markvelasquez

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 29

It was a busy, quick shoot, but within half an hour, we had created some really great images on the fly. Not bad for having no idea and no location!

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 28

For some reason, I find this image kind of naughty. Her body shape and look on her face just seems inviting and erotic, which again seems weird knowing how dorky and sweet she really is.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 27

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 26

For being a photographer and videographer who is usually behind the scenes, she really is a pretty great model. I could work with her every day and not run out of ideas to feed off of.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 25

Running out of time, I finally pulled back a bit and she from her closet, using my 200mm lens to capture her from far away. The red lights around the foot of her bed stilts looked great, and the green lights leading up the ladder to her mattres framed her quite perfectly.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 24

I'm also trying to allow myself to be comfortable with darker images, letting the tones slip into the black. It's difficult for me beacuse I always want things to be visible, easy to read. I'm a big-picture person by nature, always wanting to know or explain all the little details, and I believe this carries over in my desire to light my images fully. But slowly, over time, with age, I'm learning to let that all go.

How do you feel about these darker images? Do you find them hard to read? Do y...

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 23

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 22

I love everythig about this image. It's just a portrait, really, not meant to be sexy or alluring. Still, her focus and stare is quite engaging. What do you think?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 21

Even a poorly lit out take looked good. Do you like it?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 20

I couldn't decide which of these I liked most, so I figured I'd process and send them all. Thoughts? Which of these is your favorite?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 19

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 18

And then, of course, she went back to the moodiness.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 17

But once again, her sweetness shined through.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 16

This is another shot I love. What do you think?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 15

The lighting here was really working, I thought. What are your opinions? Would you consider this series different for me?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 14

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 13

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 12

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 11

It's like she's a classic noir actress fo rthe modern era.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 10

And yet, this is her true personality. I made her smile and act silly for a moment, just because I desperately wanted to be able to show that she does smile, she is goofy and sweet, and that no, she's not as morose as she appears.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 9

The fist in her cheek has become her signature move, don't ask me why.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 8

Thankfully, Shelby looved all my ideas. I always try to tailor my shoots to the model, either through their comfort levels or their personal aesthetics. This was only the second shoot I had done with her, but I knew we were once again creating magic. More importantly, we were creating images she would WANT to share.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 7

I think this was my favorite GIF.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 6

With the room being so dark, I had to up my ISO to a level I don't usually use, somewhere over 1250. But I was also able to use a small, handheld LED wand I had purchased for $5 at the local Home Depot. At a certain point I began moving it up and down her body with one hand while clicking away with the other. I hoped it would make a few interesting GIFs.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 5

The weather was rainy and grey, and evening was already upon us, so I knew going outside was out of the question. This again forced me to think on my feet. Her bedroom was smalll and cramped, but she had a raised bed on stilts with a ladder leading up to it, and underneath she had adorned the whole area with different colored Christmas lights. That's where I knew we'd make our stand.

I love this crazy, dark, moody shot. What do you think?

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 4

Another of my favorite shots from that day.

I knew we only really had about half an hour to shoot, but I enjoy the pressure of restrictions. And I also like being productive, so squeezing in little impossible shoots like this into my schedule really makes my life worth living.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 3

Shelby is a sweet, calm, creative person who has a many active YouTube projects going on, directs films, and is a talented photographer in her own right. Though she has a penchant for looking dark, mysterious, and often angry or mean, she is the exact opposite. Her goofy smile and gentle nature is endearing, which is why these images of her always looking angry makes me smile more than anything else.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 2

I love this image.

On my way to pick up my friend from the airport, I knew I had an hour or so to kill, so I called up Shelby, a model I had worked with before. I knew she lived near the airport, and I hoped she hadn't moved in the 9 months since I had visited last. Sure enough, she was still there and only working a few blocks away, so we arranged to meet up when she took her evening lunch hour.

COLOR STRUT, Pt. 1

An impromptu shoot near the LA airport turned into a creative extravaganza! These are some really cool, colorful shots that are reminiscent of when I was first learning photography and using color lights. It's a real treat!

-

Find this all-new, creative, uncensored series at the $25 Level!

Quote of the Day, 2-4-17

Last night during a test shoot, the very observant prospective model was laughing at my jokes, opening up about her life, confessing her secret sexual desires and the benefits of her 19 year old boyfriend's penis, when she spied a chain leash and collar tucked into my book case.

"Oh, do you have a dog?!" She asked excitedly.

(long awkward pause...)

"Um...no, I don't."