‎”Richly robed in gorgeous finery, and richer still her beauty; such the beauty of the Naides and Dryades, as we used to hear, walking the woodland ways.” – Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.453

On November 2nd I met with Ema and her sister outside of Kalispell on a friend’s ranchland for a shoot that Ema had been putting together in her mind for quite some time. She had explained it to me more than once but I couldn’t put it together in my head. We were racing the weather and earlier in the day it had been quite frosty, but there was some heat left in the sun rays later in the afternoon.

I hope that Ema and I can revisit this theme.

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Session two of Project 1:18 took place at Dawn’s home, a beautiful tract of ground just outside of town, nestled in the mountains and meadows. We are racing against the elements…and the cold is winning!

Blessings!
D.

Everything about me rails against what I call “Cattle Chute” photography, where the client is herded into the studio, poked, prodded, and shot (like a piece of meat). A personal portrait should be that: “Personal”. I want my artwork to stand the test of time and be a testament to the body, soul and spirit that resides in each individual. It may take more time but it will mean more in the long run than the cheap, hurried shot. To get the best image, time should be taken to learn who each person is and what they like, dislike, hold dear or fear, and what made them into the person they are today.

This project is about a woman who my wife and I have known for many years. At one point she worked for us in our business and was one of our best and most memorable employees. Honest, to a fault, one day she found a hundred-dollar bill lying on the floor next to the register and turned it over to us in hopes we could find the owner (we did). Subsequently, she was written up in the daily newpaper for this unusual act, although for Dawn there was no second-guessing. An intensely spiritual person, daughter, wife, and step-mother she was Mrs. Montana in 2000. A beautiful person inside and out!

We are working on a personal portrait that will show who Dawn is and hope to show the world today, and future generations, her many facets all within one image. Therefore, it’s important for this type of project to have a high level of collaboration between photographer and client in order to get a ‘feel’ for their heart and mind and to learn which elements should be in the image. It’s a process that takes a lot of time and talking. Throughout that process, and in the background and just as important as the learning process, is my goal of putting the client at ease and making them feel comfortable in front of the camera and the photographer. Although Dawn has been on many runways in her pageant career, this is different and more personal and not everyone is an extrovert. The first few sessions are meant to accomplish those goals.

I’ll keep you posted on the progress of Project 1:18.

Blessings,
D.

Tara came to me by way of an acquaintance who is an excellent make-up artist in our local area. Tara is an interesting person…a navy veteran…and a geek. We had talked about doing a shoot which incorporated the ‘andro’ (short for androgenous…look it up) look that is now sweeping into fashion circles. Tara is anything but andro! She is slender, petite, and when she steps in front of the camera, drop-dead gorgeous. We had a lot of fun putting together several different looks during our shoot at the KM theater…which made it a very late night.

Blessings!
D.