Use whatchya got!

So there you are...

Photographer: Andrew Kufahl

Sometimes, I see photos of models in elaborate dresses and jewelry... at amazing locations... I sigh, how would one even get to a level like that?!

But it has taught me a few important lessons...

I've seen photos with incredible wardrobe, and will label that a good photo--when it may not actually be a good PHOTO, but rather an incredible wardrobe... Or an awesome model... or a killer location... So I no longer clump it all into one... I've realized there are a lot of factors that have to line up to make a full fledge killer photo. And to make that amazing photo, you don't NEED that wardrobe, or that location...

Early on in my work with Andrew Kufahl, we'd have occasional photoshoots after he was done working his day job. We'd vaguely talk about hair/makeup/wardrobe, then I'd be on my own to have everything set for when we could start shooting--to catch the remaining sunlight.

During one of these shoots, I started getting so frustrated with my lack of makeup skill. I was never professionally trained. I'm just someone who likes to paint, and view makeup as an art form. But sometimes I can't make my vision come to life... or it comes out differently than I planned. When I'm shooting self portraits, that is not as big of a deal. When I am working with a photographer, I feel like I'm failing on someone else. This is all so silly because Andrew is such a laid back fellow. He just loves to shoot. And these shoots weren't anything that had to be specific- they were to just play around.

Piercing...

Photographer: Andrew Kufahl

So I had to learn to roll with it, just as I would for my own shoot. Things are much more fun that way. ;)

I had a pretty nice backyard... large, with some pretty trees...some woodsy areas... all sorts of places to play. We tried to make good use of it.

During this particular shoot, we wanted to use one of the trees... I'd have to climb it, barefoot. It was a bit painful, and was tough to balance... and we lost light quickly. But there was one shot that just made my jaw drop... Andrew was using the beautiful natural light. He was letting the shadows do as they please. He was using what was right there. Nothing fancy... but there was just something about it that stopped me in my tracks. The title was perfect: Piercing...

We had another shoot that was a similar set up, around that time... I had to have hair/makeup/wardrobe ready to go for when Andrew would arrive.

I had an idea for wardrobe.

Wishes come true...

Photographer: Andrew Kufahl

I should give some back info on this... As I've said before, I was never really a girly girl. So when I got into modeling, I had to bulk up on girly things... clothes, makeup, hair stuff, as the majority of the shoots I was doing required me to do this all on my own. Well, that's all expensive, and I had just lost my job. That's when I started learning about thrift stores, and getting creative with what you already had...

I mentioned earlier about the sighs I'd let out when I'd see elaborate wardrobes... I felt limited. I felt that was out of reach. While I have not come up with anything quite that elaborate, it was so freeing to start seeing things with a much more open and artistic mind. I could find ways to transform existing pieces of clothing into something a little more interesting. I could use the same pieces in TOTALLY different ways, for several shoots even... with a little creativity and some safety pins... I was not so limited...

So for this shoot, I took a skirt slip, and another a cover up type thing (with arms), and created a simple dress... None of these pieces were meant to be used how I used them, but that doesn't matter. I saw them in a new way- not as a skirt slip... but as an outfit, to fit the emotion I wanted... No sewing involved, I didn't have to buy anything new-it was from items I already had. I loved how simple, pretty, soft it was, yet with a touch of something unique... and after that shoot, it was gone. Another art-form in itself. Created out of feeling, and passion.

There have been a lot of people encourage using what you have in the photography world. Fancy gear doesn't make a great photo. There are some incredible examples out there. But the same thing can go for the other elements of a photo, including modeling. I'm not the standard model size, or age. I don't have fancy outfits or jewelry, I'm nothing fancy. But does that mean that I can't create a wonderful piece of photographic art?

Working with someone like Andrew has taught me more about the various levels of a stellar photo. It goes beyond his gear, it goes beyond having crazy hair/makeup/wardrobe... none of that matters if you don't have what's at the core of a piece of art...

It is about the passion... it is about all of the elements "clicking"... there is emotion, feeling, heart that has to be poured into this mixture...

The fancy stuff is just a bonus, or in the very least, there are plenty of ways to fill these parts in. But without the core, it is empty...

I no longer look at myself, my work, my tools as limited/limiting. *sigh* :)