We all hit slumps in our creative work.
For some of y'all, passion and fire flows from you always.
But for me, sometimes I hit a snag in a project or craft and need to expand, experiment and actually PLAY.
This shoot was SO much fun for me.
I got the opportunity to capture Taneaka (Skeletons In My Closet) for a project I'm working on highlighting creatives and entrepreneurs committed to their creative work.
We played around with natural light, aesthetics in her home and used SE DC as a backdrop to her portraits.
I can't wait to share her interview, but in the mean time, check her and her business out. She's a beautiful soul, but also a beautiful person.
She KILLED this shoot and inspired me so much. I even played around with some new editing techniques and REALLY fell in love.
Shooting portraits in the homes of the people I'm capturing is my FAVORITE.
First, I'm a guest in THEIR space, so they feel more in control, more comfortable and more at ease.
I also believe that a person's home is sacred and really reflects what is held dear to them no matter how small.
Much like the bouquet of flowers on Taneaka’s table that makes an appearance in the bottom left corner.
Though it's not the FOCUS of the photo, it still has importance and value to her.
It's amazing what beauty you overlook every day in your own backyard.
Many photographers feel they need to spend money on flights to exotic places and better landscapes, but I'm here to tell you that beauty is EVERYWHERE.
One of my goals as a photographer is to help other artists see the beauty in themselves and also the beauty that longs to be appreciated all around them.
NATURAL LIGHT IS MY FAVORITE.
I have the whole set up with strobes and the whole “shabang”, and I use it when I want/need to, but NOTHING beats natural light for me.
Nothing.
I think that's where we look and feel most beautiful. When the sun peeks from around a building and kisses you on your face after being hidden in the shadows, it's a spiritual experience.
It's healing, it's precious and often taken for granted.
Sometimes we think the light can be "harsh". We feel the need to control the light.
But what if we surrendered to it and worked with it instead of against it.
I challenge myself to see the beauty in the challenge of working with the natural light that sees things as they are instead of what I want it to be.
The thing about surrendering control is that you may actually end up with an unexpected surprise.
