Meet the Model: Ben

I am doing a new series here on the business blog called "Meet the Model." I am hoping to grow my model rotation to 10 people; I currently have five (one new one!). I hope to introduce them each to you and share some of their experiences so that you don't think I just drag people around telling them what to do....well, I sort of do that.

I met Ben a long time ago through our church. He was an instant friend. He comes to all our family functions and just loves on the littles and on our family. As I ventured into photography I knew from the beginning that I wanted him as one of my regular models. Ben has such a pretty boy face and style; but I also know after working with him that he can be edgy when he wants too.

Our very first shoot in June was very much like this. Very preppy and light. I had not worked a lot with male models at that point (they are my favorite to work with now, so easy and carefree) and so Ben was an original guinea pig on me learning to style men.

As Ben and I's friendship has grown and our partnership as a model/photographer I've learned his style, his likes and dislikes via colors, etc. When you are a photographer and you have a regular model you don't want to just have them show up. It's a team effort. I now prefer to style all of my models a few days before a shoot and Ben was super gracious in letting me style him in our second shoot that we will mention in a moment.

Our second shoot was in August. I took a mini break in July to do some events/weddings as well as catch up on editing. I also took some time this week to talk to Ben about his experiences. Check it out:

1. Have you ever modeled before working with Meg?

No. Working with Meg was my first official modeling gig.

2. Where you surprised that you were asked to model? What were you expecting from a photo shoot?

I had always thought it would be cool to try modeling but never actually pursued an opportunity to do it, so I was slightly surprised when Meg asked me. 

3. What has been your most challenging experience?

The most challenging thing so far as been perfecting my "hard" face ha ha

4. What have you learned from modeling? Would you recommend someone else to model, even if just for fun? 

I think I've learned best that I should stay on this side of the camera, ha ha. I really enjoy watching Meg's creativity come to life and helping make that happen. To me it's a lot of fun being out there laughing, trying out different ideas and watching it all come together to an amazing final product. I would absolutely recommend others to model with her or model in general. 

5. What has been your favorite/most fun experience with Meg?

I think my most fun experience so far with Meg had to be this last shoot. We laughed a lot, had so much fun, and I felt much more comfortable with the modeling aspect than I did the first time. 



Overall, Benjy has absolutely nailed his part as a model. He is a very strong model giving me both glimpses of seriousness and laughter. One of the things I appreciate about Ben is his willingness to accept my personality and silliness. When we are on a shoot that can take 4-5 hours he is light and fun the entire time; even as I'm bossing him around. He's very open to trying new artistic poses and has one of the most genuine spirits I've ever encountered.

He also has an understanding that he is not allowed to model for anyone else....ever.

Look for Ben's next spread the end of September. We are doing a fun and unique night time shoot that will be sure to knock your socks off!

Enjoy these few photos of Ben too! :)

Patty's Boys

 It's been a bit since I've written about my shoots but I have been one busy photographer. I am excited to share this next roll with you on these crazy brothers.

This shoot inspiration came as a surprise for their mother. I met their mother at the church we attend and when I met her I felt an instant connection to her. She and I are kindred spirits. The same goes with her sons, husband, and family. I felt like I was literally dropped into an instant family. Patty had mentioned that she wanted more candid shots of her son James (he's the third oldest and just graduated high school). The boys and I got together and started talking. Why not surprise her with some updated photos of all of them together. She has four of them, so we are missing Daniel, but we plan to do another re-shoot in the next two weeks to include him as well.

This shoot was done in NoDa distract of Charlotte. NoDa is one of my most favorite places to photograph people because no matter how many shoots you do in that area you can make them all look unique with all the different textures, colors, and natural props. Because I am already fully acquainted and close to these boys I knew this shoot would be fun. Not just that, but I knew they'd pick on me since they had never seen me in my "professional" lets get good photos mood.


We got there an hour late due to some difficult in getting the surprise squared away. We didn't want mom to know that we were doing it so we had to fabricate a good story. My goal for each of the boys was to capture their personalities and bring it to life. I wanted to focus in on James and do his senior portraits and than use Tyler and Michael in poses that I could add to my portfolio.

Just seeing what a client shows up in in regards to clothing choice tells you a lot about their personality. I also wanted to make sure we got plenty of shots of the boys together and even some fun ones.

We were extremely pressed for lighting and time since we got such a late start. I didn't want to shoot night portraits of the boys and wanted to focus on using the light I had from the sun.

Overall the session was crazy. We had lots of laughs, cracked up, joked, and got some amazing shots of these boys. We are getting together again very soon before James goes to college so we can make sure we get those shots of the boys and Daniel. We don't want to leave anyone else out.

And if you made it this far in this blog entry you get to see a "not posted to the web or facebook" photo of Michael hugging his new favorite tree. ;)

Check out the rest of their session over on my facebook page by clicking here.