Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of. Bethany Hamilton
Hello fellow photographers,
Marella has allowed me to share the story behind her photographs so you’ll enjoy the drama of false starts, unexpected showers and a 10-minute session that produced the most beautiful images.
I’m going to be honest and admit Marella contacted me as a last resort, her mum pushed her to drop me a line saying. “Why don’t you give this photographer a try?”
With new adventures looming large, Marella need a new head shot, and quickly, “Mandy, you’re a life saver”.
When you aspire for something bigger and better, for such a long time, it’s just ever so slightly scary when dreams become reality.
Photoshoots are a lot like people – they contain secrets and confessions – shadows become feathery lightness. Nervous giggling, whispered confessions and honest connections. All rolled into a ten minutes session, cut short by the rain.
Marella’s big dreams have become reality, and with them the responsibility of leaving her friends and family. That’s why I wanted to share these images: it tells the story of courage, planning and perseverance (and a kind mother screening us from rain as I push for just one last image).
So here we go, an overview of the total shoot:
If you’re type of person that gets scared of booking a professional to take your photograph on the Isle of Wight. These images are here to remove the secrecy behind portrait sessions; so you don’t get scared that your dreams will let you down or disappoint you.
- Meeting somewhere local and swopping ideas ahead of the shoot.
- Advising Marella on exactly what to wear and explaining why it will flatter her photograph.
- Jumping straight in and showing Marella how to stand in flattering ways.
- Calling mum over with her handy umbrella.
- One last push to create a connection that shines from the photographs.
Take a close look at the photographs above. Making a true connection is one of my secrets to creating engaging photographs.
Here’s the sequence:
- Standard smile in front of the camera (everyone has one).
- Making a silly joke (and breaking through the frozen camera smile).
- Catching the smile as it shines in your eyes.
Here we have it …. when big dreams are hard earned …. it’s a fabulous window of opportunity to start a new journey and Marella’s living life to the fullest.
Not a head shot, but the last image before the rain chased us indoors. I asked Marella to say, “WOW.”
Silly, simple and effective.
With Love,
Mandy
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