In the Park with Krisa

Cathedral Park, in northwest Portland, spans the area below the St. Johns bridge. I've shot in the park many times over the years with different models and returned there this morning with my friend and model Krisa. We had last shot on Sauvie Island during the past summer. 

The park has always been a beautiful place to shoot. Well landscaped with the magnificent bridge high above and the Columbia River flowing past, it's always provided me with wonderful settings for my lovely models. Two of my favorite locations in the park are on the stairs under the bridge and under the large willow tree between two supporting columns. Alas, the stairs and most of the area under the bridge were roped off for maintenance, and even worse, the willow was gone, cut down to a stump.

Tropical Joey

I have used the willow often. With the model posed within its fronds, it provides an almost tropical atmosphere. Put the model in a bikini and a sarong, and it completes the illusion. That illusion will no longer exist.

Despite all that, we had a productive shoot. A large mural on one of the buildings adjacent to the park made a nice backdrop for a couple of the dresses Krisa brought. A walk through the park led us to some newly landscaped areas where we also got a few shots. 

Floofie and Merrique - Space Pirates (Sort of)

Merrique's Lingerie

February passed with no shoots scheduled, par for the winter months. I got some editing done and made a few sales on Deviant Art. I also improved the "Space Girls" concept I shot with Kristy Jessica and brought Floofie and Merrique together to shoot different variations with my newest props. 

Once again I chose to use Floofie's studio for the room. I had the lights and backdrops set up before the scheduled shoot time and Merrique arrived a bit early because she needed shots of the outfit and lingerie she wore to the shoot. 

I had planned to shoot first, then Merrique and Floofie together, and finally wrap up with Floofie alone. I usually don't shoot with more than one model, but Floofie and Merrique work well together and I wanted to try a duo shoot with this concept.

After a brief dispute with my camera's settings, I got the shots Merrique requested and moved on to the shoot proper. I plan my shoots to segue smoothly from each costume to the next and for this shoot I wanted Merrique and Floofie to be in contrasting outfits when Floofie joined the shoot. Merrique had gold, and Floofie had silver for their motifs. 

All parts of the shoot went well, especially the duo portion. Merrique looked glamorous in gold, and Floofie rocked the silver. 

Starting the Year with Kristy Jessica

New Year, New Project. Kristy Jessica came to town after having to cancel a previously planned visit due to a personal issue. I had been working on a new concept and planned to use her for the first version. I needed a bigger space to make the concept work, so I used Floofie's studio. That allowed me to get the model further from the backdrop to render it black, and to use large studio strobes on either side of the model for more dramatic lighting. Petite Kristy would have no trouble with compact poses, but I definitely needed room for the strobes. 

This was my 4th shoot with Kristy. It had been four and a half years since our last shoot, so I was delighted with the chance to shoot with her again. Fortunately, she crashed at Floofie's place during her visit, so the logistics for the shoot were simple––show up, set up, shoot. 

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed shooting Kristy. She had fun with all the outfits and the fake guns I brought for props. The lighting worked as I intended and after a few adjustments, we had a productive and fun shoot. 

 Kristy had a full schedule for her visit, so as soon as we wrapped up, she left to prep for her next shoot. I haven't done much with the images so far, I've added a couple to illustrate the shoot's concept.