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Perhaps we were born with this magnetic pull to one another, but in some shape or form, creatives or driven, like-minded people find their way to each other. This was certainly the case when I met Mary Reyes, founder of Bear it All Shop, which is a clothing brand she created (and hand makes, if I might add), to provide fun crocheted clothing for folks. Her mission statement of striving to be affordable and inclusive to all of her customers speaks to how she is as a person.
She’s truly a gem of a human being, and her ability to collaborate with others is second to none.
Mary had contacted me shortly after my recent shoots to see if I’d like to take some photos of people that would model her product. I instantly said yes, and we set up a studio session with two of her friends, Camille and Danica. With a short amount of time to work after a bit of prep, in part to Mary’s boyfriend who provided the lights, Mary and I ran through a shot list she wanted to shoot for and we went for it.
The session was a new and interesting experience, since it required a fixed set of shots, poses, and angles, my job is to then try to find a window of flexibility within that to still add a bit of creative decisions that fit my style. Fortunately, I had a great time, since both Camille and Danica were easy to work with.
It was my first time doing a shoot that involved two subjects in the frame, at the same time, so the challenge was to give each one of them a unique presence on camera. I didn’t want to necessarily pose them in the same manner, not unless if they were purposefully mirroring one another, but upon getting to know them more, one fact about them made the shoot instantly cohesive:
They were sisters.
Now, drawing upon my own dynamic that I have with my own sibling, I used that as a frame of reference in the way I would approach shots involving the both of them. Not to toot my Big Brother horn, but my younger sibling get a long really well, that we just have a strong rapport around one another. I realize this may not be the case with all siblings, but in working with Mary’s brand, I wanted to craft a more positive narrative. Fortunately, both sisters get along really well with one another that this was the most logical course to go with for the session.
I have learned that, within the first ten to fifteen minutes of working with any model, you tend to notice their body language patterns in the way they pose.
For example, some folks naturally tend to favor poses where they tilt their chin up naturally and with a slight smile, adding a bit of power. Others tend to pose with a flirtatious quality in their smile or in the way they look around or play to the camera. In other instances, there’s a quietness to their facial expressions and tend to favor body language that’s more reserved. Even if I were to give instructions to anyone, after long enough, they’ll recycle a lot of the same movements, which provides a bit of insight to their personality.
That being said, both have their own unique individual modeling styles, as seen in their individual photos, and in thinking of ways to frame them together, I had to consider what a combination of that dynamic would look like.