ModestGeniusXL

Top Captures of 2013 - Mother

Remember how I told y'all how much I enjoy taking photos of our elders?  Yeah, I really wasn't joking.  How could you call yourself a photographer and NOT like that?  Every single time I do it it results in a capture that brings so much more than an image.  Forget about the visual stimulation of bokeh.  These wonderful people produce more depth than any other individuals.

Don't let the name of the picture fool you.  No, this is not my mother.  This is actually Aunt Ella Mae.  She would be my great-great Aunt.  I think?  Can't remember how many greats would be in there.  But I know she is my cousin Gloria's mother and Gloria calls her "Mother".  That's all I think of when I see this picture now so it just seemed to fit perfectly as the title.

This one came from another family reunion that the Fleming Family had this year.  Yes, we actually have two reunions a year.  The major one is held in Arkansas on Labor Day weekend.  That's usually the one with the biggest turnout.  But then we also have a smaller get-together in Kansas City on Memorial Day weekend.  I still can't recall how that one originated.  I just always considered it a warm up to the grand finale to be held further south later in the year. 

I can't remember the last time I attended both of them.  When I was still living in Des Moines I would sometimes lean more towards the Kansas City one only because it was closer.  Usually because I couldn't use that much vacation time to get away to both.  Once I got down here, I decided this would be the one year I would change that.  Mainly because it would be the one guaranteed opportunity that I would get to see my folks at least twice a year.  The Arkansas reunion was a gimme with it being only 4 hours away from me now.  The 8 hour drive to Kansas City was worth.  Otherwise I'm looking at  a 13 hour drive to Bloomington to see them.

There's normally a soft agenda for what will take place during the Kansas City weekend.  Meaning that a schedule is made of who's hosting brunch one day and dinner the next, but nothing as far as full-fledged events and/or outings.  There really is no need to.  The purpose of a reunion is to get together to fellowship with family anyway.  It is much easier to do that in intimate settings like somone's house.  As long as you have family that have a home big enough to accommodate such a gathering.

Saturday is usually the day that we all congregate at my cousin Ear's place in Raytown, MO.  I love that place.  It always feels like a home away from home to me.  Probably because Earl is one of the Big Four (oldest first cousins) and I don't get to see him that much.  Also because it's just a hop, skip and jump away from Arrowhead Stadium.  Given that fact, it's rather ridiculous that I STILL haven't been able to make it to a Chiefs game.  I am putting that on the "to do" list for next year. 

So I thought there wasn't supposed to be any type of planned activity going on when we got there.  Little did I know we would be having an impromptu family meeting.  One of the topics brought up was something about a proposal to have the Memorial Day mid-year reunion be on a more rotating basis in different cities?  I wasn't fully following the conversation.  I personally knew I didn't want it to ever be anywhere different than Kansas City.  But other family members were a bit more spirited about their discussion on the same topic.  It made for some interesting conversation which is always fun with my family.

I happened to get the capture of Aunt Ella Mae as she was in the midst of all this conversation.  The look was as if she was biding her time waiting to finally put in her valued opinion.  She probably did and I wasn't paying attention.  As usual, I was just foucsing on getting the best photo possible.  I actually ended up taking very few pictures that weekend.  I concentrated more on spending time with family I hadn't seen in a while.   But I made sure the few I did get counted.  Case in point.

I didn't intend to take a lot of photos there.

Top Captures of 2013 - Shhhh

So sometime this year I decided to start give a new name to some of my photos.   I had already established the XL-Images Signature series but was thinking of something different.  Something geared more towards the more risque shoots that I do.  Something that had a better ring to it than "boudoir".  That just seemed to be used to death.  Then the idea came to me one night when I was doing a post in the Iowa Models and Photographer Coalition.

Even though it was a closed group, I decided that I would only post the more risque stuff when it was later a night.  It just seemed more appropriate do it then.  Therefore, I always made sure to do it when it was after dark.  I used to post a little comment as the subject of every one of them calling it "IMPC After Dark".  That's when it hit me. I would just incorporate the name with my own brand to give it a more broader appeal.  Thus, the XL-Images After Dark series was born.

