Victoria: Maternity Session on Film
“Make me a piece of art”
When my friend Amy Burke got married, this is what she told her photographer. She said her favorite photo from that day was blurry, black and white, and you couldn’t even see her face. She wanted her photographer to capture a FEELING.
Film does that, inherently.
Using analog gear, removing color, and adding film grain will always infuse a photograph with feeling.
It isn’t what’s there. It’s what isn’t.
My good friend Victoria made a similar request to me when she announced her pregnancy.
actually, she hired me to take one photo.
she gave me complete creative freedom on how that single image would turn out.
If you are a fellow creative, you know this is equal parts Exhilarating and horrifying.
I have always wanted to make an interesting maternity photo in water.
I also knew that I was being handed the rare opportunity to shoot film, my one true Photography love.
For those who don’t know: I have been shooting film since I was 13 years old. I taught myself photography on a 35mm Minolta and shot only black and white film through all of high school, starting a photo club there and opening a darkroom in my school and in my parent’s basement. I chose Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia because they had a hybrid program and I knew I would learn both digital and film photography, and 10 years post graduation I still keep a film camera next to my door and shoot approximately 3 rolls a month of my growing sons and home life.
Film forces you to be a better photographer.
Why?
You need to know your shit.
you need to slow down.
you need to wait.
This session was over two hours long, and i walked away having shot 10 percent of what i normally shoot in digital in that time. and… i had to wait two weeks to find out what they looked like.
it was thrilling.
This shoot was unlike anything i had ever been hired to do before. it was a true collaboration between client and creator, and victoria really needed to put herself in some uncomfortable situations and fully trust me through the process.
when the film scans came back from my lab Indie Photo my stomach was in knots- not because i had never gotten film back from them before, but because i felt i owed it to victoria to deliver something stellar after what she gave me.
I am really, deeply, proud of these photographs. it was a profound bonding experience for victoria and i, and (unknowingly) that little baby in there.
these are timeless works of art, and they prove that the camera really does have the power to capture the soul.
Test Polaroid
This was my first shot of the day.
I knew I wanted her framed between these trees, and I knew I liked the tree branch, but the test polaroid showed the issues in composition.
I was really afraid to ask her to sit on the branch for safety & comfort.
Thankfully, Victoria was both willing and able to climb onto the branch, and while the photo looks serene, I had to work quickly once she was placed and balancing herself on her left leg alone.
The photo above is the final frame, and one of Victoria’s personal favorites.
I moved us to the front of the same grove of trees just as a beam of sun hit the water. You will see the transition of poses here as we moved from upright seated to head thrown back. When taking portraits like this, I often know what I want but feel I must gradually move the subject to get there.
Test Polaroid
The sun moves quickly in midday, and when shooting color film harsh light can be as much the subject as a figure can be. I noticed the sun hitting the water, and my test polaroid showed that beautiful Juxtaposition of blue and orange, but not with the vibrancy I was looking for. I shot expired 120 color film and allowed the orange highlight of the water to be the focus of the final photograph above.
This is my personal favorite.
This is a very “Girl with a pearl earring” portrait, and when Victoria and I were discussing accessories I had seen her wear these in a cell phone photo and immediately thought they carried the inspiration of that iconic painting. Victoria is not a professional model, but her expression here is exactly what I was looking for.
We added gold cuffs to her hairstyle for this one, which I loved as well.
Again, Victoria is making an uncomfortable seating situation look graceful, as she is balancing herself one a small rock to achieve the water at waist height.
The fabric is a single piece of tulle that my assistant Amy burke and I wrapped & tied around her.
These are all shot on my Mamiya 7ii Medium format (120 film) Camera
