Shutterfest 2022
Back in April I attended a photo convention in St Louis called Shutterfest. This is my 3 time to attend (I missed 2 years because of Covid), and it is one of my favorite conventions. I haven't attended too many, mostly Imaging USA put on by Professional Photographers of America. The two are completely different in both education and atmosphere but I love them both.
I am going to admit something that I think should feel shocking but its probably not at all. I am a nerd.
Normally when I go to conventions I fill my schedule with classes. Even if there is a block I dont find a class I love, I will still fill it and sit in on it. I love to learn. And I feel like I take something away from every class I sit it, whether its business classes, lighting, shooting techniques, whatever. I love it all.
What makes Shutterfest a bit different is there is an entire vibe around shooting. Not only are there hands on classes where you can learn and shoot, but they have a program where you can rent a model and shoot a concept you like. Its really unique that way, or at least based on my experience. But as I just admitted, I typically spend all my time in the classroom.
But this year was different
Every year I have roomed with the same friend, Stacie, from Iowa. I really hate that she lives so far away because we get along so well! Its hard to have a friend you only see once a year. But I guess thats one thing Covid gave us, is the ability to stay in touch even when you're not together in person. So we get by.
But anyway, she focuses on seniors as well. So we bought it would be fun to plan a little shoot on the side.
I am going to backtrack a little for a second. The hotel we stay in is gorgeous, it has beautiful architecture and no shortage or picturesque locations. But its like 1920s traditional decor. And I just cannot make that vibe with modern seniors. I know that other people could absolutely make that work. But that was a challenge I was not up for. Not to mention its a short trip and packing things (like glam outfits) is a challenge.
And...because of the above, so many photos taken there are instantly identifiable. I am going to sound like a real snob here, but I see images from this hotel a lot. And listen, just because your portfolio has a images from a convention does not mean you're not a great photographer. But if thats all that in your portfolio, I am wondering if you are skilled and creative on your own. I am very particular about what I put in my portfolio. It is always images I have styled and created. Its never images where I was just a trigger man. Because I believe that is unfair to my clients, to show an amazing image I could not reproduce.
So, because of my little rant above, I knew if we planned a shoot, I wanted it to be something different then what the other thousands of photographers would come away with. I didn't want the background identifiable and I didnt want a shoot that was from a class that 50 other photographers were in. I wanted this to be something I could set up locally.
The style
So once we had coordinated with Azlynn and her mom, it was time to start planning. I feel like it goes without saying that Azylnn has incredible hair. Its such a beautiful feature and I absolutely LOVE it.
So we actually had 2 concepts both with a vintage vibe, but we only had an hour with Azlynn and ended up with this 70s vibe. Actually both the t shirt and velvet pants are mine, and available if you are interested in this look for your session.
I actually own the pants, they are knock off Free People from Walmart, they were literally $10 and they look identical. I bought them to wear on Christmas because they are extremely comfortable and cute. When I started googling 70s outfits its a lot more earth toned than I was thinking. In my mind is hippie and colorful, but I think in reality its a lot of brown and red and yellow.
Stacie and I definitely wanted a 70s vibe, but she didn't need to look like she stepped out of that decade. We wanted to modernize it a bit. I found the shirt on Amazon and it was such a good match for the color of the pant. Maybe everyone knows this, but did you know you can type in the Amazon search bar like its google? I literally typed in "70s inspired outfit" and found this gem. If you guys knew about this, why didn't you tell me?!?!? Its seriously the best discovery I have made this decade. I found the round sunglasses at Sam Moon and I think it came together perfectly.
I loved working with Azlynn, not only was she so comfortable in front of the camera, and beautiful, but she was so sweet! I absolutely love how these images turned out.
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