This was a collaborative project between Type Media, model Lynette ‘lay’ Ashlee and myself.   The success of this shoot was the result of the three of us working together to carefully craft the images.   The quick breakdown is as follows:   Johnny (Photographer/Artistic Director),  Lynette (Model) & Ivan (Photographic Lighting).   You can find Johnny and Lynette’s contact information further below.

Artistic Direction & Photography
Johnny J. Jones of Type Media
Click Here To Contact Typemediausa
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Johnny of Jones of Type Media provided the location, artistic direction, captured and edited the images.

Photographic Lighting and Technical Detail
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I was in charge of designing and implementing the photographic lighting scheme for the various scenes,  assisting with technical issues and whatever else was needed.  Man was it difficult to resist the urge to get out my camera.

Modeling & Makeup
Model Lynette ‘lay’ Ashlee
Click Here To Contact Lynetta Ashlee
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Lynette did what she does well which is provide the posing,  makeup,  clothing and her natural photogenic presence.

This past Saturday I had the chance to help capture the fashion show for Vogue Modeling Agency.   This entire set contains over 500 images so what you’re seeing here is just the tip of the iceberg.  To view the majority of images I would suggest  that you visit the full gallery and click on the photographs that catch your eye or watch the slideshow.

 CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PHOTO GALLERY

 

 

In the picture below we see Mrs. Katherine setting up a picture to be taken of her staff members.  Mrs. Katherine is the brain child and driving force behind Vogue Modeling Agency.

 

 

VIEW THE SLIDESHOW WITH MUSIC BELOW

One thing that I truly love about photography is the wide range of ideas & concepts that one can explore and capture.   Whenever I receive an e-mail or call from Emily I know that life is about to go from “regular run of the mill” to “exciting and not sure what I’m about to shoot next”.    She’s one of the most creative and outgoing models that I know. 

Emily shot me an e-mail and I could tell by the way she wrote that she was excited about a new idea.   She said “Ivan I want to do a catwoman shoot.”  Being a fan of the Marvel Comic book movies I found this idea to be very intriguing to me.   Catwoman . . . now this should be interesting.

Emily is about the only one that can truly relate to my homework assignments at the Art Institute.  On Friday November 5th I made my way over to “Studio 921″ which is Emily’s haven for artistic paintings, sculptures and such.  When I walked through the door I thought “WOW” she really is cat woman.  We checked out a few wigs. One of them consisted of long black hair and another was a solid  platinum wig but I wasn’t feeling them at all.  I decided that her natural blond hair would work best for this shoot.   We cranked up the music in her place and the rest is history.  Be on the lookout in the near future for our “Super Girl” shoot.

 

Last weekend I had a great time hanging out with Matt & Tracey.  We were able to work on several concepts and get them captured.  They are truly one of the coolest couples that I’ve ever worked with.  You can see some of the images from our shoot below.

Camera gear used: Two Sony A700’s,  Alien Bee Strobes and some other stuff.

It is always fun to shoot with Emily.  She’s very creative and is not afraid to explore new photographic ideas.   She called me and said “Ivan, I’d like to come up with a mermaid shoot.”   Hmmmm, I thought…. a mermaid shoot.. this should be interesting?  She said yes and I already have all the accessories.    My response was cool….. let’s set a date and I’ll come to your place and make it happen.

During that conversation I also told her that I had an idea about her wearing red fabric that is blowing in the wind.  We decided that we’d try out both concepts.

The thing about photography is that it can be used for just about any type of expression.   A lot of time the fun is not only in taking the picture but trying to set the scene, the lighting and everything else that is required for you to capture the shot.

Emily actually cut out and painted the mermaid fin from a cardboard box.  She’s very artistic… you should see some of her painted portraits at her place.

Below is a rare behind the scenes shot.  We managed to turn her living room into a photography studio. The hardest part was trying to control all the light precisely in such a small area.  Just about everything had light blockers (Gobos) to make it go only to a certain location.

The red fabric was an idea that I’ve wanted to do for a while.  I just needed the right person that could pull it off.

While we are on this shoot and Emily was doing her modeling “thang” she all of a sudden got attacked by the red fabric in the wind and you can see her below just trying to hold on for dear life.  There are always funny moments that occur during each shoot and this was one of them.