Now keep in mind that the majority of these particular photos may never see the light of day on the regular Facebook.  I have too many FB contacts that are too conservative.  They look at some photos the wrong way and get the wrong idea.  They are unable to differentiate art from smut. And trust me...I'm in enough of these photo groups and been around enough photogs and models that I clearly know the difference.  I just figure it would be less of a headache for me if I just kept the After Dark series confined to those folks that have an appreciate for photography as art.

But every now and then I come across one that will be on the fence.  It could pass where it has just a little bit of innuendo yet doesn't reveal too much.  The undertone of is there of what the photo conveys without overtly saying it.  More importantly, you can't see too much yet can see just enough at the same time.  That's the beauty of a silhouette.  One of my favorite kind of shots.

Not everyone can pull off the ideal silhouette capture.  It's more than just having someone backlit to get the effect.  First of all, the person has to have the right shape for it.  Skinny folks don't tend to work with this particular shot very well.  Even if they can contort to get the shape, they won't be able to fill out the form.  That's what comprises the biggest asset of the shot.

Secondly, even if a person has the shape, they still have to know how to use it.  Or at the very least, the photographer has to know how to get the best out of them.  The more natural a person is, the better the result.  That way it doesn't look all fake and posey.  This capture was a combination of both.  Erin was doing her own thing while I was snapping.  I just made sure I had her in the right area so the shadows would help complement her.  This particular 'pose' was achieved with very little direction from me.  Just the way I like it.

Then of course there is the setting that is the key in bringing it altogether.  I have become an old regular at the Ikonix natural light studio.  It's home to more than a few Top Captures over the years.  So many people know it so well that this doorway has become legendary.  The way that light soothes the floor just enough to get that subtle reflection is magical.  It was such the ideal overall composition.  It was definitely one of the more commercial looks I have ever done.  Just throw a perfume bottle in the corner with some catchy motto and it's complete:

AfterDark...by XL-Images.net.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Love

Yes....I know it's a rather simplistic title.  Pretty obvious too.  And technically, I could have probably given most the captures on this list that name.  They all reflect it one way or another.  Plus, they would all qualify for the simple fact that I love them.  I love all my final edits.  But there was something in particular that set this one apart enough to give it that name.

The name just recently came to me when I posted one of the Honorable Mention pics.  It was a photo of my cousin Reggie, his wife and daughter from the Arkansas family reunion.  Soon as it got posted, it took on a life of its own.  As of the writing of this post, it's at 235 likes on The Book.  But it was one of the very first comments that caught my attention.  Someone remarked "This one should have won...all I see is love!"

That stuck with me for a couple of different reasons.  First of all, it was clear that the person hadn't been following the Top Captures since she mentioned it should have won.  I had made it clear in the beginning that there are no winners and/or losers.  Even among the Honorable Mentions.  And there has been no rhyme or reason behind the order in which these have been getting posted.  It just so happened in that instance that I decided to follow up the Uncle Johnny photo with another one from the same reunion weekend.

The other reason it hit a chord was because soon as she said that it instantly reminded me of all the couple photos I had done over the course of the year.  I've been getting extremely lucky in that all the couples I've shot have been very close.  There were no strained relationships at all.  And trust me...I've had those before.  When the attraction the two people have for each other is strong and genuine it comes through better in the photo than any editing could ever do.

That's exactly how it was with the Williams.

Heather is another Norwalk High School alum who scheduled a shoot with me.  Coincidentally, she scheduled the same weekend that I was in town shooting another NHS alum.  Have you been following the Top Captures long enough to remember it from earlier on the countdown?  Well initially I was supposed to be doing a family session for Heather.  That would have been cool too because I still would have gotten some looks of just the two of them.  Instead, the two of them showed up sans kids.  A romantic couple shoot?  That could work too.

Now up to this point, I had only done one such shoot.  It was done with a couple of friends of mine who were models.  They just happened to be a couple too.  They were used to making chemistry at the drop of a dime.  They weren't afraid to be uninhibited in front of the camera.  That's something that doesn't always come natural to us everyday people.  So I thought Heather and Gary would have a problem doing that.  Boy, I could not have been any more wrong.

The two of them were VERY much into each other once we started.  I didn't have to say anything at all.  It was like I was witnessing this couple enjoying some quality alone time that they weren't able to get often due to always having kids around.  But more than that, it was as if they were newlyweds.  They were gushing over each other even more than all these ladies on The Book that fawn over their boyfriend (and yes...it's always the ladies doing it.  I never see the guys with similar statuses) about how much they are in love with their man that they've been with a whopping few months.  It was very cool to see a married couple do that.

