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There’s no denying that photography is very much a people focused interest. Of course, it’s not always the case, such as the landscape or nature genre, for example, but it is difficult to be involved in the practice of photography without some degree of interacting with new people. When I was younger, the idea of networking with folks was the most intimidating concept, but I truly believe, nowadays, it takes a lot of practice to overcome that fear.
Moving forward a few years ahead to the present, I love the opportunity to collaborate with creatives that have the same mutual passion for the craft. I had the fortune to attend a photography meet up this year, where I got to be among a community of likeminded photographers and models, and we essentially took the time to shoot for a few hours. I highly recommend for anyone to look into their local cities and see if this is available near you.
I got the chance to work with a bunch of folks, such as Jazz, and the pictures we took below were one of my favorites during the day. Jazz is new to the modeling scene but she’s one of the most charismatic people I’ve seen and worked with. What I enjoyed about the experience of being at a photography meet up was how low stakes and relaxed the environment was. There’s no pressure to meet a concept or a deadline, we just agreed to work on something, chose an outfit, and played in the space we had. Jazz has strong instincts and confidence in her modeling. Much of body language, especially through her smile, was what made a lot of the shots feel warm and engaging. This tone was what I wanted to express especially through the colors, to bring out the feeling of a hot summer day, but it’s also romantic in the way the lighting falls on her face.
This intimacy is also important in the way I wanted to frame it which is typically through a medium close up, because she has such a friendly presence off camera, that it was good to emphasize this in the composition as well. I wanted it to feel like there’s a connection between the viewer and the subject and that it almost has a dream like quality to it. I love idea of eliminating full body shots, if I have to because the distance between the lens and the subject feels emotionally resonant, proportionate to how far the camera is.