Yesterday was a long, long day! We left the house at 4am to catch a 6am flight. Niether one of us had slept all night, and there was an overwhelming sigh of relief when we both plopped into our seats, ready for take-off. And with a lost voice but excited spirits, I’m sitting here in Barbados just soaking all the sunshine I possibly can and celebrating a milestone birthday with the one, the only… my hubs. We’ve got a fun day planned… including a much needed spa retreat, shopping at the local market and maybe even a “wild” night out on the town; which in our terms means staying out past 9pm. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
But in the meanwhile, I’m so excited to share the latest style shoot. Last week I talked a little bit about the importance of practicing your craft and trying to set up style shoots to make this possible. So in an effort to make sure I continue to take a dose of my own medicine, I gathered up everyone on the 2011 wedding team (can’t wait to introduce everyone on MONDAY)… and set up this shoot with the ever-gorgeous Sue and Derek. I know it can seem overwhelming to try and set one of these shoots up for yourself, but just start small and simple. I was introduced to Sue as a friend of my sister, and we literally accausted Derek at a bakery in Boston one Sunday morning – telling him how good-looking he is and asking him to stand in as a mock groom! Umm…. not shady at all…!!! Yes it’s random, but that’s how these things start off and before you know it, it will all come together. Again, I think the point is to make sure that you are constantly creating opportunties for yourself to practice and get better at your craft.
An outstanding round of applause goes to all of the talented artists who came together for this shoot; including Just Kiss N’ Makeup by Shreni Patel and Maricruz HairStyles. I also cannot thank enough Harper Della-Piana, owner of SEAMS bridal dress shop for providing the beautiful dress that Sue is rocking, as well as the couture hair peice and feathers. So glam!! A huge thanks goes to Harper’s 2nd-hand, Ashton, for being there and managing our couture needs on-location. And believe it or not, I just pulled together this bouquet with an on-site florist at Whole Foods. Totally budget, totally easy!
As we got started with the shoot, one of the first things I stressed to the team is the importance of getting ‘warmed up’ with your clients. Start off with some easy shots, build rapport and start a conversations. This groundwork builds the foundation for the rest of your shoot.
And before you know it, you’ve cracked a joke or two, and you can capture a real moment like the one below. The key is to remember to keep shooting while you’re having fun!
We then started to walk down the street, and just kept clicking away. The funny thing is that Sue and Derek had never actually met until the day of this shoot. So that added a whole other element to the shoot as well.
This shot was set up by my main gal Nicole Chan! Simple, classy and cute. Isn’t Sue just a doll?!
And as Nicole took charge, I finally got a chance to be a 2nd shooter. Love getting sneaky shots like these!! And don’t you just LOVE that feather hairpiece?! MWAHHH Harper!!
Props to Maureen Miller for getting the ball rolling on this pose and setup. The light was just pouring down this alley, and we just had to take advantage.
Caught ya!! Sue K saw the backlight in this situation and got the couple situated in a jiffy. All throughout, we focused on making sure the couple looked natural, relaxed and most importantly…. like they were having fun!
As we were walking through the neighborhoods of the North end, we spotted this random make-shift bench. Funky and unexpected ~ and I’m totally not surprised that Sue and Derek totally rocked it out!
Oh those eyes!! Sue, you slay me.
We were getting to a point in the day where the sunlight was just radiating all around us… so rather than fight it, I thought to embrace it. We did cheat a little bit by using this fence to block the direct rays off of Derek’s face, just enough to capture the shot below.
Oh heeyyy… It’s Sue’s turn!! This lady can make any ugly fence look fierce!
Behind the broken fence, the sun was just beaming towards us. I wanted the team to embrace the light, and try to shoot directly into the light. Yes, the sky is totally blown out, but look at that gorgeous rim light!! AAHHH! Can these two strike a pose or what.
One of the things I kept harping on and on about, was the importance of making sure that the clients felt comfortable. If you can make sure the clients are at ease, you’re pretty much gauranteed any shot you want. Remember, these two model had JUST met on the day of. And while Sue does have some prior modeling experience, Derek has none! But look at HIM. Somone call GQ!
Peek-a-boo fun!!
I’m trying to make sure I’m better about maintaining focus on the groom just as well as the bride. What can I say, I’m usually smitten by the brides!! 
And one final shout-out goes to Maureen for seeing the beauty in a run-down brick wall in an empty parking lot. PROOF that you can make your clients look and FEEL fabulous ANYWHERE!!
Keep an eye out on Facebook today, as everyone from the team shares their individual photos. I’ll be posting them on the blog here next week for everyone to see as well. I’m so happy and proud to say that TEAM 2011 is coming together so well and everyone is producing some amazing images. Can’t wait to share next week. Until then, Happy FRIDAY!!
by Binita Patel
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