When it came to editing their pics, I was finding there were too many great ones to select.  Just about every one was an expression of how much they truly love each other.  And for some reason, it was at that very moment that the Beatles song came to my head.  I started thinking of a way to incorporate it into one of the photos.  Some way you could physically see how love really is all you need.  Sometimes simplicity says it best.

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Uncle Johnny

Well I guess I'm about due to put some more family back in these Top Captures.  I had mentioned that it would be a little heavy with family members and then go a while without showing more of them.  That wouldn't be quite fair to save them all for last.  Nor would it be very suspenseful.  So what better way to introduce another family member to the list then to have a shot from the annual Arkansas Fleming Family Reunion?

I messed around and didn't go last year.  Didn't budget quite well enough so had to stay home over Labor Day Weekend.  Which wasn't smart thinking on my part considering how close I am to the Little Rock area now.  It's just a four hour drive away from McKinney.  The even better part is the four hours goes by rather quickly.  It's not all farmland and wasteland like it is when you're driving from Des Moines to Kansas City.  Plus, when it's the right time of day, there's some nice scenery when you're nearing the Ozarks.

I had taken photos at past family reunions as well.  Actually, I probably have each year I went.  But this was the first year that I did it having grasped a MUCH better knowledge of how to actually use a camera to take quality photos.  I wasn't just pointing the camera in the direction of family, waiting for it to focus and snapping.   I was properly measuring light, allowing for just the right amount of bokeh, adjusting the settings accordingly....basically, I was trying to be ninja with mine. 

See, the thing was that I knew there would be a lot of family members there taking photos.  There always is.  Our family likes to record events as much as possible.  Which paid off when it came to the final day where we watched a slideshow containing photos of years past.  But anyway, I wanted to make sure to set mine apart so that we would have some professional quality photos available as well. 

This photo almost didn't happen due to the setting in which it took place.  Can you figure out where it is?  For anyone that knows Uncle Johnny, it should be pretty obvious.  It was at church.  Yes...that's right...I took my camera up into a house of worship taking pictures.  I was on the fence about whether I should do it.  Would it be disrespectful?  Well I figure if they have the show "Preachers of LA" where they have video cameras up in the sanctuary then what is my little ol' camera going to hurt?

Not everyone was exactly cool with it though.  There was a guy sitting on our pew who kept giving me the side-eye whenever I snapped.  I thought it was rather ironic considering that he was the spitting image of Frederick Douglass.  I am SO not exaggerating either.  Ask Uncle Johnny.  Dude seriously looked like Frederick Douglass.  I was so tempted to take a picture of him as proof.  And whenever I switched from my 50mm to my 200 lens (aka, Kong) he seemed a little put off.  I'm sure he got over it though.  I'm still not sure if it was the fact I had a camera or the fact that he was amazed by how far cameras have come since his day.  At least I wasn't using my flash so he could take solace in that fact.

I've gotten a few photos before of Uncle Johnny singing, but none like this one.  He had mentioned to me before that it always seemed like I was catching him at unflattering moments whenever he was singing.  Like maybe he was either looking in pain or scowling.  Or both.  So this time I made sure to ge more of an action shot of him.  I knew it was just a matter of time before he would start feeling it and get one of these looks in there.  That look where you feel like he's singing right to you to get some church in you.  He may very well have been in my instance.  Since this visit to church was the first time I've been in a while.  I have no clue though since I wasn't listening to what he was singing.  I was just trying to make sure to get a great shot.

Top Captures of 2013 - The Underwoods

As I was going through the pics for this wedding, I was having WAY too difficult of a time trying to select just one that could make this list.  There were just far too many shots that I was diggin' far too much.  That's the same way it was while I was editing these.  The Underwoods just had so many great moments from that day that it was problematic trying to discern which was a favorite.  So I had to go with a composite instead to try to sum up the overall experience.  Or at least part of it.  But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.   Let me backtrack a bit and give more background regarding how this even came to be and how everything panned out.

I had been talking to a friend on The Book trying to get her to do family pics for a while.  Something always came up so the time was never right.  However, she did have a friend who was looking for a wedding photographer.  I've actually heard that a lot though.  Rarely do the people ever come through.  Either they want that Armani photography at a Wal-Mart price or they never contact me at all.  That certainly wasn't the case with the Underwoods.

