Olivia Pires - Nika Designs Charlotte Style Magazine

Olivia Pires - Nika Designs Charlotte Style Magazine

I'm a Cover Girl is what I like to shout but really it's just a photo I shot but hey it sounds good! The name of this cover girl is Olivia Pires and I'm pretty lucky to work with this model. Lucky for several reasons and one is her mother and NY/NC agent have her on lock down. Yes she is famous in Japan and does not talk about it, she shot the American Eagle campaign does not brag about it and I'm sure that's the tip of the iceberg... actually I know she is slated for a few national/international things so this could be the last shoot I'm allowed to have with her... YES I said allowed remember she is on lock down and her 'handlers' are very mindful of who she works with.. So thanks for the approval and knowing I/We also take good care of her image... NO Beauty School for the model it's simply not allowed.

Knowing her image is on lock down  and understand the value of being able to work with Olivia... I as the director of photography for Charlotte Style Magazine almost did not use her. I know national photography fashion trends and sorry Calvin & D. Furstenberg your winter line having to be shot in color incl. a mix of designers was not going to work for one of our three editorials, sorry I love local fashion designers but no not going to happen.... Then the Niki/Nika story hit (see below) and I knew this was the one... Sure it will be in color but its a collection of a national/international designer. Yes the clothes have been worn by a lot of famous people (read the article) this should fit and keep your fingers crossed Ms. Olivia is in Charlotte when it's time. So yes it worked because as much as I don't want to allow my personal life to filter in the work life... I know the Pires family and I believe Susan would 'jack' me and pull Olivia out of a shoot in a second so I had to do this right. The shoot team had to be right, the location if any had to be right..... oh the things I have to think about... So it was all perfect thanks to my friend Leigh Jones she just sealed the deal on the location.... (see Niki below). 

Basically what happened that this became a cover too was this entire story took on a life of its own. I cant thank my publisher enough for quietly taking a risk on this being a editorial as it was slated to be one shot in one article but really I wonder what her face looked like when she reviewed the previews... Mine was like Oh No one photo out of the day.... good luck to her for making the final selection... glad that's not my job... but she is smart she knows the value of this type of model and designer and is always on her toes with being ahead of the game... I'm just lucky she found me and asks me to play in her sandbox.

I found out in NY that this was going to be the cover and that actually it was going to be a double cover... I was stunned and had to keep my mouth shut for weeks. It was painful to not tell the team and Susan Pires the good news but the reward came when at the magazine release party , hearing Ms. Olivia say "It's Me" it was so sweet to hear the surprise in her voice and then to see the designer Niki Kapoor just smiling at both covers and approval on the model moms face, what a relief.... remember it's a lot of pressure of 'will they like it' do they like it' and I pretend to not care but I do... Its so important that people like the final portrait I shoot. Plus I always when working shoot for more than what its slated for and it seems to pay off.. The no sleep, stress and the just keep shooting until your hand is broken (it happens)..... remember photographers actually have long days, live with the photos after the shoot, submit and resubmit corrections it really is a long process from the word go... When the shoot is over for the team my work has basically just begun.... sure assistants are nice but I look at every single image, process individually if it holds merit because I have real darkroom habits and basically stop and think about the set of images as a collection. This type of obsession takes time and sure I torture myself with it but I'm ok with that.... its my process.

Many thanks to the following people and a special thank you to the handlers of Ms. Olivia for saying yes to a shoot with me.... And Ms. Olivia don't forget our conversations of your retirement plan, your mom is always right (sigh), education is key, and never forget you are one amazing model for simply being yourself at all times. 

Shoot Team :

Olivia Pires - Clark/NYC via Evolution/NC

Leigh Jones - Location Coordinator

K.D. - Location 

Adrian D. Howe - MUA

Larry D. Webb - Hairstylist

Charlotte Style - Media

Bridgett West - Publisher

Niki Kapoor - Nika Designs

Custom Shop - Jeweler

KK Bloom - Accessories

Embracing Out Takes While Landing in Comfort

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Embracing Out Takes While Landing in Comfort

My mind keeps thinking about this set of out takes (handful shown above). The photos I decided to cut and why did I do this. This takes me to the first set of images labeled 1. These were fun just playing shots but if you notice she is falling... she stops, slowly tips, arms open, then lands so relaxed this is exactly what a shoot like this feels like... breath, arms out, fall in and relax. 

Believe it a lot of pressure rides on the photographer well chances are good it's self imposed but... say a shoot like this.. On set I had the actual designer, a magazine publisher, model, hair stylist, makeup artist, location owner, recommendation for location, custom jewelry included boutique jewelry and the designers two assistants oh video being shot. So knowing my job is to please everyone with my finals, location backdrop, lighting and well with a model like this she knows what to do but still I have to get the angle on what she gives. With I believe a total of 5 gowns to shoot so that means fun downtime watching them work or well that's what I do while setting up the next shot. Sometimes I find out that what I want for the background is not going to work so it's changing time during this gown... So people are relaying on the final product is really what I should say and I'm at the end of the models line when she jumps from station to station.... remember she hits every department, crazy right.

After hitting every station its my turn. What I quickly figured out is without a proactive shoot team and I mean all of the people listed above you never have outtakes like these examples shown here. What you will see here are some processed images and some half processed or none at all but the point is without team work my outtakes would never look so pretty. Also I think it has to do with the organic manor that most of the people I work with come with. One thing I do have to take pride in is working closely with my subjects. Really some of the out takes are just hilarious... what this tells me is this subject enjoyed the experience from station to station.... and that's where the soft landing in the first set of images leaves me... it leaves me with the thought of how lucky I feel to be surrounded with such talented happy people. 

Sure this shoot team has names and that's a whole new blog post. The point is a lot rides on photographers but when I work with great people I can open your arms to embrace them and land comfortably knowing they would understand the explanation of what got cut because after all its their art too...... 

breath, arms out, fall in and relax.   

Charlotte Style Magazine - Double Covers

Charlotte Style Magazine - Double Covers

Yes Yes Yes double covers for Charlotte Style Magazine. I cant believe it myself and still stunned. I found out this was going to be a double cover when I was shooting in New York and totally thinking of well not this. It was funny my publisher was in a different room from me and said it. I thought what did she just say and then it was a blur I dont even know if I responded but I had to sit on this news for a couple of weeks until earlier this week we Charlotte Style made the announcement. At that point I could think about it again. I have to admit to shoot such a special story and then it to become a double was shocking.... because if you follow my blog (silly) I never intended to have the cover much less two... its a wild story so come back to read more posts later this is simple a post to show the double cover... 

Many thanks to Charlotte Style Magazine for this amazing gift of not one cover but two.. WOW right...