This is from my second Photoshoot on 8-27-12.
Taken by My dear, old friend Mike Jones ( he is my age,but I have known him for well over 20 years)
He had come back to the Chicago area to go to school , and get a degree in digital photography, and he wanted to work on his portfolio. He,knowing I had recently lost much weight, wanted me to model for him. I had enjoyed my session with Aza Azunia so much that I agreed. I figured I would get a couple shots, and get to spend the day with some of my best friends...win, win right?
So he came over,helped me pick out some wardrobe from my closet, and we set a date the next week.
Nicole, the MakeUp and hair artist, I had known from a former job where she had been the receptionist, I a designer, and I had put Mike and she in contact.
Mike picked up Nicole and they came over to my house ( these were all shot in the forest preserve behind my house...it has been used several times by me for shoots...as well as by other photographers in the area)
Having someone else do my makeup was a rather novel experience for me ( still is, since 99%of the time I still do my own makeup and hair) So we got dressed and done and trooped out to the woods.
Mike still is a very mellow guy,but becomes very focused when shooting, he gives tips if he feels it is needed, but for the most part lets you do your thing ( though he will get flashes where he is like " we have to do THIS" ) As the day went on...he kept saying things like " you are good at this" " you should do this" " you SERIOUSLY need to do this" I laughed at him. I told him " I am 40 years old, short and tattooed, how is THAT going to work?" Only knowing at that time runway and high fashion type modeling where yes...young and tall and very thin are indeed the rule.
Thank goodness for Mike and his stubborn insistence that this was a path I should look into!
Finally after about a month of him bugging me about it, I did some research....lo and behold,there is a market for alternative types such as myself. Is it huge? No. Will I EVER make the kind of money as the women working fashion week or in the pages of Vogue make. No. But you know what, that is ok. I partly do this, because as an artist, ( I paint and am a designer) I enjoy using myself , to help others to make a different type of art. Because I believe that yes, photography is just as much an art form as Painting ( or it can be...it isn't always) I enjoy pushing myself to learn to be better...working on poses...to make them interesting, better, finding better angles, expressions, positions. Working on hair and makeup for different looks ,and different eras. Finding interesting outfits and concepts to push not only myself,but the photographer.
Learning and pushing myself, and showing people that one doesn't have to be 19 ,and rail thin to be published,or even signed ( yes,I am agency signed...it is a small local one, but they are good people, and they are working hard. Kingdom Model Talent Agency, go check them out if you are casting or looking to model yourself )
All in all, I enjoy what I do,and am excited to see where this path will lead.
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