The Pink Bow Post - Sami

(Note: all images are the sole property of linifotto and may not be used without my permission. Thank you!  (c) 2011 August.)

If these pictures don't make you swoon, nothing will. There is definitely something about Sami and this  bow that is unforgettable.

Objective of this shoot:  Create a branding image for Linifotto, something unforgettable and clean.

(Piece of cake.)

Several months ago we shot Sami in her wedding gown. Afterwards we commented that nothing could top them. I was wrong.... See prior post.

But these sure do.

Sami is a wonderful model, she has a face that conjures stories never told, she can lower her eyes and suddenly you imagine events that led her to hold such emotion in her face. These expressions often take on a life of their own and suddenly we're acting out a vignette so subliminally told we don't even acknowledge it.

Now that I'm thinking about it --- it happens more than I realized. I never thought about this at length, which is another good reason to blog. It forces me to articulate stuff that escape conscious thought. I think many models actually do this, and that's an important ingredient to a good model. I'm not sure what comes first. The model intentionally 'acts' creating the mental imagery or if the results of a shoot make them realize they can do this. Or does the photographer actually drive this?  Hmmm, I guess I'm inspired to go in a certain direction based on the results.

Course Sami doesn't need a bow to be memorable.

Now, here is a very special slideshow - this is probably my favorite.

Credits:
Photography:  Pretty Muse Photography - Stuart, Florida
Model:  Samantha Roth
MUA & Styling: Linifotto & Samantha Roth
Music:  This is for Lovers by Pete Doherty and Wolfman

Facebook links:
Samantha Roth http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1012745442
LJ Masty - http://www.facebook.com/lj.masty
Beauty & the Beach Photography  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-the-Beach-Photography/121368791256478
Linifotto http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linifotto/150738844987356


Keywords: Pink bow, cute video, new style, portraiture, linifotto, samantha roth, martin county, stuart, florida, glamour pictures, fun portraiture, different portraiture, BH Cosmetics, styling, MUA ideas, Port St. Lucie, Jensen Beach, natural light photography, modeling, looks, kiss & makeup, hilde marie johansen.

A pink bow...well placed.

I love the feeling of a good shoot. And, today's shoot with Sami was amazing. So amazing I just HAD to get a couple pictures up and posted right away.  Sami, you looked so incredible today! Holy Cow!

I love that you are such a good sport, willing to try any experiments I dream up. Thank you for helping me finalize another Linifotto ORIGINAL look! I think this look should be my logo. That's how much I love it.

It was 100% clear that this look would stop traffic, charm bumble bees and melt any poor soul who needed to resist Sami.

A little on how I came up with the look, since I'm always talking about styling and getting good 'Looks'.  I usually leave the makeup to the MUA people, but sometimes you need to dig into the elements of the look and figure it out yourself. Haha, maybe I'll share the cellphone pics of what I looked like when I did all the late night experimentation on me. Funny.  But ah, no. Not funny.

Sketches, color swabbing, studying my favorite stylists (Hilde Marie Johansen in Norway on Facebook click here to see some of her AMAZING work  http://www.facebook.com/hilde.m.johansen). I've been more focused on styling a shoot these days than the technical side of photography. But, Hilde, it's starting to pay off, I can tell it's working! Your passion for styling is infectious.

Ok, peace out, I'll have a full post on our shoot today with lots and lots of pictures to share very soon.

Peace Out, LJ

Facebook links:

Linifotto http://www.facebook.com/pages/Linifotto/150738844987356
Beauty & the Beach Photography  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beauty-the-Beach-Photography/121368791256478
LJ Masty  http://www.facebook.com/lj.masty
Samantha Roth Mediary  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1012745442
Hilde Marie Johansen  http://www.facebook.com/hilde.m.johansen

MojiToes Nail Bar

What's the coolest thing to happen to a pedicure in Stuart, Florida probably EVER?

A brand new nail salon called, MojiToes Nail Bar. Yep, that's the name of the swankiest new nail salon around. Why am I doing a blog post on a nail salon?  Although this blog is mostly about photography it's very much about Stuart, where I live, my community. I'm rather new here, still figuring out my favorite haunts and boutiques, especially ones that are owned by spunky visionary women. But, I'm ahead of myself.

