RouseGallery...The Blog

Kasey Lights up a Winter's Night: PART TWO

Oh yeah...I promised yesterday that I would share the secret of how to keep a teen lifestyle supermodel happy. Well, try insuring that she is provided with one trip to McDonald's, a supper of stuffed baked potatoes (brats, bacon bits, onion, cheese, sour cream...yummm) and a mid-evening dessert of brownies and ice cream...all within the span of one four-hour photo session, by the way! (gee...I don't even have these demands in my contract)

Notice tho that with awesome hospitality like this from Kasey's Mom and family, the paparazzi is not complaining! (especially when seconds are a part of the deal).

R

Kasey Lights up a Winter's Night

I should have known it was gonna get crazy when my friend calls and says, "I'm looking at the weather radar on the computer and there's this mass of deep blue that just turned the corner at Foxholm and it's headed this way!!!!!!!!" So, we no sooner put Kasey into makeup styling with Lisa at 'Merle Norman/A Journey Within' downtown than the wind hits fifty miles per hour and the snow is swirling so hard you can't see across the street and we're thinking, "school tomorrow? no way" (we are proved wrong early the next morning; this IS Minot, after all). Well, try unloading gear at her house an hour later in a -40 degree wind chill! And with the last of the gear unloaded, we're standing over the heat vents in the house just to get our toes unthawed, as in ,everybody is claiming their own heat vent and I'm standing there, smiling and thinking to myself, "always an adventure". As in, what would have to write about on blog posts if this stuff didn't happen??

Tomorrow: how do you keep a supermodel and photo crew happy, especially in spite of subzero cold?!

R

Annabelle and The Winter Light

I love shooting with Annabelle.

The mutual flow of ideas and inspiration, the consistency of the standards for excellence, the inevitable magic springing to life from the pixels...

I chose this image to share with you because it reveals how the distinctive angle of winter light and it's luminous and ethereal properties makes the image in the end...casting divergent shadows and highlights, gracing her skin with a feather's touch, bathing the scene in a glow that is almost other worldly.

Give me natural light any day...and a session with Annabelle.

R

Let's Get Funky-Crazy with Brittany!!!

...er, in a responsible, fun sort of way, of course.

The title of this post of course refers to the pure joy of being experimental and getting so out-of-the-box that you nearly get lost, as with the image above. But, THAT is where the art happens, each and every time.

The amazing, almost sacred quality of the sunlight, the depth and moodiness of the shadows...and the liberation that Brittany gave me to find the astounding possibilities for innovation at every turn, emerging from iron scrollwork awash in the luminous amber light and winter landscapes dusted with carpets of fresh snow; that's what will remain from this shoot, long after the files are archived and the processors are powered down.

Pure exhilaration. That's what gets me up every morning.

R

 

Snowy Winter Wonderland...with Brittany

And a slight reprisal/encore of autumn too! (hey...the rabbits we can pull of the hat around here are astounding).

And we have a new record! I thought November was our record late season senior portfolio session, with our shoot several months ago. Not so! January 26, with Brittany. 40 degrees in the shade; imagine that in late January in North Dakota. My luck is holding out, for sure!

So, our day with Brittany: loads and loads of laughter, lots of combing the hair back in place on account of a brisk wintry wind, snow in the shoes and the tingle of winter in bare hands, the notably slanting angle of the seasonal sun and those smiling eyes of Brittany's, making frame after frame as memorable as the day itself. Case in point...

R

 

2007 Appendix: Carson at Christmastime

Our most voluminous overflow of Christmas ideas came at Christmas time with Carson and what a success. Our highest number of photo selects...and in the least amount of time, less than two hours. There should be a medal for this! (I will have to work on that for next Christmas)

Whether it's holiday-themed photos, dance images or pure lifestyle, I know that working with Carson will totally make it happen. And I don't think you'll have to wait for Christmas 2008 to see more of the magic.

R

By the way....

 

Capping off the 2007 Talent Honors: Amanda and The Double Whammy

For a high school senior, Amanda topped the list of keepsake session albums this past year with the most extravagant coffee table book we have produced to date: A book-bound, 10x10 hard cover portfolio featuring 60 pages and approximately fifty images from her senior session.

It is little wonder then that her photogenic sensibilities and endearing personality have also brought her to the lifestyle talent work, earning her recognition in two distinct realms. Subsequently, I thought you would enjoy a glimpse of some of the exhibition layouts from her keepsake senior portfolio, a fond review of past work as we gear up for a new year filled with promise and potential.

R

 

The 2007 Talent Honors: The Up and Coming Talent...

On the heels of our talent awards for the past year in commercial lifestyle sessions at Ron Rouse Photography, I want to recognize three students that I believe you will see a lot of in the coming year for this type of photographic endeavor: Courtney, Kasey and Paige.

I can tell you right now that each of them brings an exceptional level of talent to the art of image-making and I am so excited to see what opportunities open up for all of us this year. Take a look at some of their initial portfolio images from late in 2007 and you'll see what I mean:

COURTNEY

KASEY

PAIGE:

The 2007 Talent Awards Part III: The Most Popular Images

In conversing with people, analyzing blog statistics and garnering feedback from editors in the photographic publishing industry, I have come to see three images from this past year's portfolio/blog displays emerge as the most viewed, the most favored, the most consistently-chosen images. And I am proud to share them with you here, images from Kasey, Taylor and Dusty. Their collaborative efforts with me will be commemorated for a lifetime and beyond in these stunning photographs. And it will be interesting to see just how far the popularity of these images will extend in 2008.

I could share much about each of these photos individually. But, I'd rather have you formulate your own perceptions and thoughts. You're always welcome to share them with me by e-mailing: rlrfoto@yahoo.com

R