Ilene Squires Photography
Margaret and I have worked together before, as she is the muse featured on my Faces of Harlem Book. She came to me (when it was still warm!) in search of some new head shots and I'm no pro retoucher, but I have to say, these aren't too shabby. Helps that Margaret is a stunner!
The holiday season was very good to me and as the year draws to a close, I am reflecting on how much my business has grown. My clients have been not just loyal but generous in referring me to their networks. So, thank you to all the clients, readers and fans out there!
In my last post, I mentioned how difficult lighting indoor shoots has been. This is mostly because I had coined myself a "natural light photographer," but the reality is shooting in mixed light situations really tests a photographer's technical skills. This year {and NYC weather!} have really forced me to hone in my skills using a variety of lighting options.
The Kimmels came to me looking for more traditional holiday portraits and were anxious to finally have "good" ones, as Sarah described. With a more photojournalistic style, I decided to meet them halfway but I knew my on camera Canon 580 flash would just not cut it. The Kimmel's Chelsea abode had just one window and 12 ft ceilings, making it a large space to light! With a little help from my friends at Adorama, I rented a Chimer Super Plus Pro White Softbox with a Dynalite 1000. Definitely not as strong as the strobes I used here, but perfect for lighting a family of five in a private residence.
Without further adieu, the Kimmel's Holiday Portraits...
My favorite Riverdale clients were in search of a perfect holiday gift for Grandma this year and they decided on a family portrait of just the kids. Given the very chilly weather in the Northeast, the client opted for an indoor shoot at their home, the third I had done this season.
I had been struggling with how to make indoor shoots more creative and aligned with my photography aesthetic. Alas, I came up with this "Vanity Fair" family portrait as it was anointed on set by one of the grown ups. A photographer's job is always to make the most natural photos given any circumstance and I am quite proud of this one!
In expanding my reportoire of skills, I took on my first project doing school photography last week. WHEW!, Is the only way to describe this production! We're talking roughly 250 portraits and 11 group portraits all the while, changing light situations with the use of strobes and umbrellas. Talk about a clinic in studio photography! Lots of lessons learned!
1.) Make sure you have the 12' seamless, not the 7' (absurd retouching costs have ensued!). Preferrably NOT in grey/white/black but in a blue or red hue.
2.) Have the best darn photo assistant during set up, shooting and take down!
3.) Partner with a school liaison to negotiate timing and order of students; it's impossible without insider support!
Here's a photo my lovely assistant, Falcon, shot of me doing the individual portraits. It's a little fuzzy because of all that hairy, third party non - disclosure "stuff," schools sign.
The last few weeks have been a douzy with lots of work and travel so my blog hasn't gotten much love. After a whirlwind trip to CA, I couldn't resist jumping right to today's post. My childhood best friend recently gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl, Maya. My trip was primarily for business so I squeezed in a few mini sessions, Maya's included. She is simply delectable, with giant eyes and giant personality (!!!) to boot. Enjoy!
My beautiful and lovely friends, Ishmael and Kyndra, recently had baby #2 and for their "Sprinkle," I gifted them a newborn shoot of little Ayah. I don't shoot a lot of newborns and unfortunately, on the day we scheduled our shoot, it rained! So, instead of bringing baby out in less desirable weather, we brought the baby to the "studio." I realized just what an artform studio lighting is during this little adventure. Needless to say, I will spend the upcoming cold months mastering this for future rainy day shoots! More to come!
Sylvia's the homie, I mean we go way back to our freshman year in college and share so many lovely life experiences. My favorite, however included sharing a bed for a summer, in a 5 floor walk - up, with no air conditioning!
While she's on baby #3 (born just about a week ago!), I'm birthing businesses --- not quite the same but the 'labor of love' idea certainly applies. Anywho, in search of some photos to document her "last" pregnancy, we decided to try out some studio lighting in my apartment. Not too bad for my first go 'round, right? My model wasn't too shabby either! In fact, Sylvia was glowing and feeling so fly that the second half of our shoot was dedicated to her request of shooting just her '...face, no belly.' I included just a couple of those outtakes since they had us laughing for about an hour!
Sylvia's still got it, pregnant or not!