Here is how it started. I'm one of those people who consults her oracle, Google, for just about everything. Seriously, I actually type in things I want to know. Example, 'What is a Flash Mob?' or 'What is a Thinspo?'  Yeah, I keep all my potentially embarrassing questions between me and Google. So what happened when I asked for whats new, in Stuart and a tres  'cool nail salon'?

Oracle answered.  "Mojitoes Nail Bar".  I half expect the oracle to spit out a puff of smoke from my monitor. If that were possible it would be greenish with fresh mojitoey mists waifing in the air and I would be engulfed with sounds of soft laughter and people enjoying each others company and the slushy sound of ice swirling around in a glass.

So....I snapped to attention, totally digging the short fantasy, grabbed the phoned and dialed 772-419-8989. Fast forward a couple days and I stepped inside the freshest looking salon. I met the owners, Rebecca and Rondal, they had these huge smiles and I could just tell I was going to love it here.

I sat down with Rebecca at her bar (did I mention it's really a bar with high top chairs and all?) and was hypnotized by her charm and the story of how she thought up this cool place.  Oh wait. Hang on a second there. FYI, Stuart is not the most cutting edge and forward community around. It's a quaint town and half of it's 20,000 residents only live here 6 months out of the year. People here seem to be creatures of habit, older and I suspect a much tougher clientelle to crack than most.  So why open shop here?  What is going to get Stuart-tonians out of the regular places and come here?

Well, I did. And I can't think of a single reason to not come here. After going to the same salon, happily I should add for over 2 years, I decided I wanted something different and fun. It's downtown, its cool  and nail-fashion forward, easy to get to and ample parking.  But the most important thing that Mojitoes Nail Bar is, is it's VERY GOOD.

But back to Rebecca and her idea of a nail salon.  She told me she wanted a place to get her nails done that was just a nice place to hang out. And she nailed it. (Pun intended). She very expertly offered a menu of nail services while telling me the story of her salon. Next thing I knew my nails were as flawlessly done as I've ever had. EVER!

No lie. No exaggeration here. Yeah, she's THAT good.  Plus she had all these cool new products, which I so wish my regular nail salon had. She showed me the coolest looking pedicures I've ever seen. OMG, seriously show stopping toes. So cool that I was soon rambling on about how we ought do a little photo shoot featuring this awesome place because there isn't anybody else doing this stuff here.

And this is how friends are made.
This is how business should always done.
This is how life should always be.
And did I mention the mean MojiToe she slowly slid next to me?  Who does that? I love that!
Now my only problem is what to do about my old salon? I love them too, well I guess this remains to be seen doesn't it?

Thank you Rebecca, I can't wait for our shoot of the coolest beach toes to hit Martin County - you've got a winning combination and I will love patroning your nail bar and watch it all happen. It's fun to be a part of something new and exciting, makes me want to roll up my sleeves and help make it happen.

Who doesn't want to sit down with this while getting a mani/pedi?

As my shiny nails click away at the keys I notice my cheeks are getting sore.  I've been smiling endlessly writing this post. That's what Mojitoes Nail Bar and Rebecca left me with, happy. Happy!

Ciao Bella Rebecca may God Bless you, your family and your wonderful new business!

MojiToes Nail Bar

310 S. Dixie Hwy.

Stuart, FL  34994

772-419-8989

(link ->)www.mojitoesnailbar.com

Find them on Facebook at  (link->)  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001592487946

Peace out, LJ

Find the Differences

There are over 8 items that have been changed, can you find them? Only one of them might be too difficult to see on a different monitor.  :)

Who knew fabric could do and be so many things?

Stylized shoots make me happy. They are glitzy, exotic, mysterious with a blend of beauty, fashion and femme fatale and mixed together. Sometimes they don't cost as much as they look.

Here we are playing with shadows using fabric. But this can be done with anything.

Fabrics with laced patterns, beads and fringe are always high on my list.

I have a trunk of cool fabric that can be draped to appear like an evening gown, a brimmed hat, a forest, a night club. Actually there is an endless array of imagery that can be accomplished with fabric and wide open lenses.

