Hey guys!  Well, my goal for October 2015 was to post two blog entries; I'm actually planning on planning on posting two blog entries and two new galleries per month.  I ended up posting the blog entry about the photo shoot with Travis Younger yesterday evening, and I'm following that one with my thoughts on the photo shoot with Joey.  

Joey

At the time, Joey was a local area model; he has since moved to the West Coast.  He was the last model that I photographed in October 2015, and allowed me to end the month on a high note!  It's not always that you cross paths with someone that can relate with your past.  It's not often that I cross paths with someone who grew up in Indiana and made the move to Texas.  So I was instantly delighted and felt kinship with Joey when I found out that he grew up there and went to the college on the campus that hosted my high school.  When I mentioned a place that I frequented during my junior and senior years of high school, he instantly knew where I was talking about and regaled me with stories of funny things that happened in those locations during his time on the campus.  It definitely made for that rapport to be easily built, but then again Joey did have a friendly personality that instantly had me talking and laughing like we were old friends.

As the shoot went on, he entertained me with stories about the horrible roommates that he had on campus and the crazy adventures he got up to.  Needless to say, he had me laughing throughout the entire shoot as well as sharing my own adventures during those two years of high school.  It's funny, because I was so focused on his storytelling that I wasn't aware of the time passing by so quickly.  

I think that's why I like the image below so much.  To me, it captures the essence of his personality - from the easy, genuine smile to the twinkle in his eyes.  During my time with him, he was just a happy, easy-going guy that easily found an audience for his story telling.  

But it also shows the his uniqueness.  It's not often that I come across anyone that proudly sports a facial tattoo, especially one that comes from comic books.  But to be honest, that facial tattoo was the primary reason that I wanted to work with him.  I know that a lot of photographers could be put off by it, but to me it made him a lot more interesting since I wanted to know what made him get the tattoo.  Plus, I wanted to photograph him because his look was completely unique to me - he's the only model to date that I have photographed who sported so many tattoos.  It was awe inspiring to have the opportunity to photograph such a unique model.  

Joey #4Reyj Photography - Joey #4

Portraits

In addition to the three nudes, I also love how several of the portraits came out from the photo shoot.  The first one that I wanted to highlight is the one below.  While the majority of his face is cast in shadow created by his raised arms, I love how the light was able to highlight the left side of his face and even create a catchlight in his left eye.  While not your traditional portrait, I definitely think that it was an interesting and one of the first that ended up catching my attention during the editing process.  Nonetheless, it's definitely one of my favorite portraits from the photo shoot with Joey.  

Joey #19Reyj Photography - Joey #19

In addition to the one above, I also ended up loving the image below.  I definitely love the lighting in the image as well as the overall placement and pose.  However, I like that it captures a bit of his personality.  I love that you can see the twinkles in his eyes as well as the laugh lines around the edges of his eyes.  I also love that it captured his easy-going smile in mid-laugh.  Yeah, it's just an image that I find myself smiling at each time that I come across it in my catalog.  And, of course, it's currently the image that I have highlight when you first come to my page.  This image is definitely one of my favorite images from my entire catalog.  

Joey #17Reyj Photography - Joey #17

Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot

However, my absolute favorite image from the entire photo shoot is the one below.  When I originally finished editing the images back in April 2015, I had exported the final image in color.   I will say that the image looks good in color, especially since his blue eyes captures the light in a stunning manner.  However, when I was looking at the images to highlight in the blog entry, I decided that I needed to see how the image would look in black and white.  And I am glad that I did take the opportunity.  

For me, some of the details get lost through the presence of colors, especially given the vibrancy of some of the colors found in his tattoos.  In the black and white image below, I am able to marvel at all of the minute details that would have been lost otherwise.  From the highlights on the ear plug and nose ring to the details of each hair of his beard to the dazzling detail of his eye.  For me, all of those details would have been lost with the presence of color.  But it's all of those details, the position his head and shoulders, and the lighting that come together to make this image an interesting portrait in my opinion.  And of course, it's easy to see why this image is my favorite from the photo shoot with Joey.  

Joey #29Reyj Photography - Joey #29

Overall, I loved worked with Joey throughout the shoot!  He was definitely fun and easy-going throughout.  Plus, it felt like I was working with a friend (though I have never photographed any of my friends in similar states of undress - but there's always future chances, I guess) as we connected about our experiences in Indiana.  I am definitely glad that I was provided the opportunity to work with and photography such an interesting and unique individual and definitely wished that I had the opportunity to work with him again before he moved to California.  Nonetheless, I am grateful that I was able to come across him in my life and had the opportunity to create some stunning images with him.  

Hey guys!  I can't believe that it's been six months since I last wrote a blog entry or really updated the website.  A lot has happened in that time, I finished up my architecture photography course at ACC and finished my final photography project on St. Edward's University (www.reyjphotography/stedwards).  Work has been crazy these last several months and severally impacted all areas of my life, including schooling and photography.  I'm hoping that it will settle down over these next couple of months, but we shall see how that ends up.  Still, I am going to make a commitment to actually put a greater effort into updating the website and showcasing some of my favorite images from the photo shoots that I have done.  And with that, here are my thoughts and favorite images from the photo shoot with Travis Younger.  

