A Great Day For Melissa K

 Having been a news photographer for so long, its nice to have another outlet for my creative juices.  That’s what Riverside Magazine provides me.  I get to shoot
fun, creative, and colorful work on a deadline that has some breathing room. 

I’ve always been interested in studio lighting and on-location lighting.  And when I got approached to do the Feb-March cover for the magazine, I jumped at the chance.

My subject was 20-year-old singer-songwriter Melissa Kirk.  Having a healthy local fan base, and local critical accolades, she and her band are on the brink of national attention.  My directives were to get something sultry and sexy in a Scarlett Johansson kind of way.  Check!

A magazine cover shoot offers different considerations not found in newspaper cover shoot.

First of all, you have more time.  Secondly, your image reproduces better.  And thirdly, your great A1 photo will be out of the minds of most readers in a day.  At least the magazine image may last a little longer.

This girl doesn't take a bad picture.

The shoot for Miss Kirk began the prior week over lunch with her manager and father Michael Kirk.  Given the directives for the shoot, I felt it best to out the expectations for the shoot over lunch.  I always like to get to know my subject a little bit whenever I can.  After bonding on 70’s rock music with dad, we talked about all of our respective careers.  I ultimately let Melissa know we would be doing whatever she was comfortable with.  I like my portrait subjects to know that while its their image, we build the picture together.

The morning began about 9am with a shopping trip to the store for some snacks and to the mall for some last minute costume jewelry.  The editors wanted a subtle Valentines themed palette for the photo.  Hence, I was in search for red accent pieces. 

Make-up artist Christina Gaudy arrived an hour before shooting time and worked on Melissa for about 45 minutes.  I ran test shots with assistant for the day and fellow photographer Micah Escamilla.  Finally it was time to get started.

Christina Gaudy goes to work.

Melissa K's mom can say, "I knew her when

Like most of my other portraits, the set-up takes the longest time.  This was no exception. Like-wise, the studio portrait is an end result of the willingness of the subject and the preparation of the photographer.  We had the make-up, the rock music on the boom box, and we had the girl.  Melissa took to the task at hand like a professional, providing a variety of expressions that made shooting easy.

The challenge of a shoot like this is exploring all your ideas in the time frame you have. Two or three hours seems like a long time at first.  But between make-up breaks, costume changes, and changing the light set-up, it all goes by very fast.  Time becomes your ally in decision making and helps to keep the shoot moving.  The process allows you to choose between good ideas and the best ideas.  And yet, you will still get those unexpected photographic moments that will end up in your final edit. 

Technically speaking, I used a white paper backdrop lit by two Norman lamp heads for the background. Melissa was lit by two lamps with umbrellas, and a red gel on one side to give her a little bit of heat factor.  We ran the gamut of moods and expressions from sultry and sexy to fun and playful. What the editors want to see is lots of options and Melissa and I certainly provided that.

Magazine work provides a nice departure from what I do for the paper.  Instead of having a security guard tell me, “You can’t come in here”, I get to deal with a mom telling her daughter, “Ask the photographer if this is TOO much cleavage.”  And, instead of a breaking news situation where my parameters are dictated by a scene unfolding, I get to work in an environment where I am in control.

This one was too sexy to print.

 After about 100 laughs, and 12 GB of images we finished the shoot just under three hours.  I think spending some time with Melissa and her dad over lunch helped tremendously.  Having mom present during the shoot pretty much made the whole thing a family affair.  Those were the little things that helped relax Melissa in what was her first magazine shoot and provide me with the most natural pictures.

In the end it was a great day for Melissa K.

And I was just happy to be along for the ride.

A view of the final cover shot!

The Nutcracker

 

I wept when I made this picture.

Sometimes, as a photographer the beauty overwhelms you.  And this was one of those times. The moment was The Waltz of the Snowflakes at the close of Act I during the California Riverside Ballet's premiere performance at the Fox Performing Arts Center December 9, 2010 in Riverside.  I have always been drawn to the bittersweet, whether it be the music of Beethoven, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin”, the closing scene of the Titanic or in this case the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky.

 Maybe its the artist in me, but as tired as I grow of an overly commercialized Christmas, I never grow tired of the music nor the performance of the Nutcracker.  When done right, the ballet captures the child in us all-at least it should- and tugs on the heart strings of even a veteran Scrooge-which I have tended to be on more than one Christmas.

Christmas time for me brings the emotions of the end of the year, when everything seems to ratchet up to a flurry of activity.  This was a long year for me, and it seemed that there was a lot of struggle not only personally but professionally.  This was the year that there was a lot of conflict in the particulars with my side work:  the long droughts of no calls, the negotiations, the politics of working in a small community.  And yet like many of my gigs this one came in a last minute call.  Since I happened to be on furlough that week from my day job, I just happened to be available.  So there I was with my camera, my emotions, and God’s provision once again.

One of the best parts of photography is when you can completely lose yourself in the work.  Its found in the capturing of the images and in the embracing of the obstacles to a great photo set before you. Its found in letting your life away from your camera simply disappear for a time.  There in the dark of the Fox Theater I had plenty of all of that. 

I was challenged by the hot theater gel lighting which would set my meter in many directions.  Also, this production of the Nutcracker was a minimal one and used a digitized backdrop.  This looked great in person, but was a tad green in my camera.

I found there were two synchronicities at work.  The first was that I was working as a photographer, yet enjoying the performance as a fan. This helped me get better pictures I think.  The second was the pure beauty and strength of the dance corresponding perfectly to that bittersweet music.

It truly was the best of both worlds. 

What else should I have expected from Sugar Plum Fairy Land?