Angelina Jolie

Well having Angelina Jolie in my studio was just amazing. Hopefully Megan Fox will be the next to visit. In all seriousness, this is as close as I will come to shooting Angelina Jolie. Since the moment I saw this book I wanted to create this photograph. It's quite simple. The model I used was Kaity, who couldn't be any more perfect for this image. The reason is because she absolutely adores Angelina Jolie. So for this shoot, she got to live her dream and spent a day in her head. Literally. Honestly I enjoy when my photographs relate to something about a person. It can be as simple as this. Other times it takes time for a photograph to speak to me. That connection does not have to be an object, like the book here. I mean it could, but it can also be an expression, a gesture, a mood, a feeling that was captured. Sometimes a small little detail can make all the difference.

What Are You Looking At?

So this picture was taken at church last Sunday. Okay maybe it wasn't but for some weird reason it reminds of church. I can't figure out if it's her facial expression, her clothes and styling mixed with the wooden background that evokes that feeling. She looks formal and stiff. To contradict that formality and seriousness, I have a girl in red underwear just showing her ass and legs. Every time I turn to look at the girl in the red underwear I feel judged. It feels like if I was doing something wrong. Like if Kaity (left) was telling me what are you looking at?

All You Have To Do Is Show Up

Being at the right place at the right time. I went to shoot an event at my church for my photojournalism class. At first it was kind of weird shooting since I saw everyone looking at me, probably wondering who is this guy with that big ass camera. After a while they forgot all about me. I was shooting as I carefully moved from one place to another. At times people were so deep in pray that I felt I had to stop shooting for a bit just to show some respect. I felt that it was very important to be respectful of the situation. The ultimate goal is for people to trust you. The most difficult part for me was that most of the communication took place non-verbally. By the end of the shoot I got this photograph of my father praying. To me this photograph is very honest and powerful. It is also personal to me because after all it is my father. I try to be careful because I know sometimes a personal attachment can blur my judgment. Anyways, I got a call the next day. They want to see my photographs. I found out that they were in need of a photographer and they are asking me to shoot more events like these in other churches. Its seems like a great opportunity. All it takes is some good timing, a little bit of luck, but more importantly all you have to do is show up.

Keep Shooting

If the situation is right you should keep shooting. This was shot right after my staged reality assignment. Just when I thought I was done, I found that the shoot turned into something else. Make sure you don't overwork your model unless you are doing it for a reason. It is important to be conscious about everything you do and say. So that you direct the shoot in the direction you want. Even when you think you are done, it can never hurt to get a couple more frames. Sometimes that can be the difference between having something good and something great. If the situation calls for it, just keep shooting.

Staged Reality

I had to shoot an assignment with the theme "staged reality". My interpretation of that was creating a moment or a situation that will make the viewer wonder what is going on. I wanted the viewer to wonder what she is thinking? What is she doing? Does she seem OK? I used colors to make the photograph visually interesting and bring color contrast to the image. I wanted to give the viewer visual clues for them to make their own interpretation. This is my staged reality.