Why it's Important to Shoot For Yourself
I have been (gratefully) busier than ever this year. And while I am so thankful to have on average about 3 sessions a week - it becomes easy to feel burnt out quickly. I absolutely love my job, and love creating images for my clients, but there are times when I need to just create images for me. I need to photograph people, places, and things that fuel my soul. I need to not worry about getting the perfect shot, and focus more on being creating an image that is exuding emotion.
I knew exactly what I wanted these images to look like before I even began shooting. I knew the story I wanted them to tell. I wanted a fierce, strong mama holding her child in a gorgeous location. I knew my model had some amazing tattoos that I wanted to feature, and the Free People dress we decided on couldn't have been more perfect. We decided to keep her son's clothing very neutral and organic.
To tell the story of this session, I knew I wanted a breathtaking backdrop with interesting rock structures, stormy skies, wind, birds and the ocean. A friend showed me an amazing spot in Pebble Beach that checked all these boxes, and had a gorgeous little meadow as well! Location is just as important as people and styling, and should be very well thought-out beforehand.
This session turned out to be exactly as I pictured it, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Model calls are time consuming because of all the planning, but they are so worth it in the end! As artists we must always keep creating, and we must always make time to create some things for ourselves to keep finding that inspiration.
