Do you ever browse a photographer's website and see some truly off the wall stuff? Do you ever wonder where they got those ideas? And ask why would they shoot them?
I do.
And sometimes, I want to be one of those photographers.
Don't get me wrong. I love shooting what I shoot. I have found my niche! And our photos aren't boring photos by any means. And I am 100% certain I'd never want to be a full-time photographer who comes up with over-the-top concepts on a daily basis. But, every once in a while, I feel the need to get a little silly. And do something that truly is just for fun.
So, I do. And now I have a handful of photos and no idea what to do with them.
I really debated on where these types of photos fit in with our style, and I really wanted to use them on our website. What do you even call these photos? They aren't commercial or editorial. They aren't really useful in a modeling portfolio. I'm pretty certain that no one will want a giant canvas of themselves wearing a fur cave girl suit hanging above their fireplace. They're just a creative outlet. And to be honest, compared to conceptual photographers who do this on the daily, they aren't even that spectacular.
I can honestly say that 99% of what you see on our website is purely client based. That means the photos on there were taken of actual clients during a real shoot. Photos from a paid session. They weren't taken as part of a styled shoot in order to make our website look fabulous. Or to trick you into thinking that those are the types of images that are typical from a typical session. We like that we have work displayed that really represents what our clients go home with. I think that is important.
But sometimes, you need to go a little crazy and make that fleeting thought in your head a reality. It's like going on vacation. There isn't really a point to it, except to escape the real world for a bit and make some memories. These kinds of shoots are kind of the photographers' version of a trip to Disney. And we come home from our fake Disney with a renewed passion, a fresh perspective, and some fuel to make beautiful works of art for our clients.
A few of these photos were just some ideas based off of movies. I think Ruthi knocked it out of the park as Raquel Welch in One Million Years, B.C.! And Catie was by far the cutest Indiana Jones I've ever seen. And that's saying a lot because Harrison Ford is pretty cute. Mandy was a brave girl putting on that wig and bringing Chicago to life for us. A few of these photos were taken at a photography conference (but were still styled or designed at least in part by me or as part of a collaborative effort). Lots of craziness going on at Shutterfest! Where else could I go to shoot an evil queen holding a crow in a cathedral? We have some brave models, and some very good sports, to go along with some of the outlandishness that we photographers dream up.
I have to give props to David Byrd of Reality Reimagined for coming up with the composites for Indiana Jones, Chicago, and the "cathedral on fire" photos. He is genius. And his vision really made these photos sing. And he's one of those photographers/artists that DO come up with over-the-top concepts on a daily basis. He just won the grand overall bestest photo at a competition at the aforementioned Shutterfest conference. Check out his website. Really amazing.
So here is my post to share some of that silly. Some of that fun that you need every now and then. I hope to do another post one day soon and fill it with new crazy photos. And I hope that they make someone smile!
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