Jeanette + Daniel... Underwater

Today yielded another fantastic underwater session. This time, an engagement shoot! And my first engagement shoot underwater would not have been so fantastic without such a fabulous (and willing) couple... Meet Jeanette and Daniel. This is the first half of their engagement session so look for more to come... On land of course :-)

I also want to thank James Wiseman of reefpix.org for coming out to assist with lighting, studio setups, etc. His work is amazing and his presence only made this session the best it could be. 

References:

James Wiseman - http://www.reefpix.org

 

Underwater with James Wiseman

Ok, one more underwater blog then back to weddings and boudoir; promise :-). Yesterday evening I was invited by James Wiseman of reefpix.org to come practice and learn more about lighting underwater. Have you ever been so excited about doing something or going somewhere that practically nothing can keep you from it? Well, this was it for me, and I decided to take on this adventure while trying to conceal that I was too sick to be there. Payment??? Ya, I'm paying for it today, but it was soooo worth it.

James is one of the best underwater photographers I've come across and just as nice as he is talented. When I arrived, there were four models being dolled up in fantasy makeup by the lovely Sara from Cara Dulce Makeup and as an extra treat, I got to meet another terrific photographer from the west coast; Clayton Addison. I was learning so much about underwater setups and the lighting required, that I almost forgot I was sick to begin with. The models were all very nice and good at sinking :-) Thanks and props to everyone involved who made yesterday happen and thanks mostly to James for allowing me to play along with such gifted individuals. Thank you also to the wonderful hosts, Renae and Chuck for the directions, pool, conversation and FABULOUS chicken!!!

Here are the sneaks; enjoy!

References:

James Wiseman - http://www.reefpix.org

Cara Dulce Makeup - http://www.caradulcemakeup.com

Clayton Addison - www.claytonaddisonphoto.com

Stella - Underwater

Today was another terrific session underwater! If you follow the blogs, then you'll know Stella. The girl with the fabulous role-playing engagement photos, charismatic wedding, and stunning boudoir! Yeah, I've worked with her before... And I have an absolute blast every time I shoot her! I have so many terrific clients and this is one of my favorites. Stella makes me laugh so hard that my sides hurt when we work most of the time. Today I even ran into some trouble because laughing underwater... not an easy thing to do. We had a great time though and I think you can see how much fun she is just by some of the props she brought along for this shoot.

And yes... Dafnee felt like getting in front of the lens as well again. Hers so cute!!!

Underwater - Take 2, ok... 3

Alright folks, we went back under this week and so far, I'm truly loving the results. Even though this has been the most challenging thing I've done so far in photography, the lessons (sometimes hard lessons) and skills I'm picking up are ones that will stay with me forever and hopefully, keep this type of work moving forward.

Meet Lindsay! Lindsay is my new assistant and most importantly, she sinks! Yes, sinking has been one of the hardest tasks for the models to overcome. It's daunting and exhausting just watching them, but all have been troopers and very patient with me. Below Lindsay is Adele with the umbrella. Nice prom dress, don't ya think?!? I just happened to have the matching umbrella in the back of my car :-) Props are always a major plus with this type of work and they're coming for sure, so keep coming back. It should get interesting.

Thanks to all of the models for their participation and patience... and willingness to lose all your air and hold your breath for me :-)

I'm off to dry off for a few days. Enjoy!

References: 

Makeup: Hues by Heather - http://www.huesbyheather.com

Oh My - Underwater!

Ok, so I've been totally inspired over the past week with some completely amazing underwater photography I've seen. So I decided to pull my underwater housing out of the box and be as fearless as possible at underwater photography. Now, I'm sure this is simple for a vast majority of the photographers who have mastered this type of work, but for me this has been the most challenging task I've encountered as a photographer and I am hoping that I'll eventually get the hang of it. It's fun when I see the results I'm going for, but it is by no means an easy goal to reach.

Meet Laurel. My sweet pal and former client. Most importantly, someone willing to get in a pool with her wedding dress on!!! This session was nothing more than practice and my first day of shooting underwater where my subject wasn't the pool cleaner... And so far, I'm pretty happy with the results. I know the possibilities are vast. 

Lastly, I had to throw in a few images of the hubs, also known as my "weekend underwater assistant". 

So, I think I'm done shooting the pool cleaner.

Amanda - Boudoir

Moving on... After their engagement shoot yesterday, Amanda came back with me and we did her boudoir session. As always, having Heather Hughes there for hair, makeup, and some posing,  always secures a perfect shooting experience.

We decided to go more more of the fun stuff rather than the usual bedroom poses and it's always fun to be silly in boudoir. Amanda was a complete joy to work with and the three of os laughed and shot for about three hours. Fun! Fun! Fun!

References:

Hair & Makeup: Hues by Heather - http://www.huesbyheather.com