Cherry Pop ... Art!

Full disclaimer before I get into this shoot, my allergies got ABSOLUTELY destroyed!

Why did I decide to be in the midst of blooming cherry blossom trees in the heart of spring? Well that’s an easy answer, because LOOK. AT. THESE. SHOTS.

This is Victoria, who came into this project series with so much excitement, it was so fitting she had her own solo shoot. This concept was one that only a certain type of person could portray, and needless to say, she passed the test with flying colours!

There were 2 main components that I went into this shoot looking to achieve, 1, being the cherry blossom tress (because if you know how they bloom down here in the Lower Mainland, you too would want them incorporated in your shot) and 2, some amazing pop-art eye makeup to pay homage to my inspiration of this session.

An easy 2 check marks to tally off this shoot, with the outrageously stunning Cherry Blossom festival in Steveston, BC (there is a spot not where the big crowds are where we took these photos, just saying….) and the lovely hair and makeup artistry from the lovely Anmol!

But what I wasn’t expecting from this shoot that I ended up receiving in a surplus, was the willingness and authenticity that Victoria brought to this shoot. As I said in my previous post, there are some things that us photographers cannot teach or instruct someone to do, and commanding the shoot and knowing what you are capable of posing and achieving is one of them.

There is a certain “aura” about Victoria that I can’t put into words, but if I tried, it would be that she can be given any prompt, or inspiration or concept, and she will treat it like it is her own. She will work to make it happen and ensure your vision is brought to life; this makes it an effortless experience working with Victoria and I know she is always someone I can count on!

She has a lot of insight into the world and industry as well and we actually got to catch up on a episode of my new photography podcast series, Life in Autofocus! Check her out by clicking below and let me know what you think!

All in all, this was the second shoot of my portrait series that really carried the momentum from the first studio shoot! Alongside myself and Victoria, we had the amazingly talented Anmol who did our hair and stunning makeup, I had Aislinn working tirelessly (and I mean tireslessy as we had to be up early for this shoot) assisting with lighting and posing and just conceptualizing with me in the moment, and we had my best friend Cody assisting with behind the scenes footage for me! The collaboration this project has harvested for me is unlike any other and I am so grateful to not only share my creative passion with these people, but to share the final product with you all.

The freedom of expression

The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation. - Michael Jackson

It is so fun when I think about this shoot because it truly opened my eyes to the realm of bodily expression and just how captivating we can pose ourselves to tell stories and evoke emotion. Parina, although I had initially just chosen her for this shoot after looking through her portfolio, came into this session and completely surprised me with her talent and willingness to break the norm of standard posing.

With her (Parina), I offered almost no direction for any of these poses. I essentially went to her and let her know that I wanted something more abstract for this shoot. I had completed 3 photoshoots prior to this one at this point and the concepts were becoming such visual landmarks for myself and I really wanted to get out of both mine and the models comfort zone with shoot number 4 and offer something I hadn’t done before.

As a photographer, there are moment when you take a photo and you get instantly overwhelmed with the straight out of camera (sooc) photograph, and what you saw above and what you will see below are images that required little to no post production and are the simple, raw and authentic version of what was happening in front of the camera.

If you know me and how I have photographed since 2014, you will know that I LOVE to incorporate nature and foliage in my images! I do this in many ways, sometimes it is having a blade of grass or branch in the foreground that becomes out of focus and offers a “vignette” effect (probably my most common version of this), or I will use it a frame for my subject as you can see above!

To be honest, I didn’t even expect to get this type of framing when I thought of this angle. I actually remember seeing Parina against the gloomy sky and wanted an angle that elongated her into it; that was the original concept. But then after getting down and seeing this version, I knew we had found exactly what we needed for this shot. And again, the posing, this was all on Parina and I really have to give her praise here because the fluidity in her movements and how effortlessly she tossed her arms, or flicked her legs, or spun in her dress, or glared through the lens; every moment was pure and every movement was sequential.

I have moments when I am going through these sessions where I sit in complete awe and amazement. To reflect on myself 14 years ago and see where I have managed to carry myself to in terms of comfort zones, conceptualizing, execution and networking. I never imagined being in a position of launching a project series, and connecting with all new faces to make this project work, or really break down the influences that have helped shape my outlook on the artistic industry. In the short form, I just truly never saw myself being here 14 years ago, and this project has created something for me that I will hold onto forever and use as a pillar in the progression of my passion.

To Parina (model), Cody and Angie (BTS), and my creative influences, thank you for creating allowing me to create the visions in my head and make them a reality.