i live like a gypsy

it was one of those days when i said, "i want to try out strobes (artificial) lighting...come nadia, be my model for the day!" ok, i didn't say it like that exactly but...along the lines haha

i got this heavy ass ton of a portable lighting and carried it up a hill...a very very high hill...and tested a few shots moving the lights around and i just hated it. i found that i was forcing myself to like the results that came from using artificial lighting because i found in many instances, well...some people equate using strobes=professional. what i didn't like about the photos that were lighted with strobes was that it was too harsh, it gave that "darkness" or "moodiness" to a photo that i didn't like (although i do appreciate moody & dark photographs on magazines, i just don't have that much fun and fulfillment from actually shooting them myself haha). but i was glad i tried it out, i'm starting to understand my style as a photographer and it's comforting to allow myself to be myself.

being a photographer is like being a conductor to an orchestra. you don't just push the button and count 1,2,3 (although it does look like all the conductor does is wave a stick and dance to the music haha). it starts with the vision, researching on the concept, then finding the right venue (then cropping the right parts of the venue), working with the stylist on the concept, communicating the idea to the model/make up artist/team/etc, guiding the model into a shot that is most flattering yet not over-posed, making sure the clothing is seen in the best light (for fashion photography), making sure the styling works well with the background of choice, making sure the lighting is right, my ISO/shutter speed/aperture are in the right marker, work through a myriad of different shots, compositions or poses then we take the prints home and work on it on photoshop (for digital prints) and this post-processing part takes alot of time and effort too. for a typical fashion shoot, i usually take a total of 8-10 hours from start to finish. well, at least, this is the amount of effort i take into producing those images haha

although for these images, i cut down the post-processing by a ton because i shot with film. i think i used 3 different types of film and was afraid that the effects would be different. but well unless you look closely will you be able to see the difference between the films.

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