The bride Jasmine was my contact throughout the entire process.  I was a little leary about that at first.  I knew that was going to put a lot of pressure on her as the bride trying to coordinate wedding events AND worrying about her big day.  Therefore, I took it upon myself to take as much off her as possible.  If I ever had any inquiries about what she was looking for in her theme and the photos, I went through her best friend and maid of honor Nena.  I would like to think it helped in some small part.  I certainly didn't want to add any unneeded stress to the bride.  That wouldn't show up very well in the photos.

Going into this wedding, I felt I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder regarding wedding photography.  Pretty much for the reasons I mentioned above.  I had been getting rejected left and right.  I felt compelled to do everything possible to prove how great I can be with weddings when given the chance.  Therefore, I poured everything I could into making these pics come out nothing short than spectacular.  I had a second shooter assisting (thanks to my former ISU classmate Brenda) and was all over that event.  I have never been so exhausted.  And it felt dang good.

I also made sure to go above and beyond during the editing process.  It was more than just cleaning up imperfections in shots here and there.  I also did several different composites for the couple.  Definitely more than they expected.  I couldn't help it though.  The more I started working on the pics, the more ideas just kept coming to me.

There were a couple things that made this wedding such a huge success for me.  The first being that both Jasmine and Jared were very photogenic but as a couple and individually.  To take it a step further, so was their wedding party. Makes for much easier photos when that is the case.  The second and most important was the fact that both of them were very cordial people.  There was no Bridezilla action happening from anyone.  It may have spoiled me into thinking that all wedding shoots will go that smoothly.  That is if I can get more scheduled.  Until it does happen, I have no problem reveling in the awesomeness that the Underwood wedding produced.

 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Darby

Probably one of the best things I could have done for XL-Images from a marketing standpoint was join different photog and model groups on The Book.  It has allowed me to get my work out there to a greater number of people in even further reaching places than just the midwest and Texas.  More importantly is it has enabled me to network with people that I probably would not have met otherwise.

One such group is the very first one I joined:  Iowa Model and Photographer Coalition.  It initially started as a group to help models and photogs meet and collaborate in Eastern Iowa.  It somehow spread to central Iowa which I think probably now comprises a lot of the group's more active members.  As with any group, I don't always get along with everyone in there.  There are more than a few occasions where I have to follow the old adage "if you don't have anything nice to say..."; however, the good has outweighed the bad for the most part.  I have had the opportunity to meet some pretty great folks as a result of that group. 

Darby would be one of the good ones.

I first met her through when she posted an inquiry about a shoot she was looking to do.  It was going to be a present for her then boyfriend.  It may have even been then fiancee if I remember correctly.  Anyway, it was interesting concept that I had always wanted to try but had never gotten a chance to.  It was a great stroke of fortune that she was searching for a photog to do it.  The problem was she was in Eastern Iowa.  Nearly two hours away.  Would she be up for traveling to Des Moines to work with a photographer she had never met?  The answer was a resounding yes.  Thanks in large part to my already existing portfolio that speaks for itself.  Let me tell you...that portfolio has opened more doors than I would have imagined.

It's important to note that the shot you see here is not from the session in question.  That particular session was a little more risque.  Which in itself made it even more impressive that we were able to get that collaboration.  If I didn't have a solid reputation there was no way Darby would have done such a shoot with a photog she's never met.  Of course, she did still bring her mother along with her as an escort just to be safe and I was totally fine with that.  I just made sure that mom knew she had to get in on one of the photos.  It's just a matter of time before I score their family photos too.  Still working on that one.

This capture actually took place during my last visit to Des Moines.  And it almost didn't happen.  I had a full schedule already as I headed into that weekend.  I was checking my Instagram when I happened across a photo of Darby in one of the coolest Iowa State shirts I had seen.  I don't know how I kept forgetting she was also a student there.  In case you didn't know, anyone affiliated with ISU always has an in with me.  And having worked with her on a shoot before was an added plus.  Anyway, I knew with a booked calendar that I couldn't get her in.  I let her know that we would definitely have to shoot with that shirt during one of my visits though to make sure I at least put that bug in her ear.