Travis Younger

Moving in chronological order, Travis Younger was the third model that I photographed in October 2013.  Coming on the heels of the photo shoot with Adam, I definitely had high hopes that this photo shoot would run more smoothly.  

Travis turned out to be an interesting model to work with throughout the shoot.  I wasn't really expecting his big personality, but I should have expected it to a certain degree.  Travis originally comes from Southern California before moving to Austin, which explains why I got a surfer vibe off of him.  On top of that, he's a guitarist in a local band and is somewhat use to be at the center of attention.  So yeah, I shouldn't haven't been too surprised by his friendly nature and the "big voice" that came out of nowhere.  On top of that, I found out that he had done some modeling for several of the art classes at the local university and wasn't shy about taking off of his clothes and being stared at for extended periods of time.  Of course, these experiences definitely helped to make the shoot go a lot smoother since he's used to getting attention.  

I'm going to approach this blog entry with describing my favorite images from the first round of editing, which was completed in September 2014, and then in the second round that was completed in October 2015.  Yeah, when I was looking back through my catalog of images, I noticed that I had finished editing only half of the images that I liked from the photo shoot.  Imagine my embarrassment when I was getting ready to post a blog entry only to notice that I had not completed the work!  Well, that was fixed over the course of the last week as I finished editing an additional set of images from the shoot.  Of course, those second round of images have now been posted in the gallery dedicated to the photo shoot with Travis Younger (http://www.reyjphotography.com/travisyounger).  

Editing Phase 1

As I mentioned before, I was initially drawn to Travis due to his surfer looks: golden tan, blond hair, and lean body.  I love how the image below is able to capture that overall look.  I will admit that I am one that will usually favor black and white images over color ones, but there are times that I will present full color images (not just black and white images with a pop of color) if I feel there is something interesting that needs to be presented in color.  For me, that certainly is the fact that Travis had gorgeous golden hair, if somewhat unkept, that instantly drew my attention during the editing phase.  I love how the strands show the varying shades and how individual strands glisten in the light.  

In addition to that detail, I loved the overall feel of the image.  Every once in a while, I will be able to capture an image that I won't completely know how to describe how it makes me feel.  I will just know that I like the image and feel a connection to that single moment.  It's not exactly a sense of peace, but it's definitely a sense of calmness and some sensuality.  For me, this image represents a moment that I was able to capture and share with anyone willing to share my vision.   The image is definitely one of my favorite images from my overall catalog because of the feelings invoked.  

Travis Younger #5Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #5

Portrait

In addition to the image above, I also love the portrait below.  Of course, I love the details that I was able to highlight in black and white from the freckles dotting across his nose and cheeks to the individual scruffy hairs on his chin to the intensity of his eyes.  Actually, it's Travis's eyes that really capture my attention in the image.  They just seem to radiate with life.  Yeah, when combined with the small smile gracing his lips, it's easy to understand why I wanted to show case the portrait below in this blog entry.  

Travis Younger #20Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #20

Editing Phase 2

As I mentioned earlier, I had stopped editing the series in the middle.  It is interesting to note the differences in the editing styles between Phase 1 and Phase 2. During the second round, I edited the majority of the images with the intention to present them as black and white images.  More interesting, I was drawn to the images that had some dramatic flair associated with the lighting.  The two images below are examples of my attraction to dramatic lighting.

Dramatic Lighting

When I going through the images last week, I knew that I definitely wanted to showcase the image below.  I absolutely love the pose with his arms clasped behind his head while his hips are cocked towards the right.  I just love the outline that it creates, especially near his waist and up his back through his arms.  It's further made interesting with the lighting as it wraps around his body and delves from highlights to shadows.  Plus, there are some highlights that pop up along his shoulder blades and arms that creates a sense of intrigue.  Finally, I love how the light is captured and highlights the individual strands of hair at the base of his neck.  For me, when I saw the image, I instantly saw it in black and white and knew that it would accentuate the details that I had honed in.  I'm definitely glad that it came out as well as I envisioned it.   

Travis Younger #43Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #43

The other image that I definitely wanted to focus on was the one below.  Again, I love the overall lighting in the image as it wraps Travis's body in highlights before descending into shadows.  And of course, I like how it is highlighted in a black and white image.  But more importantly, I like the posing in this one.  When I work with models, I tend to be fluid and like for the models to get into poses that seem natural and comfortable for them.  Of course, there are times when I will feel the need to direct them into certain poses or stop them and finesse the pose to improve it somehow (in my eyes at least).  However, Travis's experience with modeling for art classes at the local university definitely helped him get into poses that showed off his body in a flattering way.  

Given that, I definitely love the pose below.  I love the turn of his head, the placement of his hand across his hip, and the position of his leg.  It definitely feels slightly classical and wouldn't be out of place in Renaissance sculptures, but maybe that's me reading into it.  Either way, I'm happy with the overall pose and how the light drapes across his body.  Plus, there's definitely a sense of comfort that is radiating from his facial expression.  When it's all combined, I think it created a stronger and interesting image overall.  It's definitely one of my favorites from the second phase of editing.  

