The Photo Shoot
Besides being involved in a million things, I am also a professional photographer--since it is not my primary source of income or how I make my living, I will call it a hobby. However this hobby has made me lots of money over the years but I would do it for free because I enjoy it so much. I have owned a 35 mm camera since I was 7 years old and have owned various other cameras since then. My favorite to shoot with is a medium format camera. This type of camera uses a larger size negative to shoot and develop, is more expensive to actually purchase and maintain (meaning the lenses can be as much as a car), requires more knowledge of photography, but the results of what you shoot can be tremendous. My first medium format camera was a Hasselblad 501cm, the V-system as it is called. I still remember why I bought it.
There was a picture of a ballet dancer in a red dress (photographed by Xie Mo). This picture spoke to me, it called me, the detail, the lines, the composition, the color,the lighting, the shadows, and the way the dress danced in the air--it called to me. I saw this picture for the first time, I fell in love with it. No, not the girl in the picture but the picture itself. I became infatuated with this picture. My eyes could not and cannot at times remove themselves from the glare of this photograph. This photograph to me, has literally changed my life. I have heard numerous stories from other photographers on how a photograph has changed their life or how or why they became a certain type of photographer. There are many famous photographers that shoot with a Hasselblad camera and I know you have definitely seen their photos. If you know Ansel Adams' work, then you know what a Hasselblad is capable of. To this very day I still go to the Hasselblad website just to see that picture and many others. That picture changed how I view my subjects through the view finder. In turn, I became obsessed with the idea of shooting with a Hasselblad camera and wanting to learn more about medium format photography.
*now taking a deep breath from that Hasselblad love story*
I normally take portrait shots only since it is usually a controlled environment and I can pretty much dictate how the photo is suppose to "turn out" or what I am trying to accomplish. I have taken other types of photos such as wedding, sweet sixteen, communion, landscape, and surveilance photos (this is for another post). However my favorite medium to take photographs is in the portrait arena. I particularly don't like to take pictures of kids older than 10 since they tend to be wise asses and very uncooperative. I have taken numerous photos of newborns (including my own) all the way up to 9 years old depending upon the kid's attitude. Of course I have taken many photos of adults of various ages. I put the age limit on it for me since I don't want to be stressed out by uncooperative subjects as I have had the experience in dealing with them. I have taken many photos of pets. I was actually working on a calendar for my English Bulldog, Havana at one time--until while during a photo shoot she fell off the stage setting we made for her and I have not been able to get her to take a photo since. She was fine but spooked and very skittish after that. That project was unfortunate since we had already done several months of photos and while working on a graduation theme for the month of June, she fell.
Anyway most of my subjects or customers if you will come, from referrals. A "friend of a friend" thing. One "client" came to me via a referral of my sister-in-law, Dana (not her real name). Dana, was always good about doing things like this for me and was an endless resource for many people I would come to photograph. Dana, was 24 years of age and her friends typically were about or around her age. I received a phone call at work one morning from Dana telling me that her friend, Serena (not her real name) wanted to have her picture taken with her twin sister. The picture would be a gift for their mother for Mother's Day. I immediately started to ask her the relevant questions such as how soon they wanted it done and where they wanted it done. I usually preferred that they come to my home this way I didnt have to cart a ton of lighting equipment with me elsewhere. Dana, said they wanted it done right away and shooting in their home was imperative. I thought to myself alright but thats going to cost them. Anytime I had to lug that stuff, it pretty much added hundreds of dollars to their bill. According to Dana it didn't matter, she was willing to pay whatever the cost. She immediately gave me her friend's number, we said our good byes and hung up.
That evening I called Dana's friend, Serena. I told her who I was and she said she was expecting my call. I had known most of Dana's friends since she was in the habit of bringing them to my home whenever she came over. Dana has issues with being alone (I'll post about that too one day). However I had never met Serena for some reason but I didn't dwell on it too much. I have a tendency to use my "extra senses" for almost any situation and I "felt something" from my call with her but I couldn't put my finger on it..................(to be continued)
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