I asked her to grab some leaves and throw them above her head for a dramatic shot. 

Then she threw the leaves at me!

 

Stephanie Lee, who is a great friend of mine (also a writer and fantastic swing dancer), recently visited Ann Arbor for a swing dance exchange.  When she approached me and asked if I was interested in taking her picture, I could tell that she was really excited.  So in-between dance events, we scheduled some time to have a photo shoot in the heart of Ann Arbor – the Law Quad.  This is where some of the brightest students in Michigan go to study law, and the majestic English Gothic architecture is a hotspot for photography. 

Whenever I do a portrait session, I always keep in mind that my goal is to bring out the essence of a person, to capture their personality through the mood of my pictures.  This dynamism is part of what I enjoy about people photography.  I prefer to exercise creative freedom in my shoots, and simply guide the subject with some input.  Therefore, a photo shoot is very much a unique experience in which a person’s personality shapes the direction that the shoot takes.  This is my answer to Stephanie’s question at the beginning of this post.  In addition, I think you’ll be able to tell from this photo (taken in the Law Library) that Stephanie truly enjoys life, and has an infectious smile as well! 

One look at this photo and I can’t help but smile, too.  See, the idea for this shoot stems from a project of hers, Initiative 180, in which she is endeavoring to do one thing that challenges her everyday, inspired by the famous quote from Eleanor Roosevelt: “Do one thing that scares you everyday.”  As it happens, one of Stephanie’s fears was being photographed.  Stephanie wrote in her blog, “A picture reveals a part of you. And I’ve always been afraid to truly step back and look at how I… look.” 

Her concern is definitely genuine, especially with the recent trend of ‘oversharing’ on social networking sites.  In this age, we are used to our friends tagging us in completely unflattering pictures on Facebook.  A photo could be taken from the worst angle and revealing an awkward face during mid-expression, but our friends will (for some reason) still tag us in it.  No wonder that many people feel mild anxiety when being photographed.  Even more, some people are genuinely afraid that pictures of them paint them in an unfair light.  Naturally, I aspire to make shoots as friendly as possible, but let’s face it – most people are not used to being professionally photographed.  So, in an effort to combat her fear, I did my best to make the shoot as pleasant as possible.

We chose a location that is simply inspiring, where both of us felt very comfortable.  I gave Stephanie some suggestions on posing, and then started clicking away.  In fact, part of my shooting philosophy is to let the subject choose some of their own poses.  It is my belief that people generally only need some prompting to “loosen up” and relax.  Once that happens, the pictures are magical!  In her own words, “I actually had a lot of fun doing the photo shoot; posing seems to be a natural ability.”  I feel honored that she put her trust in me to reveal her true colors.  I think you’ll agree with me, that these pictures show her playful spontaneity and vibrancy – I feel energized just scrolling through the photos that we took!

During the shoot we also briefly visited the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and spent some time by the Shang, which is a fascinating outdoor sculpture by Mark di Suvero.  Stephanie and I had a lot of fun experimenting with poses on the suspended steel platform!  See below:

Here, Stephanie is sliding down the railing at Angell Hall.  Look at her balance!

 Thanks Stephanie for a great shoot, and I wish you luck with your goals!