First off…let’s hear a round of applause for me updating the blog in under a month! Wooooo!

Remember me saying I was going to revamp my style a bit? It’s here…and I love it.

This is by far the highlight of my week though…

Just a few days ago I was notified that I had been nominated for something called “The A*List,” I had no idea what it was so I figured I should go check. Well, turns out that the city gets to vote on who they think is the best of the best…pretty cool. I’m in the portrait photography category.

So I spread the word around thinking I might do alright, but that there were a ton of great photographers in this city.

Here’s where I have to gush a little bit…you all (clients, followers, friends, family, fans, etc…) are incredible. In a few short days your votes have taken me from the bottom rung all the way to 1st place. Knowing that you all support me so much is a truly incredible feeling! I’m not a clever enough writer to be able to say it any better than that.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, or just haven’t voted yet…go check it out. Voting ends on the 27th, so there is still a long way to go but with your help I know I can stay on top!

Let’s talk more about photos though, and the lovely Jessica Crider…

If you’ve ever worked with me before, you know that I’m a bit spontaneous. This time my spontenaity got me, Jessica and her boyfriend Jordan all soaking wet. All because I decided on a whim that we needed to shoot in a lake. Yes, in the lake.

This wasn’t so much of a problem for Jessica (except for her aversion to mud) as it was for me and her boyfriend (my assistant for the day), she had plenty of swimsuits. Jordan and I both came without something to swim in. It’s so great when people are able to go with the flow though, I love it. Jordan didn’t even flinch when I asked him to get in the water and hold a reflector for me. He waded in jeans and all just to help out, and that made all the difference in the shots. I couldn’t have gotten them any other way.

Thank you to both of you for catering to me. I know you agree that the ends justified the means.

I also had some time last week to sit down and finish going over my second shoot with the ever-beautiful Randee Jean.

I don’t know what it is…I think she understands what I’m looking for before I do. Either that or I’m just that good at communicating what I want (don’t laugh too hard).

A big part of what takes me so long to go through her shots is that I can’t decide which ones I like the most…there are too many!

All of these photos were shot at the same studio where the workshop I mentioned in my last post will be held. I love the location because of how versatile it is. There’s a ton of space and it’s right in the middle of downtown so I can just walk outside if nothing indoors fits the look. How could I complain?

I firmly believe that the location can make or break a shot. I know that looking at beautiful people can make us critical of ourselves. Beautiful locations do something different though…they allow us to imagine ourselves there, I feel like they give the audience a kind of freedom. I wonder if it’s possible to shoot models in a way that eases individual insecurities while granting that feeling of freedom and empowerment.

Alright friends, it’s time for me to wrap up. A big thanks again to everyone that has supported me so far. Even if you choose not to go vote for me, the fact that you are here reading and looking at my work is enough!

Labor day is knocking on the door so, please have a safe and relaxing weekend.

-David

Deep title right?

Ha!

Aside from actually writing a blog entry I think coming up with the title is the hardest part…so, I give up…from now on it’s going to be the first thing that comes to mind no matter how stupid.

Anyway, today’s is relevant, thankfully. Last night I got the urge (as I sometimes do) to go through the discarded images from last year’s sessions and see if I could find a few gems to spark some creativity.

Some of them turned into very close crops like the one of Ashley above. I originally discarded it because the eyes aren’t tack sharp like I like them to be in my shots, but the crop wowed me so I had to work it and overcome that pickiness.

It’s been quite some time since I dirtied up a photo. I love playing around, and although I prefer clean n’ simple looking shots embellishments can really transform a piece.

The one above was done when creativity woke me up at 5 this morning. Such is life.

Back to work now, I have some jewelry photography to finish up today and then hopefully I’ll be able to post that up here too.

Hope you all have a great day!

-David

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I get to look at what they have, and listen to where they want to be, then help them get there. A lot of artists (yes models are artists) get stuck in a certain way of doing things. It may be a certain look, a specific feel in the way they present themselves, a style of clothing or design, or something as simple as using one particular color a lot.

Each of those things can be great to help establish a recognizable style but if you don’t diversify, you end up getting pigeon-holed like Jason Biggs (American Pie).