Last week I met Virginia and we discussed the possibility of working together.  As we sipped on an iced mocha at Starbucks we came up with the concept that Skater Girls have class to.   She told me how she loves to ride her skate board and so you know that I had to pop the question.   “Can you stand on your skate board in high heeled shoes?”.  She said “Yes, I can.”   I asked if she could do that without killing herself and she said that it wouldn’t be a problem.   Now you know that I had to see this to believe it.   Today we met in Raleigh to have our first shoot and all I can say is that she has balance like a cat.

Special thanks to Fatima over at voguemodeling.com for inviting me over to help capture competition.  The rules were as follows.. each person had to step forward and give us their best modeling poses.  It was my job to setup my studio lights at the agency and capture each person as they did their thing.  Below are a few pictures from a total set of 470 images that came from this shoot.

I had the opportunity to shoot with Fatima. She’s been in the modeling industry for 11 years.   Fatima will probably kill me for saying this but… scouting out areas to shoot in with her is like trying to keep up with “The Crocodile Hunter”.   She has no fear (except for bugs) and she will cross rivers, balance on suspension bridges and brave snake filled waters to get her shot.   When she gets into modeling mode she’s a piece of cake to work with.  She had her own suggestions on poses but she was also open minded about things that I tried to throw out.  You can’t tell it by the photo but the wall that she is posed on is about 8 feet high and 5 inches wide.  Can you say “Brave”?     My thoughts.. oh God just don’t let her fall. When you look at her pictures check out the ones where she just let go and started to laugh and smile.  Her smile literally lights up the frame and can bring  joy and a sense of fun to anyone looking at it.

Yes, she knows how to do her thang and she’s very photogenic but she also has the heart to help out.  One thing that shocked me after our shoot was that she proactively helped to unplug lights, pack up umbrellas,softboxes and light stands.  She helped to  haul stuff back to the van and there was not even one comment about the possibility of breaking a nail.  I thought about asking her to lift the gas powered generator and put it back in van for me but that would have been a bit much.   I’m looking forward to shooting with her again and working on some of the other concepts that we’ve sketched out.  Keep checking back because soon there will be more.

By the way, the property where we did the shoot is called Straw Valley. It is located in Durham, NC near Wal-mart on 15-501.  Special thanks to Scott H. Bednaz (919) 844 – 2145 for allowing us access to the property.  They are in the process of developing an all in one wedding facility for brides to be.

 

 

 View The Slide Show Below

On Monday of this week I received a call asking if was going to come do some photography at NC Fashion Week.  My response was… no, I hadn’t planned on it.  I was asked to come out this Thursday to Gregory’s of Cary to help capture some of the models on the premesis.   I had planned to just relax and chill out on Thursday but this was an opportunity that I could not pass up.   I packed up a couple of lights and headed out to Cary to do what I love doing. 

I had lots of fun interacting with the models and just trying to capture them in the way my mind’s eye saw them.  The most challenging part was telling them which pose I wanted and trying to capture “The Look” that they had at that particular time.

A few of the pictures are below.

Have you ever met someone who’s personality is so energetic, bubbly and out going that it becomes contagious.  Well that is how Dionna is.  On Saturday morning around 9:20 am I received the call asking…. “Are You Ready To Shoot?”.  Yes, I was ready… this is one of those shoots that I’ve been waiting for.   Dionna has the personality as well as the looks to go with it.  She’s one of those gals that are just fun to be around and she will even give you a high five if she’s in agreement with you.

We took a lot of images, only a few are here, but the one below has to be my favorite.  I’ll never forget I was trying to demonstrate this pose and as you can imagine… me trying to show this pose  “ain’t” a pretty site.  However, Dionna nailed it and turned it into a piece of art.  I will let you in on a secret….  after this pose Dionna said… “Whew man  that pose hurt…. but we got it lol.”  

So here is my public thanks to her for just putting up with my requests because I know this is a demanding pose to try and hold with the chair digging into your neck all while trying to keep a straight line.

You can be assured that you will see more images of Lady Dionna in the future.

Visit www.ivanwatkins.com for all of your photography needs.