Not what i expected
Sometimes I do a session and when I go through the photos, I REALLY overthink it.
This was definitely one of those sessions.
Which is why it too me an embarrassingly long amount of time to get the photos finished.
I tangoed with which ones I like or didn't like, which ones gave the best vibe, which ones looked real, which ones brought joy.
But I also wanted to be really transparent about the overall experience.
So let's be honest
This turned out to be a HUGE challenge for me!
I mean, that was the overall purpose for me.
To challenge me as a photographer and get outside my comfort zone where I could learn to work with different people, different poses, different atmospheres... and this did all those things and more!
Best participants ever!
I could not have asked for better participants for my first time doing a Stranger Session. Randi and Brendan were absolute rockstars and were SO easy going. They had fun, laughed, were silly and had good conversation.
Meanwhile I felt like I was stumbling haha
Like I said I want to be transparent about this experience!
I struggled to think of poses. Which is really weird for me! I've been photographing couples for almost a decade and I have it down to a system. It is really a comfort zone for me. But THIS. Yeah, totally different ballgame.
a few things I learned:
I do a lot of intimate poses with my clients. Which is great!! Its exactly what I should be doing!
I struggled to ask strangers to do those same poses.
So I want to expand and be creative with poses that doesn't involve kissing (although I might get brave enough to ask strangers to kiss someday hahaha)
It was also confirmed that I really feed off the energy of those I'm photographing.
Typically I am the one working hard to make the clients feel really at ease, but this time- these two amazing strangers (to each other and to me!) were just such down to earth humans and if anything, they are the ones that kept me going! They gave me confidence even when I was struggling!
I learned that I'm a great photographer and I still have so much room for growth.
Which I actually love because I'm not satisfied staying stagnant. I want to get more experience. More exposure. More opportunities. More works of art.
So much to say about this session
I could go on and on about how much joy and fear and love and appreciation and friendship and growth this session gave me. But let's get to what you really want- the photos :)
So excited to do more stranger sessions!
I hope to continue to do Stranger Sessions so I can continue to meet new people, add more joy to my job and the lives of others, and grow as a photographer.
Interested in doing a stranger session?
Huge thank you for helping me make this session happen!
