok, last look of the day is always going to be the most extreme. It doesnt always have to be THIS extreme, but it was the reason i was called to the shoot. :D

Now the above image isnt super sharp as it wasnt meant to be a close up but i cant explain the makeup very well in a shot too far away ;)

Since the outfit was um, bright, we went with a lot of bright colors! For her eyes, i used a Kryolan Cake Liner in purple (this was actually just left on from the previous look) and then i extended it for this look and also used a MAC shadow in leisuretime. I used MAC paintsticks in genuine orange and true chartreuse to extend beyond the eye and add a lot of popping color. A black liner (also a kryolan cake liner) was added on top to break up the color a bit and extend the lashes. False lashes (Creme 507) were added on top. her cheeks i used a brighter pink by Trish McEvoy (sorry i cant recall the color name). her lips were fun as well... i used the genuine orange paint stick on her lower lip and a bright pink lipstick on her upper lip.

Her hair... well as you might guess, i just tease the snot out of it. :D And used a lot of hairspray.

So thats what i call a Portfolio Builder shoot! If you are interested in booking me for a portfolio builder shoot, contact me for rates.