Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...That's What Girls Are Made Of

My classmate Theresa was kind enough to model for me during this open studio shoot.  We had fun playing with different colored gels in front of the lights and of course, eating the props when we were done!

I learned a few things during this shoot: it is hard to blow a bubble on demand, gels on studio lights are a pain in the butt, organic cotton candy is white not pink, and Dan can ride his bike while holding an ice cream cone.

I threw in a couple of messing around photos at the end.  The guy is Dan, our studio assistant.

I Need A Dollar

For our midterm project we had to pick a theme and show at least 20 photos relating to that theme set to music of our choosing.  I chose to do mine on street musicians.  It was hard!  I found it difficult to get 20 strong images and make them all seem like they went together.  All of these photos were taken on the streets of Missoula within a few blocks of my school.  4 weeks and many tips later here's what I turned in.  (Sorry, quality is not good on full screen option.)

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

It's official, open studio is the best thing since sliced bread.  This is the time that we get to go into the studio and shoot anything we want.  We can bring our own models, costumes, make-up etc. and we don't have to work on a school assignment.

I enjoyed shooting Jessica so much in Garnet that I asked her to be my open studio model.  She was amazing!  That girl has confidence and it radiates in her photos.  The light source in all of these is either a beauty dish or ring flash and the last pic is a shot of what our studio looks like.  It is an amazing space with exposed brick walls, extensive equipment and inspirational images hung all over the place.  Thank you RMSP and assistants for giving us such a great space to work in!

Moab Bride To Be

Over the 4th of July weekend I drove 1500 miles round trip from Missoula to Moab to take bridal portraits for my friends who are getting married in August.  We shot for 6 hours in 100 degree weather on 3 hours of sleep.  It was awesome!

I certainly couldn't complain since the bride to be hiked 3 miles to delicate arch in her wedding dress.  Yes, her wedding dress.  She was a serious champ and people were stopping her along the way to take pictures and give her kudos.  Apparently it's not very common but I think I may pull my dress out and do it just for fun on our next trip.  Here are my favorites from the day.

A Ghost Town Never Looked So Hot

How do you spice up a ghost town in the middle of Montana?  Do a photo shoot in it of course!  My friend Jessica agreed to be the model and this girl knows how to work the camera.  We finished the day off with drinks and sunshine at Lake Holland and for all you RMSP kids, we did squeeze in some hyper focal focusing.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

My First Paid Gig!

I had my first paid gig last week and no, it wasn't in moose poo.  It was in cold hard cash.  The event was a product launch for a line of loose leaf tea.  The company is called bija body www.bijabody.com and the job was advertised through my school's website.  The event was tons of fun and great experience.  Here are some of my favorite shots of the night.