Week 1 of 52 and Behind the Scenes

For 2021, I've decided to start a 52 Week Photo Project. No limitations except that I make and work on the image with intention. I'll be sharing my process, behind-the-scenes, and more.

About This Image

I see this image and I see all the ways this pandemic has brought me closer to so many people as well as myself. 

The dress— it's part of The Traveling Dress Series: A project between me and three other photographers who met online nearly 7 years ago and have come to be my closest friends in business. 

4 photographers photographing the same dress. A total of 4 different dresses/rounds. 

This is dress #1 "the pink one with tulle". it began in Utah with Glady Dalton of Heart Take the Wheel, then went to Northern NY to Melissa Tousely of Sarissa Melissa Photography. We each have our own style, so seeing how this dress is transformed each time is sure to be a treat! Next it is going off to Jess Summers of Say Yes to Jess in Kentucky!⁠

The idea for this photo came to me while meditating with the app, Headspace (my favorite meditation app-- if you're on there, lets be buddies). 

While it is no where near my original idea, I'm still proud of it and feel love and energy when I look at it (both versions). 

Throughout 2020 I took a series of chakra classes with Daniele Gates of Yinsa and Spiritually Sparkled, the information I learned in these classes over 7 months was invaluable for me to learn more about myself and foster growth during the pandemic. 

I often find myself leading with and reminded of the heart chakra. When I envisioned this photo I knew a spark was started in the middle of my chest, right in the zone of the heart chakra. 

I thought of rose quartz which I also have on my desk always now. 

I knew that I wanted to convey love and hope, and despite the challenges we have faced in 2020 and continue to fight in 2021, we are a force. 

Your life force is within you and when we mind it, we can expand it outside of ourselves.

I know that can feel "too much" for some, but that is me-- I feel very much. And I hope for each of us to come out of future atrocities we witness (because they will happen, unfortunately), with our joy and compassion still intact. 

And we can only do that if we take the time to take care of ourselves. And with community.

I can't end this without thanking my other half Alijunior (AJ) Abdelaziz. I couldn't have made this without his assistance. Asking for help even from people we love (or especially from) was yet another unexpected threshold I had to cross when beginning this project.

The Editing

While editing, I realized there were two versions that will be made from the image. 

One on the darker background, more cognizant of my heavier emotions and giving a deep contrast to myself and the sparklers.   

The other, with the pink hues felt more of the lighter feeling I felt and tied to the image. Both have a place for me. 

Which version speaks to you most right now?

Below is a GIF of the layer by layer process to make Week 1's photo

The Sparklers were photographed at night with a slow shutter. I compiled some of the best ones and warped them in Photoshop as needed.

The Inspiration

Along with the reasons and inspirations mentioned earlier, I was also inspired by photographers Brooke Shaden, Lindsay Adler, and Sue Bryce. 

Brooke's work is very heavy with compositing, combining elements of multiple images to make one, and leading with a feeling in her editing process. 

Lindsay is a master of light and I love how she uses color in her work, often with gels. While I didn't use gels in this photo, the relevance of color was very thought out. 

Sue's portrait work feels like there's always a connections with her subject. While this was a self-portrait and I am not looking directly at the camera, I still wanted emotion to be felt in my posing and posture along with the other elements of the image. 

The How + Gear

I had Alijunior (AJ) Abdelaziz help me photograph this session. 

I placed my camera on a tripod and framed the image how I wanted. I photographed tethered into Capture One, a program that is great for photographing right into your computer and seeing the images "live".

Once I set myself in frame, I had AJ press the shutter in bursts as I flowed from poses changing my head and hand positions. 

I used one light, a strobe to camera left with a medium softbox on it. 

I stepped a few inches off of the background so I wouldn't cast a large shadow onto it. 

The camera and AJ were as far back into the studio as possible so we can stick to roughly 50mm for more compression, less wide angle distortion. 

The main image was photographed with my Sony A7rII, Canon 24-70mm at 50mm with a Sigma MC-11 Adaptor. 

1/125 sec, f/8, ISO 100

Using strobes in studio I could keep my ISO low, and keep my shutter speed close to my sync-speed (the max shutter speed you can use with flash). f/8 was so I could get most of my body in focus. My original idea had multiple me's in it and I wanted them to be in-focus as well. 

Final Thoughts

When making an image, while it's important to know your gear and settings, its also important to have an idea of what you're trying to say or communicate. 

How do you want the image to feel? 

These kinds of reflections can guide you as to what settings to use as well as more thoughtful details, in my case the dress, the makeup, the nails, the color. All done and styed intentionally. 

While the final image may not look exactly what you first had in mind, leading with this sense of intuition and intention can take you some place else you wouldn't have thought of in the first place. 

Be open. 

What do you think of this Behind-the-Scenes segment? 

What does this image make you feel? 

What version resonates with you more? 

Questions about any part of the process mentioned here?

Leave a comment and let me know!

This post was originally shared and created for MT EDU, a community of photographers and artists who create from a place of emotion and connection. Want to be a member? Join us over at community.mariahtexidor.com.