Teaming up with Jessica Magary again. Also, my interpretation of a fashion photo session.
Some things just go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Peas and carrots. Grilled hot dogs and a beer. Saturday mornings and cartoons. Ok, that last one may have dated me.
And then there’s Jessica Magary and I. We first teamed up eight years ago almost to the day. I can’t remember exactly how we crossed paths but that first session was a game changer for me. It was my first beach session here in Hampton Roads and I got images I never got before. She leveled me up. I knew then that I wanted to work with her for as long as she would allow.
Well, we’ve done a few more since then. I think we’ve done at least two to three sessions a year since then and each session always saw a breakthrough to a new level.
The exception would be the past year as we both took a break for different reasons. I’ve talked about mine here already. Regular viewers here know that I did a maternity fashion session with her this past January (https://photosbymarkk.com/2019/01/14/jessica-and-tims-maternity-session/). Well, she became a new mom to a beautiful baby girl back in February. So, obviously, priorities changed.
But, like magnetic forces, we both knew it was just a matter of time before we would join up again. Sure enough, once the dust settled for both of us, we re-connected. We didn’t go away, we just took a break. This time we decided to take it to the streets with a fashion session in Virginia Beach’s Town Center.
Now, I know I have a more unique vision of what a fashion shoot should be like. I think fashion should be much more than what an outfit looks like on a body. If that was the case, I could throw an outfit on a Mannequin and shoot it in 10 seconds.
What I love to show is how the outfit fits and flows. How it moves and the energy it creates when doing so. Literally give it a twirl and see if it flairs up. I want to show off its features. If it has pockets, show them being used.
Side note for fashion designers – create a line called “It Even Has Pockets” for women. Instant best-selling line. Trust me. I get credit for the idea, though.
Most importantly, I want to show how the outfit makes the wearer feel. I always ask the model “How does this outfit make you feel? Cute? Sensual? Confident? Bad ass? All business?” I listen to their response, set up the environment/concept, and shoot accordingly.
I want the viewer to see how it feels to wear the item or outfit, decide they want to experience that, and buy the item/outfit.
Case in point. There’s a couple images of Jessica wearing a coat in this set. The first image of that series is the first shot I did. It does the job of showing off the item, yes. After a few more variations of that idea, I asked Jessica if she wouldn’t mid twirling in it. The following two are products of that request. Look at the difference. There’s so much more energy in those. So much more excitement.
I could of literally stayed there and shot nothing but more of those for the rest of the session.
I showed those images to a NYC/SoBe model who is now a modeling coach. She was in town for a car show and we got together for breakfast recently. The first words out of her mouth after seeing the images were “Where can I buy that coat?”
I knew they were winners before but this confirmed my beliefs.
So, for this session, we wanted to do a more modern spin on fashion and get a bit edgy. That’s why we decided on Town Center. As it’s a busy part of the city during the day, we opted for an early morning session so there wouldn’t be crowds of onlookers and passer-bys to contend with.
As always, Jessica brought her “A” game and I did my best to capture the visions she presented me with. It was like we never took a break. The best sessions are always with those I’ve worked with before. We know how to play off each other, we know each other’s mannerisms, there’s a deep respect, and trust.
I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Photography by Mark K 