Last year, on June 23rd, I left on an adventure that I will never forget and would love to expand on again some day. With one backpack and one camera bag, I took off and toured the country. I started out in Minneapolis and made it to chicago by MegaBus, from there I boarded the Amtrak to the Big Apple (NYC). For my first train ride experience, I was extremely surprised how comfortable the ride was and how clean the cars were. Although being delayed by several hours from a train malfunction, I didn’t even notice since the issue arose over night and I was able to sleep through it. The only warning I’d heed to others, is bring toilet paper and covers, the bathrooms are worse than a porta-potty! I spent two night in NYC and then took the Amtrak to Philadelphia for some Jim’s Steak, mmm that was good! From there I went to Washington DC and then on to Virginia Beach. Heading further south I spent some time in Charleston (the cutest town I’ve ever seen) and then on to Savannah to test my moped skills.
Stopping in Jacksonville for a short period of time I moved on to Tucson for two weeks to visit my best friend from elementary school. After weeks in the desert I needed some time at the beach, so I packed up and headed to Los Angeles for a few days. Santa Barbara was my next stop followed by San Luis Obispo where I spent two nights at the hostel that was a lighthouse! The next few days I spent driving up the 101 (also known as Pacific Coast Highway) visiting Monterey, Santa Cruz and then San Francisco. I then flew to Denver to spend a week with my Dad and the headed home to Minneapolis to pack up and move to San Diego! Now here I am, just under a year later loving the sunshine and the ocean breeze. Of course I miss my family and friends like crazy, but I’m having the time of my life out here, in sunny San Diego!
Here are some of the photos I took along my journey around the United States. They can also be purchased at jessicahannonphotography.com along with many, many others!
What a sweet little boy Easton is! He was very expressive and wanted to se what was going on at all times durning his shoot. Naturally, Mom and Dad were able to comfort him enough to get some sleeping shots, although he never fell asleep. For my first staged new born shoot (outside of a hospital) I think it went very well and I learned a lot! The one thing I wish I would have done differently was to give ample time and not book two shoots in one day. I wish I could have spent more time with baby Easton and hope that I get to see him again as he grows!
I was contacted through Model Mayhem by a new model who was looking for some help building her portfolio. She told me she was looking for something “high-fashion”, now I’m not a high-fashion photographer. In fact, this would be my first attempt. Was I nervous? Oh heck ya! Here I thought I was going into a shoot where I knew nothing about the style and where I spent several hours looking at other images and resources for inspiration.
Upon arriving at the location the model had chosen, I walked around for awhile with my assistant, @jayrunquist, picking out different shot spots and creating a shot list and plan. We pick three main spots and talked about lighting and how to use the hot sun to my advantage.
Once the model arrived we chatted for a bit about her experience and what she’d like to get from this shoot. Having only been modeling for a few months I asked her how she chose to focus in high-fashion. She told me another photographer that she had worked with had suggested it to her as he thought she’d do very well in it.
When we started shooting, my nerves disappeared and my knowledge base kicked right in. It’s funny how when you think you don’t know what your doing can so quickly turn into, “oh yea, I got this”. I’m not saying that I’m a high-fashion photographer or anything, but I was able to pull my other experiences into this shoot and make it work. The model was definitely new to her career, but together we worked really well as we talked about posing, body position and how her body looks best through the camera. We were having so much fun we took the time and tried a new lighting technique that I had never done before. It came out more successful that I thought it would.
Looking back, I wish I would have not only paid attention to the lighting but to what else was going on in the background. As I edit the images, I notice all the little things that I normally would have noticed if I weren’t trying something new. I learned that even when I’m trying something new, it’s vital to still pay close attention to the basics like, background, body position, anything that could be distracting, or something sticking up from the subjects head. Little things like that will only make me a better photographer and they are skills that I know I will develop more over time as I shoot more.
Overall the shoot went pretty well. I’m glad that I was given the opportunity to test my skills at high-fashion as it reaffirmed my passion for learning and exploring different types of photography!
Check out Justin’s proposal to Lauren at www.capturedproposals.com!
I found these on my photo walk in my neighborhood last week. Neighbors’ had matching mail boxes, I wonder if they planned it that way or just both have similar taste…