Knowing this, when people like Abbey approach me wanting to work together, I go through their existing body of work to see what I can offer. In Abbey’s case she has plenty of photos of her in a studio setting. Her hair is styled, her makeup is done, the lighting is controlled…everything is in its place.

Here is the deal with an abundance of images like that though. It’s not a natural setting, and you don’t look like you do on a normal day. Most agencies want to see a clean shot with minimal makeup.

Remember that.

Abbey did a great job, she and her mom were a blast to hang out with for a few hours, very nice people.

Abbey, if you’re reading…Thanks a lot for coming out, you did fantastic.

I’m not sure exactly why that is, but it feels like I’m discovering something nobody has ever seen before. I suppose in a way that’s true.

Our lovely model from last week’s post has a few more images I’d like to show you so let’s get right down to business.

I’m working on a few more bookings, and there are a few commercial shoots coming up in early August. I might not be able to post those images right away, but I might be able to ninja some shots of the shoot while it’s in progress. Either way, you know I’ll do my best to keep you all updated.

-David

Life is busy as ever over here. I’ve been so swamped with photo and design work I’ve barely had time to think about writing, much less do it.

Google Alerts has become my new best friend, every day I get an email telling me what new stuff google has found with whatever search term I decide. Naturally, I decided that my own name would be the first thing I wanted to know about. Since I’ve started using this service, I’ve discovered that there are a hell of a lot of people that have my name. I did find something cool though.

I was interviewed several months back about my use of flickr.com for photography. The author didn’t know if the article was going to be published or not, so I just forgot about it. Well, it did get published and google let me know. How cool is that?

Here is the link

In other news, another out of state model made the long trek to shoot with me. Although we only shot for about an hour she was an all-star and we got a ton of great shots in that short amount of time.

There are several more images, but I can’t decide on my favorites yet…so you’ll have to wait a bit for the rest.

Hope you are all doing well!

-David

She likes to be humble and say that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. That may be true and if it is, the girl is a natural. Any of you photographers out there reading this… Get a hold of her, not only could she use the experience but you know you need her face in your book. End of story.

I will post some more as I get her approval.

Until then, ciao my audience.

David Bickley, Professional Photographer

This is Ashley, a young woman with a ton of potential who has taken part of the offer I posted about last week. She doesn’t have a ton of modeling experience, but as I’m sure you’ll all agree…you can’t tell.

More after the jump.

She did a fantastic job with her facial expressions, absolutely captivating.

After Ashley and I finished her session, I left Columbia for Kansas City and Heather (not my fiancee) met me for a photo shoot that we planned on a whim.

With less than a day to prepare she still showed more prepared than 90% of the people I work with. As a professional photographer on a tight schedule I can’t tell you how great that is. I like to work quickly, in fashion photography you have to catch the energy when it’s there. I suppose that is true for all photography really but, it is very difficult to bring energy back into a dead studio.

Heather took off, and it was Shelby’s turn to strut.

Talk about fun. I love being able to say “ok, now give me a growl” and have someone do the exact thing I saw in my head.

So the day began at 10am, and wrapped up over twelve hours later with Stephanie as the last model for the session.

Stephanie and I have worked together before when she was just starting out. I was extremely impressed by the improvement in her self-awareness in relation to the camera. That is a very important quality to have for any model.

Though there are hundreds more images than what you see here, I am wrapping up this entry. I will post more soon, and keep your eyes peeled. Big news is on the horizon.

- David Bickley, Professional Photographer

So, here’s what I’m doing:

10 free full-day modeling shoots ( 5 random people, 5 of my choosing )

1 free wedding.

“So how do I get this deal David?”

I’ll tell you. In the upper right corner of this website is a button that says “contact me”. You click that and fill out the contact form with the subject line “free photos”, in the message box…tell me a story. Tell me who you are and why you want to shoot with me (yes “because it’s free” is acceptable, I suppose)

I’m going to give this until the end of February. Then I will choose the winners and post them here.

- David Bickley, Professional Photographer

- David Bickley, Professional Photographer