Street Locations
We had been in Playa del Carmen for over a month when we found this door protecting a closed shop along Calle 6, near Avenida 10. The side streets east and west of Avenida 5 offer literally hundreds of amazing photographic vignettes. Like much of Playa, they alternate between quaint and cosmopolitan, between authentic Mexican and European in flavor. Playa has significant French, and Italian communities, particularly in the north end near the beach.
Protected by a small awning, this location allowed us to maintain some control over the harsh sun of mid-day… lit with reflectors and some off-camera flash. Model: Dani Izaguirre.
Steps At Hotel Deseo
Dani, Hotel Deseo
Rather than setting up overhead silks to soften the direct light, I decided to let the blond colored stone blow out. Jan held a telescoping paint-pole with a portable flash unit for the hair highlight. Dani’s boyfriend Edson was kind enough to help carry equipment and hold the reflector.
The Off-Season
Senior photography in Wisconsin is pretty much a seasonal proposition. Obviously, weather plays a major role. Summers are incredibly busy. Winters (from January through March) are very quiet. This schedule is not without its advantages.
The “off-season” provides time to develop new sets, search out unique props, and attend conventions & seminars. It is also a time for personal art projects. For each of the last ten years, we have closed the studio for an extended period and used at least part of the time to explore and photograph models in locations throughout the US, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Our travel choices (sometimes conventional, sometimes not) are primarily dictated by the weather and the time of year we can get away. We’d love to photograph couture models, surrounded by the architecture of Milan or Venice but the prospect of more cold weather and overcast skies is not terribly appealing.
Photography is an artistically rewarding profession but there are tradeoffs. Sadly, the Hollywood image of photographers as wealthy, “A-List” eccentrics is widely off the mark. There are icons who fit this fantasy; Annie Leibovitz, Patrick Demarchelier, Sante D’Orazio… I know of others with less familiar names but trust me when I tell you that it is a very small, very elite club.
My business, travel, and artistic partner is my wife Jan. We select destinations on the basis of photographic opportunities and cultural interests but economics are definitely a factor. The truth is that you don’t have to be wealthy to travel. You must, however, resolve to “live like the locals.” Longer trips mean a smaller daily budget. Fortunately, the modest luxuries you forego are offset by the integrity of the cultural experience.
From a purely artistic perspective, we definitely prefer longer trips. The weight and quantity of equipment necessary for model photography makes you consider the cost/benefit of all that excess baggage. Cameras, lenses, laptop computers, reflectors and assorted lighting equipment, all must be meticulously catalogued and packed. Insurance and customs forms are essential and the paperwork can take a day or more. After you arrive, securing the necessary location shooting permits, recruiting models, makeup artists, and grip assistants takes time, lots of it. But when it all comes together, it’s worth every minute. This blog represents our modest attempt to begin a conversation about that very topic.
The image above was captured with an iPhone at a restaurant & gallery in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I have no idea if the totem accurately represents elements of the Mayan culture of the surrounding area but I really liked the up-lighting.
New Senior 2011 Website
Our new website launches today. OK, to be totally honest we have a number of elements that aren’t finished but we’re in the home stretch. Over the next few days and weeks we’ll be rolling out new features, new informational sections, a completely redesigned video gallery, and some other things we’re not quite ready to talk about. The pages in front of you represent the culmination of hundreds of hours of effort by some incredibly talented people.
We’d like to thank two people in particular. Crystal Gavin is our in-house graphic designer. Her skills in image retouching, compositing, and post production artwork are an indispensable part of every image we create. Matt Seifert is director of operations at PortalMedia, Inc. (our site design contractor) and he is responsible for the programmatic and technical implementation of our shared vision. When we ask, once again, if something is possible, he’s the person who figures out how to make it happen.
Frankly, we’re quite pleased with the result and we hope you find our new site informative & entertaining.