This one’s a good one, y’all. Over last summer, a few of my creative friends and I got together to collaborate on a super fun Styled Shoot. We wanted to make something off-the-wall, something unique + different, and give our future prospective clients something fresh + new to look at. Dana Rogers (@danascamera), Paige Ange (@paigemakes), and I met a few times to visualize, plan, and orchestrate this Styled Shoot. We knew that since we were gravitating towards vibrancy and color, we needed a fun backdrop to play off of. Enter: Paige! I’ve been awing over her work for a couple of years. She has such a creative approach to all of her installations, and I knew this is something I’d want part of for the shoot. She created the coolest backdrop, that almost looks like moving pixels with the help of a gentle breeze…

***Most of the photos in this blog post are by me, but the amazing film/instant film photos are all by Dana. :)

Who styled this session?

The couple styled their own looks and wore their own wedding attire. Paige built the backdrop and the 3 of us styled the rest of the set with our own belongings. We made the florals using blooms from Dana’s flower garden. And we used Dana’s backyard and AMC Rebel for setting. Nothing in this session were one use items, trying to keep it environmentally & economically friendly we only used our own stuff or items that Paige rents out to her clients.

What was your inspiration behind the shoot and the use of light?

We wanted bold, prismatic color. We wanted drama and movement. And we wanted to photograph a real, badass couple. Dana shot film and Sarah shot digital. We really just wanted to try out some new styles, posing, and experiment. That’s what styled shoots are good for. For challenging yourself, and for practicing new ideas to get you ready for paid shoots.

About the backdrop…

By hand, Paige designed and made the 3-panel hanging piece. Using squares of acrylic, spray adhesive, colored cellophane, all tied together with fishing line on a sturdy dowel, each piece carefully arranged to create a rainbow/prism affect. Then, we attached some greenery and branches to the top to make the installation feel complete.

“I’ve been using acrylic a lot this past year... I think it’s such a modern medium that can be altered in so many interesting ways. I treated it with cellophane to create rainbow screens that would hopefully provide compelling light and reflections in the photos. And I found that sometimes when all the right people come together... magic happens!” - Paige

Can I rent the backdrop?

Yes! Renting out pieces for events or occasions is a win for everyone. A beautiful, handmade backdrop at an affordable price, and no waste after. This particular piece would be awesome for party decor as well as ceremonial and photo booth backdrops for events.

About the couple:

I’m sure you recognize Ciara from this past blog post. She and her husband, Mark, happily volunteered to model for this fun shoot, and I’m so glad they did! Their personalities were such a fun, quirky addition to the shoot.

"We are very much somehow both opposite and identical in so many ways. She is chaos and he is order. She’s constantly overdressed for the occasion and he’s always content in a plaid shirt and jeans. She’s a woman of carefully selected and concise speech and he is a man of more words than the average ear can process at once. So different, yet united in our appreciation for the odd, our dedication to our community and the tireless pursuit for the best cheeseburger on the planet. Love is weird.”- Ciara & Mark

What techniques did you use that were out of the norm?

Tilt shift. Shoot throughs. Cellophane. Color smoke bombs. Blur. Shiny things. Reflection. Shooting for GIFs & Stop Motion Videos. Use of film photography - I’m pretty sure we each had like 2-5 cameras on us (something that we don’t really get to do on a fast-paced wedding day.)