Most of these looks are shot at F 1.8 - F 2.8. Why?

Because now, after a lifetime of shooting with only the lens the camera came with I have optical choices I never had before. I love that my lenses have a very specific focal point and beyond that everything falls off and out of focus.

And to think I promised myself that this blog would have more pictures than words....I'll have to work on that.

Short & Sweet

Here is Ashley with a different video version.

I like the videos with a script and storyline better than the others. Right?  Kinda cute?

And, Ashley Sania Chandy, you rocked this shoot!

Sometimes it's not all glam and goregousness

Look close. Right about eye level.

 Do you see the little bug that insisted on kissing her?

Well, they, Mariah and bug, fought a few rounds.  Finally, a full-handed slap between the eyes ended the frustration for both of them.  LOUDLY. 

And, as if choreographed, she fell back into her modeling motions and kept going.  Shift the weight to the other hip, move arms and legs to extend the pose, then tilt the head to punctuate it.  Remember that.

Shift weight to other hip

Move arms and legs 

Tilt the head and 

Hold.

That little tidbit is what I call a pearl. So a message to any would-be models, despite any distraction remember to fall back into the modeling mode ASAP.  

From the rejected pile I couldn't resist adding this one. 

Please note the 'discrete' bug repellant contraption folded into the fabric.

Being photographed can be quite a thrill. Being the photographer is love.

Many blessings in your life.

Look? What's a Look?

'What's a Look?'

This is where I start my shoot.  Planning the Look.  We figure out what kind of character we want.

On this shoot with Mariah, we went for a glammy beach shoot with a nod to fashion.
But planning can make or break a shoot. Get it wrong and it'll kill the best outfit or most gorgeous model and killer venue.  It's vital.

Most people say, well of course the pictures are great, look at these unbelieveable models.  Not so fast I say. So how do we get to this look from the one below?

This is Mariah with a typical day look. (In this photo she's actually acting as makeup artist on this shoot with Ashley. 

This is her just before our beach shoot.  Makeup done.  Her hair came out looking like a fancy updo but was really just a ponytail with the ends tucked in.

Building a look involves all the details. It's not just an outfit. It must be as complete as possible.  Here we added an edgy flair with these nails.  $5.00 at Walgreens.  They are silver metallic with a zebra stripped finish.

The earrings are just glue on beads from Joanne Fabrics adhered with body adhesive (don't try using regular glue). And, yes. Glued directly to her ear. The same beads are glued to the large breast plate of beads. Whole package of beads $3.99)

Running late into the day, sun setting with only minutes left we scrambled into the car and dashed over the bridge and drove up to this beach. (Sewell's Point, Florida)

Mariah is very good with many things. She's artistically minded so much of this comes naturally to her, but the most important thing she does is Act. Yep. Like an actress.  She knows the 'Look' we are after and completely embodies that character.

As photographer and directors, we simply call out poses and expressions we want her to move into, that's if she isn't already doing them.  This is what we do with people who have NEVER modeled before.  We walk them through everything. EVERYONE can look extra EXTRA gorgeous!  Everyone call feel gloriously beautiful.

As for editing and Photoshop, these photos have been touched up in Aperture 3. Lighting, skin smoothing and sharpening. (Still learning PS.)

The fancy dress?  It's just 4 yards of jersey knit fabric draped over a flesh toned slip.  The slip fabric is what they use under bathing suits or what they make spanx with, just one long seam, no hem or elastic. Snug and body holding.  The cost of fabric for both pieces approx. $15.00.

So this look cost very little to pull together, especially considering we wanted a glammy look without having a glammy evening gown. Pulling a Look off means paying attention to ALL aspects of the shoot.

If you pay attention to the credits on professional shoots you'll be amazed at the number of people involved. Often it's a whole team of people and extremely expensive.

Hair & Makeup Artist
Set Stylist
Designer
Nail Tech
Photographers and assistants
Venue

I can't tell you how hard this is. When a look comes together it looks completely effortless and simple. But you gotta go through a lot of bad and not so good ideas in order to get there. Especially when you want a wide variety of looks.