Danielle was the second person involved in my latest duo super session, along with her friend Shelley. These are her images and story.
I love helping people see themselves in a new light. I truly believe we are our own worst enemies when it comes to our self image. When we look at ourselves in the bathroom mirror at 7 am all we see are the “flaws” and “issues.” We never see the truth, the good.
Shelley was part of a duo session. She and her friend Danielle teamed up to do a super session as part of their work-up for a local fitness competition. Danielle’s images will be posted later. This is all about Shelley.
Therefore I’m going to let her talk first.
“I was absolutely blown away by Mark’s professionalism and amazing photography skills. We did the shoot one week prior to a bodybuilding competition that I competed in and it was the greatest confidence boost that I needed right before stepping on stage. Mark truly captured the rough and hard beauty for the fitness photos and then we ended our session at First Landing with the most unique sunset I have ever seen. I have never felt so beautiful, confident, and feminine. Mark is truly an amazing photographer and I would recommend him to anyone. I have already started to plan my next shoot with Mark!”
The main reason I moved down here over eight years ago was the nice climate. Where I’m from snow flies before Halloween and lasts until May. Count it out on your fingers – that’s six months that snow could fall. And let me tell you, it falls. My hometown averages 140 inches of the white stuff every year.
Let me repeat that – averages 140 inches. 12 feet of the white stuff. We’d close up shop by late September and wouldn’t poke our heads back outside until at least mid-May.
Here is southeastern Virginia it really doesn’t get cold and it doesn’t stay cold for long. There are spans of time where it might only get to 50 but then, when the conditions line up right, we suddenly get a spat of 70-75 degree days. Thanks to technology we can see those days coming ahead of time and make plans.
Take, for example, Sean here. He reached out to me about doing a fitness session at the beach recently. A quick scan of the local forecasts showed that it would warm up over the coming weekend so we made plans.
Yes, it’s time to shake off the winter slumber and return to business. Sessions are already starting to line up in the coming weeks. Make sure to contact me today for your portrait session.
Recently I made a call to action looking for women with unusual hobbies/skills and the response has been overwhelming. I hope it continues and grows bigger. To that end I’m including an image I shot this past weekend with Li Ling Cavanaugh. This is exactly what I’m talking about but just one example.
I’m re-issuing the call to action. If you are a woman with an unusual hobby/talent/skill I want to work with you. Are you a gearhead? Talk to me. A bodybuilder or seriously into fitness? I’m yours. A member of gun club, et cetera? Here I am. I want to work with strong, 21st century women for this project.
Let it be known, though, that I’m not interested in just this project. I love working with everyone in fulfilling their photographic needs. This is just one specific project I’m working on among several.
Mark Knopp is a Virginia Beach-based portrait photographer covering the Hampton Roads community. Contact him today at mknopp1@cox.net today for your photographic needs.
Fitness and the beach just go hand in hand so any chance I can combine the two, I’ll do it. Sarah is a natural when it comes to being in front of the camera. with her I can sit back and concentrate on getting the best images possible as she does her thing.
This month marks an anniversary for me. It was 12 months ago this month that I got the idea to combine two of my passions, photography and wellness, into something new. At the time there was virtually no one in the area covering this aspect. There were a sprinkling of photographers in a 100 mile radius that were involved in the scene but their images looked nothing like what I had in mind – combining their hard work with the environment using my set of photography skills.
You see, most of the images generated in the field at this time were ones shot in dark gyms, during a competition, or against paper backdrops. This has its merits, mind you. I have done those kinds of sessions numerous times myself and still do but I wanted more. I wanted to go further. I wanted to get them outside and interact with various environments. Use them in a way that elevates the subject.
Severine recently reached out to me with a request. She wanted images of her doing various yoga positions for her business. Without hesitation I said yes and we started a conversation of exactly what she wanted. After seeing some images of her I knew she would be absolutely stunning for a beach fashion session that included yoga so I pitched that idea.
At first she was hesitant as she hadn’t done something like that before. We messaged each other a few times discussing the ins and outs. She asked questions, I explained my ideas and why I thought she would be perfect for it. I knew her natural beauty, especially those eyes, would be captivating. She agreed and took a leap of faith, trusting I wouldn’t let her down.
Severine doing yoga silhouetted against the sunset at First Landing State Park.
