I have a confession to make. Not too long ago, I was ready to hang everything up and quit. That's right. I was going to pack up all my concepts and ideas and never let them see the light of day. Why, you ask?
Several months ago, I started listening to the negativity. I paid attention to the armchair critics who lament the death of the photography industry. They sit back and criticize everyone else's work, values, or abilities. They don't care what stage someone is at in their learning. All they care about is that they think it's destroying their business. They complain that cameras are too easy to obtain, that there are too many weekend warriors or soccer mom photographers. They also complain that people use too much photoshop or not enough photoshop. No one can do right except them.
I was torn in several directions. Do I create straight images or do I pursue my fantasy digital art? Do I follow fashion and themed imagery or do I realize I will never make it in the industry because I can't live up to all that these critics complain about?
On top of being torn about where I should go with my work, I was becoming overly critical of my work. Then, while under this negative influence, I started becoming overly critical of others work and I started to close myself off, quitting groups I used to take joy in participating. I became lost in this downward spiral of negativity, something that is uncharacteristic of me. I was losing myself, I was losing my connection to my work, and I was dreading doing any of my upcoming concepts.
Fortunately, several events snapped me out of this funk. I reconnected with a positive influence on my work, I went ahead and did the concepts and enjoyed myself and the teams immensely, and the groups that I left reached out wanting me in their fold. In addition to that, a tremendously talented photographer that I follow and admire wrote a Facebook post regarding those criticizing him, telling him he's not a real photographer because he only works on the weekends, shaming him for being blue collar. Keep in mind, this photographer who had to defend himself is widely popular and sought after by many large publications...and yet, people still had the nerve to tell him he's not a photographer.
After these positive events and after reading this incredibly gifted photographer's struggle with critics , I realized that I had been a fool. I am ashamed to have listened to the critics and to have fallen into this creative depression.
We as creatives should be supporting each other. We should be holding each other up, helping when we can, and working together to strengthen the community and the industry. There will always be the negative few who speak louder than the rest, but remember that most people are supportive, myself included. When asked, I am always happy to help or teach (if I can). I am willing to give kind words or constructive advice. Just as I am open to accepting the same (there is a difference between being critical and offering constructive critique when asked).
Styled photoshoots are a collaboration of the team. The model helps bring a character to life or showcases the style by knowing how to pose to best represent the clothing. Makeup artists and hairdressers create the look for the character, either a character they created or one they helped to create with the photographer's or art director's direction. The photographer knows how to light and compose the image. And the retoucher puts the finishing artistic touches to the final image. Additionally, there can be stylists, designer, assistants, and a plethora of other people on the set, helping to create that final product.
When Kelly approached me to photograph a specific hairstyle she wanted to add to her portfolio, I was thrilled to help. She has helped me with many of my ideas and it was my turn to repay her. As she told me about the look and mentioned that she wanted an '80's eyeshadow to match the mohawk, I thought of Adam Ant as inspiration. I ran the idea by Kelly, and she liked it. Kelly then set about to make the look her own.
For wardrobe, I wanted to play with the military jackets that Adam Ant wore, but with Allison's complexion, I thought the green military inspired jacked worked better than a black one. Allison brought a cute sequined tank that worked contrasting the formal against the casual. Allison also brought this great skull shirt. It inspired Kelly to pull out black tulle and me to find my skull and sword earrings, resulting in a Madonna meets Adam Ant look.
Allison did a fantastic job bringing the look to life in front of the camera. Kelly created a fantastic make up and hair combination. And I had a great time working with these two fun ladies and creating some fun in-camera effects that put a little extra artistic spin on the look. We all enjoyed this look and played with it for as long as we could. Simply put: Kelly and Allison blew me away with this look!
I stumbled upon these wings and I knew that they would make a perfect fairy wings. As I started to gather and make the pieces for the character, I realized this had to be created on location and that it had to be shot in the Spring or Summer months. The purple needed to pop against the greenery of woods. The scope of the image also need to feel epic. I wanted it to give the impression of being deep in an enchanted forest.
With Shannon's incredibly long, red hair splayed around her face and with the purple flowers in the headpiece, the woodland fae has an even more rustic and wild appearance, which is perfect for a character living in the wild. The flowers tie her to the natural surroundings.
Kelly created makeup to match the wardrobe, including these incredible pink lashes that were miles long! They were like wings on Shannon's eyelids.