Punching it up with photo processing

Here’s a before/after from a recent session! Since we have a variety of clients, we play with a lot of different levels of processing and retouching, depending on the individual. For a portrait, we want you to see YOU in the photo, so we’ll clear up the occasional pimple, and mainly play with the color and style of the shot. As far as we’re concerned, Perfection in a Portrait is about capturing who you are, not making you look like a glossy magazine ad.

For commercial clients, however, it’s all about the product, and that often means more involved processing and corrections. For model portfolios, we like to land somewhere in-between. We never want to retouch someone to the point where they’re unrecognizable! But, most modelphotos involve at least some touch-up, so we’ll fix blemishes, stray hairs, and other distracting elements. Then, anyone looking through the model’s book will simply focus on her beauty and potential for a job!

And here’s the before:

Enko Photography – fashion, editorial, and commercial photography based in Portland, Oregon

Autumn Lifestyle

Emmy booked a shoot with us to update her modeling portfolio, so we started off with an updated headshot, and an in-studio fashion look. The final look was a bit more spontaneous, however, because she also needed lifestyle images for her portfolio, since she often books with commercial clients. When we saw the winter hat and scarf she’d brought with her, shooting outdoors with the changing leaves sounded like the perfect fit for her lifestyle look! 

Make-up/Hair: Amy Vaillancourt-Sals

Enko Photography – fashion, editorial, and commercial photography based in Portland, Oregon

Dark Glasses

Just stopping in with a quick shot from last week. The rest of the shoot was mainly commercial/lifestyle, but we couldn’t help detouring a little into fashion shooting, especially when she had such a great outfit on.

I liked how this one turned out after I finished processing it, and it required very little work. It was also simple on setup: the lighting was all afternoon sun. Sometimes, you just can’t beat Mother Nature!

This was one of many shoots we’ve done incorporating accessories from Orange Moon Creations. They’re a startup operation, and their knit bags, such as the one in the photo, are hand-made and felted at their home base in Boston, MA.

We also did a series of shoots a few months back with their newest product, musicMitts, but instead of using models, we worked with local musicians to show off the gloves in a realistic context.

This shot was deemed a little too “street” for what the company was after, and it doesn’t showcase the gloves as well as it could, but it’s easily one of my favorites from the shoot. We created a great mood with a simple setup, and the colors came together wonderfully.

We regularly offer catalog and advertisement photography, and we always do our best to tailor each project to your needs and your budget. Our rates can be surprisingly affordable, so whether you’re a company that’s just getting started, or one that’s more established, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Enko Photography – fashion and commercial photography out of Portland, Oregon

In Service To America

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to dive into something a little different from our usual: commercial and stock photos for the Americorps VISTA program! As part of their effort to support and train their volunteers, VISTA has taken on the ambitious project of bringing their vast resources into an online format. Of course, this meant adding fresh, new photos of volunteers, demonstrating some of the activities might do during their volunteer service.

Even without a full hair and makeup team, the experience was definitely hectic. Many of our “models” were actual volunteers in the VISTA program, and it was hard enough just making sure that schedules aligned, and our people were in the right place at the right time! Still, it was great to meet such a diverse group of people, and I think our shots will make a great addition to the online project.

If you’re looking to give a little something back to the community, be sure to check out the VISTA program, which takes volunteers from all walks of life, from all over the country.

–Sarah

More images after the cut!

Model Portfolio: Kristen!

Model portfolio work presents some fun challenges for a photographer. You have to figure out pretty quickly what they’re good at, what their best features are, and highlight those things as best you can. When I’m dealing with a model who has some experience, however, I do like to throw them a bit of a curveball. It helps to add diversity to their portfolios, and if all goes well, it’ll open them up to booking more jobs!

Kristen had quite a bit of experience modeling for local photographers, but a quick glance through her book showed that she’d mainly done fashion and concept work… so, how could I resist shooting a few commercial/lifestyle images to round out her portfolio?

We went with a fresh face, a cute-but-casual outfit, and a local coffee shop, and I asked her to turn on the charm. She obliged, and we got some lovely, natural-looking shots.

After our trip to the coffee shop, we took the few minutes we had left to do a fashion look, which was definitely her forte. She had to dash off to work, so between that and the cold, windy weather, we only got about 30 shots, but a lot of them were great ones that showed off her intensity and her long-looking legs!

I thought this shoot was a great example of what we can accomplish with even the simplest of model portfolio shoots. The clothes and jewelry were all from Kristen’s own wardrobe, the locations were all within 5 minutes of the studio, and we were still able to hit upon two very different styles that’ll add diversity to her portfolio.

Also, credit is definitely due for our makeup artist/hairstylist, the amazing Sabrina Cayne! Her work is proof positive of what a huge difference a good makeup artist can make on a photoshoot.

A few extra images are after the cut… enjoy!

–Sarah