Saturday, November 7, 2009

All Hail....Hailey.


Ok. So sometimes you have a shoot that just blows you away. I'm not saying my other shoots this year weren't completely awesome, because I didn't have any bad shoots all year, but, sometimes one just stands out from the rest. What all has to fall in to place to have a shoot like this? Well...

  • Good weather. A nice overcast day is perfect. Bright sun is actually bad for photography.
  • A senior who takes pride in his/her appearance.
  • A senior with a good fashion sense.
  • A senior who is completely comfortable in front of a camera. Now, I have tricks to relax subjects, BUT, if they are naturally comfortable, that's 20 minutes more of good shooting.
  • A senior with many facial expressions. A good smile AND a good serious face. A smirk. A laugh.
  • No equipment failure. We're dealing with electronics here. From wireless flash triggers, to portable battery packs. Now, I can shoot with just the camera and nothing else, but having access to these extras without problems allows me to be more creative.
  • Good locations. Something original, shot in a creative way. After all, this IS art.
  • A photographer that is on his/her A-Game. Yes, I'm being completely honest here. I'm not perfect. There are days when I just don't feel like I'm getting things done to the best of my ability. I hope that doesn't lessen the possibility of a future shoot with you, because all photographers have their "off day"... I'm just willing to admit it.
If all of these things fall in to place, amazing things happen. So, meet Hailey...









Hails, it was both an honor and a pleasure. I hope we get to work together again in the future.

One Love.

Joshua

You Guessed It...More Seniors!


It seems that every time I promise to update the blog more, I get bombarded with shoots! Now, I'm not complaining at all, but for those who don't know me, I work a full time job Mon-Fri, so between the "real" job, shooting, editing, and keeping up on the business end of starting a new business, the blog tends to get pushed to the bottom of the list. Now, there is a quick remedy to this situation. If all of you, whether you're a past client or someone who stumbled upon my blog on accident, spread the word of J. Bradley Crisman Photography, eventually I'll be able to quit the "real" job and focus on you! I know, I know. Shameless self promotion. Hey, what else is the internet for? =P

Moving on!

Bring on the seniors!


This is Andee. Her shoot was a blast! We went to all original places that she picked out herself, which was awesome. I love getting the opportunity to shoot at places I've never even been to.


Brian's shoot was also pretty original. We got to shoot at one of his friends' home which had an awesome barn with a loft that was practically made for photo shoots.


Say hello to Holly. Besides having some of the most fabulous outifts I've shot this year, she had a positive, anything goes attitude that really allowed me to get some beautiful images.


This is Jonah (awesome name btw). He just happens to also be the son of my boss at the "real" job, so I figure I better say a bunch of nice things about him. *grin* Seriously though, Jonah was a cool cat. As you can tell from this one picture, he's a gear head. We got to do some shots with dad's Corvette which is something I don't get to do very often. Well, never actually. I can't afford one of those things... =P


What's up, Kyle. Yet another great guy shoot of the year. Kyle was pretty relaxed in front of the camera, which always helps things go smooth. Besides, with my wife there messing with him the whole time, he couldn't help but give us real smiles, which mom loved. =P I guess this wasn't the best picture to show you after talking about his smile, but it was one of my favorite shots of the day!


Lexi! If there ever was a girl that is a perfect example of how you can be young and still be mature and have a great head on your shoulders, this is her. I get to shoot a lot of seniors, and it's girls like Lexi that make me feel privileged to capture a huge moment in their life for them to remember as they grow older.


Meet Mitchell. We traveled to Vandalia for Mitchell's shoot (we're based in Decatur for those who don't know), and it was well worth it. Original locations, and another great guy senior to work with. Hey Mithcell.... squirrel! *grin*


This is Steph. Steph, her mom, and one of her friends came from Iowa to have her pics done. Ya, that's right. They came from out of state to be shot by me! I know, I know...I'm awesome. Actually, they have family here, so while visiting we did Steph's portfolio. Still though, how awesome is that? My work is going to be floating around a high school in another state! And Steph's pics won't look like anyone else's at her school! I had another mother contact me from Iowa after I finished up Steph's proofs, unfortunately she didn't realize I was so far away so it didn't work out. But man, word of mouth travels so quick! Steph didn't even have her prints yet! Great gal, great shoot.


This is Zach. Zach had a short session just to add some variety to his portfolio he already had done somewhere else. I'm glad he did too, because the shots with his dog and his football pics were some of the best I've shot this year.


This is Tiger Woods. Wait, no. Tiger's shoot is next month. This is Aaron. I shot Aaron and his friend Josh (next post) at the same time. They are from Bethany, and I was more than happy to travel there to shoot. I have to find ways to get my name in to some new schools! I love my Maroa-Forsyth crew (after all, that's where I started this journey), and my Argenta-Oreana crew, but I have to break in to some new places too! Well, not literally "break in", I mean, well...nevermind. You know what I mean. Aaron had a great idea for one of his pics. Since we had access to the inside of the school, we did some shots in front of his actual locker in the Senior hall. Now, I know some photographers like to stick kids in front of a locker as a prop, but this was his locker that he actually uses. How awesome is that?!


This is Josh. After a slight rain delay at the beginning of the shoot, we ended up having a great day to shoot. The rain gave us some nice clouds to work with once we got done shooting at the school.

I'm starting to realize how many guys I shot this year. Last year it was probably 4 girls to every guy, but this year I think it's been pretty even. Hopefully this means the guys are seeing something in my work that makes them want to have their picture taken, and not just that mom is making them. *grin*


Well, hello Melissa. As you can see, a natural in front of the camera. If I remember correctly, it was smoking hot that day, and the beginning of the shoot was out in the open with no shade. It was ironic that we were shooting right next to their beautiful swimming pool. I think if I would've fell in, I wouldn't have been totally upset. Of course, my camera equipment doesn't take well to water, so it was probably best that I just stayed on dry land and sweat it out.


Jesse's shoot was so laid back and one of the easiest shoots I've done all year. It didn't hurt that I had already met Jesse through his girlfriend (Sammy, the first senior I ever shot), and through another creative shoot he helped me with. This guy is crazy talented. The first time I ever heard him sing was at a graduation party for some seniors I shot last year. I thought it was a recorded album that was just playing over the speaker system, then I asked Sammy where her new boyfriend was ( I hadn't met him at that point), she pointed to a little stage area where Jesse was playing guitar and singing. I was blown away. Mad skills. He even played during his shoot while we were doing shots of him with his guitar. He started playing a song by The Format that I love and I caught myself just standing there listening to him not even taking pictures. Ya, and I get paid to do this. *grin*

Alright, I guess I'll stop there. If you had a shoot with me this year and don't see your pic here, don't worry. You'll be up soon. I just have to get back to work on the 4 seniors I have staring at me through my editing screen!

On another note, if you are looking at this thinking of booking me for a shoot in the Spring, give me a call or send me an email as soon as possible. I've already started talking with a few people about sessions once it gets warm. And I have a couple weddings that will take up a couple of my weekends. It's never to soon to drop me a line, because once my weekends are full, I have to stop booking. The downside of working another job Mon-Fri. =(

Hope to hear from you soon! Oh, and feel free to comment on any of these posts. I don't think you have to even register or anything, you can just drop me a line to let me know you were here checking things out!

One Love.

Joshua