Styled Shoot
Last week I took part in my first ever styled shoot, set up by Leah from Leah's Lens Photography. Styled shoots in the context of the wedding industry are when a bunch of vendors - photographers, florists, outfitters, jewelers, etc. get together to create promotional content, make connections, and alleviate off-season boredom.
This particular styled shoot was fun, and the organizers seemed like they wanted to only hint at bridal/wedding stuff, which was fine by me. I was just happy to be shooting and hanging out.
We did two looks, the first was gold-themed party look, and the model was Kim.
The second look was a "bridal boudoir" shoot with model Danielle. Boudoir photography is in a really interesting place right now. It has definitely shifted from being a bunch of creepy dudes trying to hang out with women in their underwear to being more female-led, focusing on empowerment and confidence. As a male photographer I don't really seek out boudoir shoots, but I stay open to anything and when the opportunity arises I take it very seriously and communicate my intentions and focus on empowerment. There's plenty of positive, empowering male-focused boudoir photography out there now too, with artists like Neil Mel doing great things with good intentions.
I have a handful of shoots this week and next including a second round of shoots with a major automotive parts retailer that rhymes with DAPA Blauto Farts.