As with most of trips to Des Moines, there are always unexpected cancellations.  Most of the time they are legitimate excuses.  Sometimes they are either horribly awful or just flat out no-shows.  I have come to expect these which is exactly why I make sure to have back-up plans.  There are a few folks that I can contact on short notice and they can show up for a shoot.  That's precisely what Darby did.

The looks with the Iowa State shirt that I was mentioning came out just as fantastic as I expected.  However, it turned out that my favorites from that session were the ones from her wearing this sweater top.  I'm thinking because the overall look was a much more casual presentation.  It relayed quite the comfy vibe.  I made sure to utilize one of my favorite light set ups to get the right amount of shadows to accentuate her features.   Then I made sure to catch her mid-smile.  As I've said time and time again, some of the best photos are captured when you get a person in between poses.  Another case in point.

Top Captures of 2013 - The Ball

I guess the whole frat brother support thing was a bigger recurring thing than I thought.  And there's still at least a couple more (spoiler alert) coming.  Y'all might get sick of my bringing up Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. all the time pretty soon.  Sorry...you're just going to have to deal with that one though.  It's rather a difficult burden to bear being the best fraternity that ever graced this earth, but somebody has to do it.

Every year, our Zeta Kappa Lambda graduate chapter has a Black and Gold Scholarship Ball in the city of Des Moines.  It's a black tie affair held every February to help raise money for minority scholarships as well as honor those students who have won them.  To say it is a marquee event would be a major understatement.  Folks look forward to the event annually.  It's not often that you get see such a diverse mixture of individuals young and old getting together dressed to 'T' for a good cause. 

For the past couple of years that I had been going to the Ball, I had gone as a guest.  Those would have been the two years that XL-Images was in existence.  So I still broke out the camera and got some shots while I was there.  Mostly to get some another type of genre for the port.  But also to help out the frat so they would have photos to display for the event.  Although there was always a paid photographer there, he didn't have quite the same eye as someone like me.  I made it a point to move around all the different parts of the Ball to get the full picture of formal to party.  It was something a little different that I brought to the table.

Come this year, I had already moved to the DFW area.  I could have went as a guest again, but I figured it was time to take a shot at being the lead photographer for the event.  I knew that it meant I wouldn't be able to enjoy the event as a guest but I was fine with that.  Besides, the enjoyment factor was still there.  It was just a different aspect.  All the grad brothers are working the event in some capacity.  Although it is hard work, I doubt you'll find a single one who will tell you they don't have a good time. 

I did something different with my role as the photog than we've done in previous years.  There was no set up of a plain backdrop, strobes and drop cloth to serve as a makeshift setting for on-the-spot pics.  I could have easily done that though.  Gotten the printer and provided the photos right then and there with no editing at all.  However, the churn-and-burn format was not my style.  Never has been.  Never will be.  Instead, I provided higher quality photos and made them available online for order.  Sure, folks couldn't get them the night of, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Every year, the chapter presents an Alpha Award of Merit.  This is a prestigious award given to an individual who has an impressive history of being involved with the betterment of the local community.  This year, it was Mary E. Dominguez Campos.  I'm sure there are probably more than a few DMI folks reading this who are very familiar with her.  I personally was not, but that was just further proof that I needed to do a better job of connecting with the elders in the community. 

One thing I have always prided myself on was making sure that my portfolio includes a wide spectrum of all ages.  Sure, it's definitely heavy towards the younger crowd.  That just happens to be the group that enjoys taking photos more.  But I will go out of my way to get some good photos of senior citizens.  They always have such purposeful looks in their faces from just their everyday expressions.  And if it means that the only time I'm able to get photos of those folks is at events such as this then so be it.  It's still very much worth it.

This shot was captured just as she was going to the podium to accept her award.  Initially, I was going to get just a random candid look of her walking there.  However, as I got in position, she stopped and looked at me.  There were no words said at all. She just flashed that distinguished smile at me.  The instant I clicked, I knew that that photo was better than any candid moment that I could have captured of her.  More than that, I instantly knew that it would be the best photo I would take all evening.  Clearly one of the best of the year as evidenced by its appearance here.

Top Captures of 2013 - Kalob

Do you ever have one of those moments where you truly think you may have outdone yourself?  Could be in your profession or in your hobby or anything that you're doing.  And maybe not so much that you have outdone yourself but possibly just amazed yourself at what you were capable of.  Well that's how I was about this particular capture. 

