It never fails, I post a photo of my car with one of the beautiful models that I work with, on Instagram...and within seconds there's at least one comment of "Get off the car!" I'm not the typical automotive photographer who is just there to photograph a vehicle that isn't mine. The vehicles in most of my photos belong to myself, so I have complete creative freedom when it comes to poses and positioning models. Yes, my 1969 Mach 1 Mustang is valuable, but it isn't a "perfect" collector car either. Therefore, I have no problem allowing my ideas to flow, just to see if the model(s) and I can get some awesome shots! (See example below)
These comments became the topic of conversation this past winter between James from ShockerRacing, Nicole, and myself. Before you knew it, we were discussing ideas for a new shirt design for ShockerRacing! We all agreed that we wanted something simple, yet something that was going to grab attention and get the message across. I'm very happy and proud to have had input on creating this design!
Now that I've elaborated a little on why this shoot was planned, I'll share my thoughts on the shoot itself!
This shoot was exciting for me, because I was able to add two new models, to join Nicole in a feature for ShockerRacing! For me, this meant a lot and gave me an enormous amount of confidence about how I promote ShockerRacing and my photography as a business.
Obviously I must be doing something right, if women are looking at the work I do for ShockerRacing, and feel comfortable and confident in themselves to want to be featured, right?
That is all I ever want from my photography...is to be able to help people feel comfortable and confident in themselves! I don't just mean this in terms of working with beautiful female models...I mean this for everyone that I work with, whether it be a high school senior, a family, an engaged couple, or even someone who wants photos with their pet!
Personally, I've spent most of my life not being comfortable and confident in myself and it's something that I'm still working on everyday. It's not something that is easily done at the snap of a shutter... So, as a photographer, I try my best to bring it out in everyone!
The two new models for this shoot were Brandi and Shauna...and honestly it felt like I had worked with them a hundred times before. I have worked with Brandi on a couple of small modeling photo shoots, but this was the first opportunity for her to have anything published.
Shauna has been someone who I've wanted to work with, but never really found the right opportunity.
Although everybody knew of each other, I was a little nervous about how everything was going to go. Working with just a model one-on-one is completely different than working with multiple models at the same time. However, everything went very well and the entire day flowed along nicely, I was very surprised! I think a big reason why was Nicole...she basically helped set the tone and "break the ice" for the shoot. I can't thank her enough for her effort on every shoot that we do!
I would suggest different poses and she would take my idea and try something, then Shauna and Brandi could see what she did and follow along or put their own spin on it. It kept me from having to try to explain what poses, or what I was looking for from them. That meant that I had more time to focus and take more photos.
I admit that I struggle with having to give direction or explain what I'm looking for, but I'm getting better with each shoot that I do! My biggest challenge is learning to SLOW DOWN, I know this sounds crazy for anyone that knows me...but it's true. When I struggle to explain what I'm looking for, I feel like I'm wasting time, then I feel rushed, my anxiety kicks in, and everything feels like it snowballs out of my control!
In order for me to get the best photos I can, I remind myself that I need to take my time and stay calm. I was able to do just that with this shoot. In fact, this shoot was the first time that I had the models hold poses or asked them to do something again, just to make sure that I got the right shot.
Next, I would like to take a minute and share my thoughts on some of my favorite photos from the shoot...
In addition to the girls wearing their #GETOFFTHECAR design shirts, we actually started the shoot with the girls wearing a variety of ShockerRacing apparel. Nicole began the shoot wearing her white/purple crop tee, and it did a good job of offsetting the green of my Mach 1.The first photo I want to talk about is of Nicole with this outfit...
It was this pose idea that kicked off the shoot. The sun was so bright, everyone had their sunglasses on...I took this opportunity to use something as simple as a pair of sunglasses, as a prop for some flirty poses. I really like how this pose has a balance of innocence and sass at the same time! In fact, this pose has become one of my favorite and I look to use it with all the models that I work with.
This shoot was also the debut of another photo prop, an old vintage gas pump!
This photo of Brandi definitely has the classic "Pinup" vibe to it...
Next is this shot of Shauna...simply because she absolutely nailed the pose, you can just see that she is relaxed and having fun!
It's a bonus that her hair color absolutely POPS, while matching with the halos on my car!
You get to see a little hint of Brandi's sassy and bubbly personality in this photo... and I really like that.
She has such a pretty smile...
Thanks to Pinterest, we found a photo and pose idea that everyone liked and wanted to try....Here are my favorites from that set!
As you can see, all three models did the same basic pose...but the results are all unique. I love it! You can easily see their individual personalities...
ShockerRacing has become known for their booty shorts apparel...and for this shoot Nicole and I wanted to come up with a photo that incorporated the shorts, but was also very tasteful and almost elegant in a way. This is what we were able to come up with..
There are many more favorites, but the final photo I'm going to share wasn't even taken by me...it was taken by Alayna, and I'm glad she took it!
To me, this photo not only symbolizes a very memorable day...but also the first step in the right direction to become more comfortable and confident. This is true in both my photography business and my personal life. Until this year, I never felt comfortable putting myself out there for the world to see. Now, I have the confidence to reach out to potential models, try different types of photography, and even ask to get in a few selfies!
I don't know if my photography career will ever be financially successful, or be able to take me places...but I'm going to continue to try my best and continue to move forward!