Travis Younger #94Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #94

Bodyscape

During the photo shoot with Travis, I also wanted to try capturing some bodyscapes.  One of the photographers from the photography meet-up group that I belonged to seemed to focus on creating gorgeous bodyscape images.  The image below is one of my first attempts to intention capture a bodyscape image.  I definitely wanted to have a dynamic image without it necessarily being completely erotic.  I think the image below definitely has the erotic feel to it without really stepping over the line.  Then again, art is always subjective.  Either way, I like the attention on his hand, the casual placement of his leg, and how the light highlights the individual strands of hair across his body.  To me, it definitely makes for an interesting black and white image.  Interestingly enough, this has become of my favorite images from the series.  

Travis Younger #119Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #119

Playfulness

The other aspect that I wanted to highlight from the photo shoot was the playfulness that erupted every once in a while.  I tend to have music, usually something that the model likes, playing in the background.  It definitely helps to make the shoot a little more fun and helps to be a conversation started as we talk about musical tastes.  During the photo shoot with Travis, I selected a playlist on Pandora that focused on classic rock with a lot of guitar riffs.  Of course, there would be moments that Travis would break out into air guitar solos when a great song came on.  While some photographers would get annoyed with that, I loved it because it brought a playful aspect to my photography.  I loved being able to capture that playful moment and combine with it my black and white vision to create a cool image, like the one below.  

Travis Younger #71Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #71

Favorite Image from the Photo Shoot

And of course, the image below is my favorite from the series.  Like the one above, it capture Travis as he was doing an awesome air guitar solo, if only in his head.  It was just a flitting moment, but it was one shared between us.  I liked the capture pose with his hips cocked towards the right, his hands held in classic air guitar position, and his head turned slightly.  I love the interesting curl of his lips as well as the squinting of his eyes.  More importantly, I loved how the light highlighted his body and hair.  Like I said, I love it when all of the elements come together to create an interesting image, especially when the image speaks to me and becomes one of my favorites.  

Travis Younger #65Reyj Photography - Travis Younger #65

I loved working with Travis during the photo shoot.  Like I said, I was a little underprepared for his big personality, but it definitely helped to make the photo shoot go smoothly and allowed us to bond over classic rock!  I definitely love how the images came out, especially when you can see the progression of my vision from the first round of editing to the second round.  If the opportunity ever arose again, I would definitely love to work with Travis again on another photo shoot.  

Moving on with the next photo shoot in chronological order, I come to the series with Adam O.  It was definitely an interesting shoot that ended quickly.  I will say that it was my fault that it ended abruptly.  As usual, I was talking with Adam at the beginning of the photo shoot to establish a rapport between the two of us.  Throughout that portion, I have to say that Adam was definitely on the intense side and put me on edge for some reason.  Needless to say, we ended the shoot before it was scheduled to be done.  I do have some regrets about the shoot, but it probably was for the best that we ended it at that point.

Nonetheless, I got a few interesting shots from the short time we worked together.  When I first saw his portfolio, I was definitely drawn to his skater look.  Of course, I found out that the images in his portfolio were outdated and that he was more stunning, and intense, in person.  The image below is a pretty straightforward portrait, as most of my images are.  However, it does highlight one my favorite aspects about Adam.  As I mentioned, he is definitely stunning, but it's his eyes that draw me in.  Additionally, I love how his hair is framing and focusing attention on his face, and particularly on his eyes.  

Adam O # 2Reyj Photography - Adam O # 2

The image below is one of the last images that I captured of Adam during the photo shoot.  It's definitely one of my favorite images from the shoot, limited as they are.  For some reason, I look at the image and see Adam's vulnerability.  I do like the fact that you can see his eyes in the image and how he's looking downward instead of focusing on the camera.  Additionally, I like how the diagonal line made by the waistband of his boxer briefs intersects with the line created at his hip.  Overall, I like the image quite a bit and wish that the photo shoot had continued a little longer so that I could capture some additional images like the below.  

Adam O # 10Reyj Photography - Adam O # 10

Finally, we come to my favorite image from the photo shoot.  As you guys know, I love focusing on a model's eyes in my images.  When I first saw Adam's eyes, I fell in love with that feature and knew that I was going to attempt to highlight them in my images.  I was able to capture the image below prior to becoming uncomfortable with the situation.  I absolutely love the colors and the unique pattern that makes up his eyes.  Furthermore, I love the intensity within his stare and how slightly unnerving it is.  Nonetheless, this image is my absolutely favorite from the photo with him.  

Adam O # 3Reyj Photography - Adam O # 3

I will admit that looking back at the images from the photo shoot with Adam, it definitely makes me want to reach out to him again and see if he would be willing to do a full photo shoot with me.  I do believe that I mishandled the situation and made it awkward because I grew increasingly uncomfortable with him as the shoot progressed.  However, there are some things that I'm willing to overlook if I am able to photograph a beautiful subject and get some amazing images.  I definitely think that I would be able to get some great images of Adam if the opportunity ever arose again.