I had been trying to crack into the world of senior photos for quite a while.  Yes, it's a competitive market, but pretty much any aspect of photography is.  Especially when there are so many GWCs out there selling false goods to people who have lowered expectations.  But I personally had a lot of ideas that I couldn't wait to use on young seniors that were up for up for it.  It was just a matter of getting my name out there.  That was no easy task to begin with.

Before this shoot, I had done a few senior sessions here and there so I would have samples to show people of what I could do.  I would always get the same response:  "Thanks for the info...we'll let you know".  9 times out of 10 when I hear that, I never hear back from the people again.  I guess that could technically be considered a form of rejection?  I never let it get to me though.  It's just the nature of the business.  I just keep plugging away and save up those ideas for when I am able to pull in some senior business.

Kalob's mother had been in talks with me for a few weeks leading up to the session.  I could tell from the onset that she was genuinely interested in following through as opposed to some of the aforementioned people.  Sure enough she fully committed and everything was a go.  I asked her about her son's hobbies, sports, etc, and baseball was one that came up.  This concept was something I had in my head for a while but never able to fully materialize it.  Even when I explained it to her, I couldn't describe it enough to give it justice.  

The easy part about this capture was getting the shots themselves.  It involved two different shots of Kalob:   one done by a regular brick wall...the other done in studio on a black background.  Looking back on it, I meant to actually have one of them looking the opposite direction as opposed both the same way like you see here.  A small oversight on my part but I think it still works regardless.

The real work started when it came time to edit.  Even with as much as I know about Lightroom and Photoshop, I realize that I am probably still only using the tip of the iceberg.   Additionally, some of trickier things I do know I use so infrequently that I have to often refresh myself on how to do them properly.  So the whole process of having Kalob's own image superimposed on the brick wall while fading into his other self was a challenge.  Photoshop experts could look at this and probably immediately think of an easier way to accomplish it than I did.  One that didn't involve a couple (maybe even few) hours of researching and editing.  But that's the only way we learn and make ourselves better is by putting in that kind of work.

Once it was all said and done, I had an image that I knew would be the perfect mouthpiece for advertising to lure in more senior photos.  I made sure to prominently feature it when I was soliciting senior photo business.  I even went through the trouble of getting a 30x20 print of it to display at a tradeshow where I was promoting my business.  So did it work?  Well since Kalob's senior session I still haven't had a single senior photo session.  Not one.  Oh, there have been a few of those "Thanks for the info..we'll let you know" people, but no commitments.  See...told you it was a tough niche to crack into. 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Bane

I had the perfect idea for a Halloween themed shoot this year.  Had the person all picked out for it and everything.  Unfortunately, the vision I had for it had to take place in Des Moines.  Which meant I had to have all the travel arrangements worked out AND the talent would too.  Because they had moved and weren't in Des Moines at the time either.  Yes...I know it would have been so much easier to do all that right where I already was in the DFW area.  I just didn't have the connections at that time that I do now.  I'm all good come next year though.

Things fell through with my road trip that was scheduled to take place two weeks before Halloween.  Then again with the weekend before Halloween.  By that time, it was too late do do any type of theme.  I had all but given up on doing one at all.  It was killing me too because I was seeing my FB contacts posting pictures of them in their costumes.  Some of them would have made INCREDIBLE shoots.  Especially the one I saw from one of my friends in NC (even though that road trip was even more out of the question then the DMI one).  Then I came across my very own frat brother.

I had collaborated with JT in the past when I was looking for a specific concept.  He was another example of my frat helping out and being supportive of XL-Images.  A couple of years ago, I realized that I didn't have any captures of anyone with a motorcycle.  I had just started getting into "Sons of Anarchy" at the time when the idea came to me.  I knew a few cats that were in a MC (Motorcycle Club) but JT was the first one that came to mind.  For someone who didn't do the whole modeling thing on the regular (or ever, since I was his first shoot), he pulled it off without a hitch.

It had never dawned on me to do a superhero-- or in this case, super villain --themed shoot for Halloween.  Primarily because I thought it would be a little too close to the whole cosplay fascination that I've seen springing up in several places.  I am personally not a fan of it at all, but to each their own.  I'm certainly not going to knock someone else for their hobby just because I don't get into it.  I just personally feel it wasn't the type of 'modeling' shooting that I wanted to get into so I stay away from it.

