So skipping back to my Boudoir Diva's workshop in Paris i forgot to mention our final day ... well with an early start we headed out onto the streets of Paris with one of the models & Ashley, the Diva's assistant who well should be a model. Not only is she stunning but (& yes we're going to go with a cliche here) the camera loved her. Not to mention that dress ... & the shoes ... & well everything. Ashley had the whole thing down & did an amazing job. It reminded me of Sex in the City & Carrie. I feel like it really was the perfect end to our workshop & what a setting. The Diva's flat, where we had been working the previous couple of days was just down the road (we're talking literally a hop skip & a jump) from the Arc de Triomphe which may for a wonderful backdrop, not to mention the stereotypical streets that couldn't be anywhere but Paris.
& again this was something completely new to me ... fashion has never been something i have been interested in (getting me to wear something other than jeans & a tee takes a whole lot of effort) but here i was wandering the city, with a group of photographers & our models who in any other city would have stood out a mile off but here in Paris it felt completely right.
Here again it was our job to direct the model, help produce that perfect image & again i learnt so much. Directing is something i still honestly have a hard time with. With my fine art there's no talking to anyone, i see something & i photograph it or i have an idea in my head & set it up in a way & if it doesn't work i try something else. I don't have to factor another individual into the equation. But here, as with the boudoir shoots i have to see every tiny little detail as it's happening & interpret & react to what the person in front of me is doing so the final image is perfect.
It was a wonderful experience though. & i was again surprised at how much i enjoyed it. I found there was much more freedom with a model, you're not looking for the family moment or a couple in love but anything goes kind of thing. & i liked that, in a sense there was less pressure for me & i found it easier & less nerve racking to ask the model to do something. & here again i have been able to put the thing's i've learnt into practice & hopefully as time goes by you'll all be able to see an improvement in my work.
Once again i want to say a big thank you ...
to Kimberlee & Marissa ... the fabulous Divas for putting together this workshop, sharing everything they know & helping me no end.
to Ashley ... who was not only a wonderful model for the day but coordinated so much, has organizational skills i can't even begin to comprehend, & has provided all other kinds of help.
to the models for being so understanding & helping us as we tried to bring out the best in them.
& to the other photographers who have taught me all kinds of new things as well as becoming friend.
If you ever have a chance to take part in a Diva's workshop ... go for it ... it was an experience i will never forget & hopefully it will help me to achieve my dreams.
