I don't even have a title for this one.

I had a dream. Literally. And in that dream was this photo of Marilyn Monroe:

I wouldn't say I'm a HUGE Marilyn fan. I do love her, I do admire and adore so many of her photos and images. I enjoy her movies. But I don't know much about her, and I certainly don't spend much time thinking about her. That's why this dream was so curious. What was even more curious was that as soon as I woke, I had a flash in my mind of my friend, professional Lindy Hop dancer, Nikki Marvin, wearing her Lindy sneakers while posing as Marilyn. Weird, right? I know. What can I say? Sometimes creativity comes from weird places in the brain.

Lucky for me, Nikki was down for the cause. She threw together a vintage outfit (all purchased at local vintage shopping mecca, Elsewhere Vintage) and spent all day doing her own hair and makeup. Commitment, people. That's why I love this woman.

Here are just a few of our impromptu shoot. Nikki does such an incredible job of capturing not just the look, but the energy and essence of what I love about the original photo. She's casual, but elegant, and even though she spent hours in hair and makeup, she looks like she just rolled out of bed looking like a superstar. I couldn't be more ecstatic.

Thank you so much, Nikki. Love.  

 



Dreams.

There are days when I wake up, and I know I've dreamed.

I feel as though I have been standing in a flowery field all night, the scent of grass still in my bedroom air.

I wish somehow I could photograph my dreams, to tuck them away in an album, to visit when I need inspiration.

I suppose this will have to do for now.

Impromptu Mini Sessions!

I haven't done a location Mini-Session Day in a while, and I've had some requests, so let's do it!

Ready, set, go!

Saturday, February 12th, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

For just $99, you get 20-30 minutes shooting for up to three people (big or little:) ), an online viewing gallery, up to 10 edited images on cd sized for online sharing, and a $20 print credit!!

Can't go wrong!

 

Space is gonna go FAST, so if you want in, email me ASAP!

Location will be emailed to you at time of booking. 

http://intuitiveimagesphotography.com

B and A Day!

Has it really been this long since I did a B and A? Wow, guess so. Happy New Year! :D

This is a shot from yesterday's impromptu photoshoot with the amazing Megan Bibbo, highlighting the hair accessories from my new line, A Vintage Vibe.

The image on the left is straight out of the camera. Pretty darn good, if you ask me. (Thanks to Megan's killer modeling skills!)

I used Florabella's Sharpen/Defog action on the whole image, then added a tiny bit of Gaussian Blur and erased it on her face, leg, and torso. Paint The Moon's All in One action retouched the skin and popped the eyes. A little warming filter, and we were done!

http://intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

Stu Stu Studio

Did I mention I have a studio?

Yep. In Fullerton.  It's become sort of a photographer's co-op, with people at all levels learning and sharing and growing.  It's freaking exciting.

So I met up with some others there last night to learn about studio lighting (since I have never touched a studio light in my life!) and got some quick shots.

The whole studio environment is so new to me, but I do have some quick thoughts about it I wanted to share.

It's all about composition and lighting.  Like, ALL about composition and lighting. Because the background is gone, the focus is squarely on your subject.  This freaked me out a little bit.  I generally like to incorporate the environment and have subjects interact with their surroundings.  So, having no surroundings threw me off.

The lighting.  Dear God.  This shit is even more technical than I had thought. I swear to God, there was a point where Marcus metered in nine different places for one shot.  WTF. Nine places.  One shot.

So, yeah.

I come from a place where I like to just have my subjects play and relax and be themselves, and here, in this new place, it seems I'm going to have to plan.  Hmmmmm.  It's a little addicting, having complete control, however.  Being able to move lighting, change lighting, move backgrounds.. I can see why photogs enjoy that part of it.  Control freaks, pssssshhhh.

Anyway, I'm so new to this, but I am pretty proud of some things I got last night.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Pluggin away.

Ordered the Ringflash, got a bajillion new business cards in three different styles, got the promotion postcards for the Te Ao Maohi event on July 10th, meeting Joelle and others at the Fullerton studio tonight for some lighting discussions, prepping for Sunday's OC Shoot This event....

Lots going on backstage in the Intuitive Workshop.

Stay tuned.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

By Popular Demand

Due to the high volume of requests, we are doing our first ever Boudoir Mini-Sessions day!

Perfect chance to use the new studio, and I gotta say, it is a killer deal since it includes makeup artist as well. 

Contact me at stephanie@intuitiveimagesphotography.com to book a spot!

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Vision.

The thing about vision is, you don't know if you don't have it.

By vision, of course, I mean an actual creative aesthetic, a premeditated purpose and intent with what you are creating. (Not just how your eyes see)

The same is true about style (see my previous post).

If you don't know you don't have something, it would make perfect sense that you believe you are operating under full capacity.  You plug along, playing with your little toys, thinking, "Oh, isn't that cute?", "Oh, I like the smile in this one."  All the while, never realizing that you are creating something with no emotion, no impact.  Sure, you can say you are, but then again, you don't have the vision, so your opinion is not fully informed.

 You can't learn vision.  You can't buy vision.  Vision isn't a Photoshop plug-in. 

Vision is having an understanding of who someone is, their tastes, how they see the world, and being able to create something in line with that.  True photos are not one size fits all. 

That's why I just can't believe how some people can buy all kinds of exterior crap, massive setups, fake backgrounds, silly props, etc. etc. etc. I'm not saying SOME of those things can't be an enhancement, at times.  What I'm saying is, that everything in a photo should speak to the purpose of the photo.  If you put a pair of bunny ears on a kid and tell them to hold a giant easter egg, what does that say about the child?  Absolutely nothing.  It says that you told them to put on a pair of bunny ears and hold a giant easter egg. And that's it.

But being with a new mother in her home, seeing how motherhood is changing her, understanding her view on the child that is in front of me, THAT informs a photo. Trying to create a photo that captures the intimacy and wonder of an ultrasound, and being successful. THAT is what I remember about good photos.  The feeling they exude.

As I mentioned before, I want to be a witness.  One of the things I love about photography is it's ability to capture.  And, if all you're capturing is something fake and forced, then what a waste of this art. 

I hope to always, ALWAYS be a witness to this artform rather than an outsider.

Style and taste

Recently, I've been thinking alot about style.  As in, one's style of photography, one's style of interacting with people, one's own personal style.

Style and taste are not mutually inclusive.  They are tangents of each other.  You may have bad taste, but a style specific to you. 

Anyhow, I suppose I'm in the process of defining my own personal photographic style.  It's not about being pretentious, or condascending.  It's about a definition, and understanding that yes, there is such a thing as bad photography.

I can't say exactly what my style is, yet. 

But here's the thing. 

If you like the photos you can get at the mall, my style is not for you.

If you think a muslin backdrop is pretty, my style is not for you.

If you want photos of your kids holding props and wearing funny hats while someone shakes a rattle, my style is definitely not for you.


So, with that, I will try to explain what I am about. 

I want to be a witness.

I don't want to be the cause of an action in a photograph, I want to be a testament to that action's existence.

It's a struggle, to be sure, because it's so easy to want to control everything and force a photo.  But that's not what I feel makes a good photo. Definitely not what makes a great photo. 

So, if my style makes sense to you, then cool.  Let's go.

If not, have fun at the mall.  Pick me up a Cinnabon.