When I saw JT in his Bane costume, I immediately began having visions of different looks I could do in it.  Most of them involve the use of my favorite type of light set up which is a sole gridded strip box.  The Bane look was MADE for that type of lighting.  The only thing that could have made it was better was if I had done some on location ideas I had.  Like a shadowy alley.  But again, I didn't know what to expect with unpredictable Iowa weather so I played it safe with the studio.  I think it turned out quite alright.

Now I know some of the real comic book/hero geeks (like both of my sons) will say that this isn't the real Bane.  Not because he's a brotha of course.  The reason being that he's not the one from the comics.  This interpretation is the one made famous in the last Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises".  I personally preferred the big screen adaptation.  Mainly because I wasn't feeling the whole Mexican wrestler mask.  I did like how he was more brute strength in the comics and not near as intellectual as the movie version makes him; however, the more I watched Tom Hardy playing him, the more I liked an intelligent Bane. 

JT as Bane was just flat out insane.  I was skeptical he would even go along with it since the shoot was well after Halloween.  I should have known better.  He had no problem with it.  Maybe because it gave him another chance to showcase his physique?  I'm not mad at him at all.  If I was constructed like that, I doubt I'd own few shirts.  But Frat brought just the right amount of broodiness that I thought he would.  So much so that you may notice a similar framing on this one.  Yep...another XL-Images Signature series addition.

Top Captures of 2013 - Intense

Did I really just have two captures in a row where they were given actual names instead of generically named after saying the creative juices weren't flowing enough?  Well I guess they were.  Or I guess I may have cheated just a little bit.  I posted this in one of my photo groups on The Book and someone left a comment with just that one word.  Don't know why it never dawned on me, but it fit the photo perfectly.  So this one ended up getting a legitimate name too.

In the past years (all two of them) that I have done the countdown, I made it a point to try to avoid more than one photo of the same type.  For instance, if I had a few different baby shots that I liked, I would have to narrow it down to one and that one baby shot would be the representative for all the rest of them that I also liked.  I didn't have that same luxury this year.  Didn't have as many shooting opportunities.  And also not as diverse as in past years.  So there were no restrictions as to how many of what type of shot could get it in.  Which is why you are seeing two couples captures back to back.  Spoiler alert...this won't be the last one you'll see.

A while back I did a series of photos that I called The Edge.  That's because I was stepping outside the box from the conservative looks that I had been doing up to that point.   These particular captures even went further then the boudoir photos I had previously done.  They were models doing implied looks with mood lighting.  Very racy.  Thus...I was pushing it to The Edge.  One concept I always wanted to incorporate with that was shooting a couple in much the same manner.  I could just never find a couple willing to do it.

Then I remembered Kasi and Isaac.

Those of you that have been with me since the beginning may remember a shoot I did with Kasi a while back.  And I mean a WHILE back.  It was one of my first dozen or so shoots.  She did such a great job that I had always been meaning to work with her again.  I had no idea it would be almost two years later before it would actually happen.  Isaac would be a star with XL-Images in his own right when he did an impromptu shot in one of my tees at my going away party last year.  I was diggin' it so much that it became the centerpiece of a composite pic I did of a plethora of XL-Images t-shirt captures.  Which reminds me...it's about time to do an updated one of all the XL-Images t-shirt captures that have taken place since then.

Collectively they were the perfect couple for what I wanted to do.  The only problem was getting our schedules to mesh so it could come to fruition.  It had to be during at time that I was in town visiting and both of them were available.  Not an easy task to do since they had a newborn.  The only time that worked was when they didn't have a sitter.  So little man was there at the shoot with us.  Keeping him occupied in his car seat off to the side while we worked was no easy feat.  That was probably the quickest I've ever worked in a shoot.  But sometimes you do what you gotta do to get the shot(s).

Thanks to the two of them being naturals in front of the camera, this particular session actually produced quite a few winners.  One of them good enough to be on my Top After Dark Captures (oh yes...it's real).  It was no easy task determining which one would make this list.  This capture won out because everything in the photo just came together perfectly.  The expression on the faces, the twinkle in Kasi's eye that can be seen even in black and white, the wind catching her hair perfectly so the eyes aren't completely covered.  The whole thing was just so.....intense...