October 4, 2012: A Slow Sink

A few weeks ago I finally made time for a beach vacation (though a short one) with family. But of course I never head to the beach without my equipment. This was my second beach shoot this year and another is in the works for next month. The beach is about a 5 hour drive. Not bad, but certainly not convenient. I take every opportunity to shoot there when I can.

I had this idea in my head for most of the year. At first I was going to shoot this in dirt. Summer rolled by, dry spells made the dirt harder and a fire ant attack persuaded me to go another route. Sand seemed to be the logical answer.

My niece has always been a big supporter of my work and did not hesitate to model for me. We headed out right before sunset. My only instruction to her was, "You will wear an old dress and be half buried and sandy and dirty". She really didn't seem to think that was a big deal. I love my models! I posted before about how it takes a village to raise a photographer. With my niece lying in the surf and my sister-in-law chasing fly away reflectors, this had never been more true. I thank them both!

Below is my favorite image from the shoot. 

A Slow Sink  © 2012 Heather Evans Smith Photography

 I also really loved the swirl around her in this photo.

© 2012 Heather Evans Smith Photography

Not always easy getting the shot. My niece dodging waves and my sister-in-law chasing a runaway reflector.

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June 29, 2012: Ebb & Flow

Every now and then a photo shoot comes along that makes me check in with myself and know for certain that this is what I am supposed to be doing. This shoot was one of those.

A few months ago I received an email from a mother and fellow photographer in Florida. Her daughter, Sadie, was scheduled for surgery to correct her scoliosis and she wanted to document the curvature of her spine before the surgery. I admired her mother immediately, to recognize the beauty of her daughter's curvature and wanting to document it really struck a chord with me.

After several months of planning the shoot was finally here. I picked up Laura and Sadie from their hotel and immediately knew this was going to be a great day.  Sadie is such a cool cat. She is 12 years old and had no hesitation with her upcoming surgery or the photo shoot. 

We discussed many ideas prior to their arrival but one stood out to me the most. I had worked with some small ships earlier this year and wanted to revisit the idea. There was something about the ship sailing up and down the spine that felt like a beautifully poetic send off for Sadie. The ship in the final image is following one of her rib protrusions that are a result of the larger of two spinal curvatures.

Sadie's surgery was just a few weeks ago. I received this update from her mother today.

"The surgery to correct her curvature went beautifully and while the recovery process is a very long one, she is making amazing progress and actually as soon as I finish this email she is about to go swimming for the first time since the operation (WooHoo!).  Thank you again for creating these wonderful images."

She also attached the image below before heading into surgery.

I am so pleased to hear that Sadie's surgery was a success. I am also honored to have been the photographer chosen to document this time in her life.  Good luck with your recovery Sadie! All the best!

Sadie just before heading into surgery. Told you she was a cool cat!

Portrait of Sadie
© 2012 Heather Evans Smith Photography

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March 22, 2012: The Voyager

Revisiting the hair styles of the Victorian period, particularly one called à la Belle Poule, is something I had been planning to do for about a year now. As with most of my images, timing is everything. Finding just the right ship, or in this case ships, was a challenge. The à la Belle Poule was a hair style to symbolize victory. I wanted to take this idea and give it a different emotion altogether. The model becomes one with the sea.

Behind the scenes of this hair raising adventure here.

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December 12, 2011: Scattered Leaves

Sometimes it is more of a feeling I want to convey in my photography instead of a storyline or concept. I knew going into my shoot with Tyler that I wanted a melancholy scene and was inspired by the song Scattered Leaves by the Be Good Tanyas. Tyler prepared himself with a little Gillian Welch. No elaborate props or sets were used, just a feeling that shows through and can be interpreted by others in many ways. I love to hear the stories from viewers on how they interpret my work. It gives new insight into my pieces and makes me look at them in different ways.

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January 20, 2011: Country Rose

A belated Happy New Year to all! Back in the summer I was hitting a few thrift stores here and there for no particular reason. I stumbled upon two fantastic Loretta Lynn style dresses. I couldn't pass them up, only $3 each. Plus, I have a bit of a obsession with late 60s/early 70s country music. Then, enter makeup artist extraordinaire, Sarah Belle, who I had the pleasure of meeting and regularly working with last summer. Turns out she has the same obsession too. And voila, a photo shoot was born.

Model/MUA: Sarah Belle
Producer/Assistant: Gretta Kohler

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