Lost In The Dark // Assisting

April 10, 2016 - I've again had a lovely opportunity to team up with my friend Jessica Dawn as her assistant for a "dark high-fashion inspired image" - a soft but bold product.  I had set off early that Sunday morning where we ended up doing the usual prep (makeup, hair, wardrobe) and eventually shot at Mimmicadah Park Forest in Port Coquitlam, and even had the chance to shoot in the local manor due to an open house.

Sophia (our model) despite being relatively new to modeling ended up doing phenomenal after warming up a little bit and I was ecstatic to see what the final edits will come through as.  Shawn's make-up resume includes an education at Blanche Macdonald, and employment for MAC, Sephora and Spa Utopia really showed with seamless blending and contouring.  Lastly, the outfits that Charlene had put together were absolutely jaw-dropping.  It was the perfect mix of allure, gothic and splendor.  Mostly working alone in my projects with the model due to previous no-shows or lates from other "team" members, it was really nice to see stunning and professional artists from other fields absolutely slaying at what they do.

Team Info:

Photographer/Hair Stylist: Jessica Dawn
Model: Sophia (last name omitted due to age)
Make-Up Artist: Shawn Durkee
Wardrobe Stylist: Charlene Rowley (Faye Tality Couture)

Set-up:

Outdoor:

Indoor: 

Equipment:

• Nikon D610
• 85mm 1.8D
• 24-70mm 2.8G
• SB-700 w/ 24" softbox
• Reflector

I'll be sure to post an updated link when the final edits come out!  Stay tuned :).

Last Week.

Well, this last week has been super stressful - last two weeks of school = crunch time! I'll add a gear list at the bottom for you photographers reading!

 I started Saturday by assisting a shoot with Jessica Dawn.  We met up with our model, Cindy Fay, to shoot a bathtub scene with milk.
 

And then we decided to shoot our own photos at Confederation Park.  More to come, but here's what's done now. The first two images are entitled: Collapse & Survival.  Both focusing on feral themes and our separation from nature, as opposed to our integration (hence why the rib cage is insanely pushed - this was intentional!) The latter was submitted for a project at Langara and was inspired by both Tara Lundrigan's work and the album artwork for "Houses of the Holy" by Led Zeppelin.  Jessica's model page is here.  We're planning to work a lot more together in the future so stay tuned for that!

Come Sunday, I was helping out my friend Jesse Yuen out with three assignments.  The first being a portraiture assignment where he had designed the ring light using supplies from equipment stores, totalling to a relatively affordable $250 (some of the pro models can go for a grand!)  The second is a conceptual composite, with a bartender chatting up a guest with floating bottles and glasses.  Lastly, is a BTS assignment where I (attempted) to shoot video while he was doing his shoots.  Note to self?  Don't operate a camera after copious amounts of caffeine.   Expect to see more projects with Jesse as he is now working with Courtney, currently a stylist and make-up artist starting up Quintessence, a modelling agency.

Last assignment for my portraiture class is working with both continuous light sources and flashes at the same time.  I remember seeing Julia Kuzmenko McKim's work and being so drawn into her style of doing things, so I attempted to take a stab at it. My girlfriend, Carmen, kindly volunteered herself for the shoot, but we only spent about 15 minutes to hammer it out.  The final image, entitled The Sinner, is attached below:

Anyhoo, thanks for staying around for this rather long blog post!  Until next time :).

Gear Used:

Jessica & Cindy Fay

• Nikon D610 w. 24-70mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4
• SB-700 w/ Softbox, Strobe on slave
• BTS shot with 60D & kit lens
• On-camera halogen light

Jessica Dawn (Nudes)

• Nikon D610 w. 50mm 1.4
• Manfrotto 055 Tripod

Jesse Yuen

• Nikon D700 w. 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8
• Profoto Air & Strobes, 60" stripboxes with grids
• BTS shot with D610, D7000, 24-70mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8 & 70-200mm 2.8 
• Some reflectors, steady cam and video slider
• DIY Ring Flash (operated with dimmers)

Carmen (Mixed Lights)

• Nikon D610 w. 85mm 1.8
• SB-700 w/ umbrella
• Modelling light
• Coloured gels

Jesse Yuen

• Nikon D700 w. 35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8
• Profoto Air & Strobes, 60" stripboxes with grids
• BTS shot with D610, D7000, 24-70mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8 & 70-200mm 2.8 
• Some reflectors, steady cam and video slider
• DIY Ring Flash (operated with dimmers)

Carmen (Mixed Lights)

• Nikon D610 w. 85mm 1.8
• SB-700 w/ umbrella
• Modelling light
• Coloured gels