RouseGallery...The Blog

Ali!!!

So...it's well after midnight as I write this...with Air Supply in my headphones (hey...you gotta put down the Hinder and Nickelback sometime and court the classics!!) and the cool of the night breeze drifting in thru my open windows, displacing the heat of the day. Am on the heels of a ten hour day with Ali, downloading and converting files...and beginning to review the absolutely stunning images created today.

I can't believe it was the summer of '02 when I created the senior portfolio for Ali's older sister Chelsea! And now, we have been at it again...cavernous urban scenes and hockey arenas, stream-filled gullies and floral gardens, downtown streets and half-lit swimming pools after dark. All that, plus plenty of Gatorade and deli sandwiches to get us thru the day!

Ali made such an awesome model. Photogenic, full of life...and hot! (easy dudes...) But don't take my word for it...see for yourself, in part one of Ali's sneak peek portfolio view:

R

 

 

Stand By...for the Magic

Debuting by Noon today, the sneak peak at Ali's ten hour senior portfolio session...and yet to come, Kirsten, Courtney, Charlie, Wendy, Sara, Derek, Adam, Evan and...

Well, let's just say it will be an eventful August!

Meanwhile, Ali's pics will absolutely blow you away. But, Noon people. It's already after 1AM and I need some sleep!

R

P.S. Ok...compromise. I'll show you the prep for Ali's session!!:

Classic Brooks

Hey...we created these awesome images of Brooks before we launched the blog several months ago...so I wanted to share these shots with you before time gets away from us. These are actually from the first session I did with Brooks, a shoot that impressed me right away with thinking that this is the start of something awesome. I'm shooting for some new images with Brooks hopefully next month...so stand by for some new postings soon. In the meantime, evidence of just how smooth a shoot can go...

R

Stephanie, a.k.a. Angelbaby

I'm on the verge of doing a new shoot with Stephanie...the first one in over a year, so get set to be absolutely blown away.

As we're looking at doing new work, I'm reviewing the prolific body of work we've created over the past four years and am stunned at the diversity and range Stephanie has projected in our sessions. We've gone from upscale surroundings and vivacious slip dresses to sunny summer afternoons lounging on a covered wooden porch to totally-edgy, black fashion work shot at night.

You would expect such wide-ranging styles not to coincide in the context of a singular portfolio; but, when I see these images together, I see how Stephanie's prowess as an actress pulls the widely-varied stylistic moods together, fusing the images into a singular, cohesive whole. It's the kind of concept embodied in the work of one of my favorite magazine photographers, Robert Whitman; he said in an interview once that he prefers to hire actresses because they make the best models...and now I know what he means.

So, as we prepare for the next stage in our joint artistic ventures, I give you a glimpse at our visual history. It's been a challenging, rewarding and intriguing journey; and I have the feeling there's much more that lies ahead.

R

RHS Panthers Volume I: Encore Jessica Post

We've never done this on the blog before...but I totally saw the innate drama and appeal in these black and white renditions of Jessica's images from our shoot last weekend. Jess has this awesome smile that just lights up a photo...and coupled with the visual power of black and white tones that strips everything down to form and texture, shadow and light...it's a dynamic combination, a one-two punch.

Most of all, you get to view more funky images from the session with Jess!

Enjoy.

R

RHS Panthers Volume I: The Hot Post...with Jessica

Talk about hot...it was a 100 degree day when we created these images!

But despite the weather, we created some hot images. And it must have been a big production...at one point, we had three photo assistants helping out...namely Jessica's Dad, younger brother and boyfriend Jacoby who I photographed last winter(see SENIOR archives). In fact, I don't know what it is about extremes that makes a stunning session but Jacoby's session was done in the hockey arena in sub-freezing temperatures while Jessica's was created during the beginning of a heat index advisory! (hey...the more trauma I endure, the more awesome the photos apparently...)

Jess was the ideal model to work with....totally photogenic, never complaining about the heat and laughing at all my jokes, even the ones that weren't funny! So, it's no wonder we got some killer shots...so many that we're gonna give you a Part Two Post with Jessica on tomorrow's blog entry.

For now, we'll kick things off with Total Shot of the Year:

R

 

Would you purchase an ipod from this dude?

And all the ladies said....yeeaahhhhsssssss!!!!

Back for encore performance...new work with Dusty. Enjoy.

Fargo South: Matt

Everybody give it up for Matt!

We came, we conquered, we beat the ninety-degree heat and the outrageous traffic of the Fargo Street Fair and the dreadful sinking feeling of walking on the softened mud flats and the playful antics of one attention-starved dachshund who followed us around, attempting to be included in as many pictures as possible!

Matt was a totally gracious model, nonetheless, and whether it was in the city or or on the beautiful riverside estate in the country where we finished the shoot, we created some serious magic . In fact, this was my second adventure with Matt and his family, having created his older sister Amanda's senior portfolio three years ago. So, it was awesome to be back again and enjoy their hospitality and re-visit some sweet locations.

For now, we give you a taste of the magic with Matt's portfolio.

R

The New Rage

Thot I'd share these wall portrait collages from the initial portrait sessions of the summer season. We're flooded overnight with multiple requests per family for exhibition wall portraits featuring image collages, in the same format that we design the ever-popular Art Books. We're looking at 11X14, 16x20...even 20x30 orders this season(8x10 is the minimum available size for collage prints)...and are going to be producing various sizes and quantities for not only parents but Grandparents and other relatives with our upcoming orders. You will want to keep this option in mind for when your ordering appointment is scheduled. We've been doing some innovative and exciting things with these beautiful portraits. Take a look...

R

 

Joey...and The Shot of the Year

Dude, check out this killer shot! Joey is the man!!

It is EXTREMELY rare that I can fore-go posting a collage of images from a folio, instead standing on just ONE image. But that's exactly what I can do with this photograph from Joey's session this week. Even though there are a lot of shots from that day I could share, it's best at times like this to make your statement with one dynamic image.

And to think...this came from a session done in record time, in the killer heat and blinding sun; but it's often out of those crazy circumstances that the true art emerges. I could talk a lot about creating this image...yet it's best with a portrait like this to leave the mystique intact, heightening the impact of the image.

This is just living proof that it's gonna continue to be an awesome summer...

R