Winter Senior Portraits: Emily

Late last month I received an inquiry for a last minute Senior portrait session. They needed their images done and ready to deliver to the school by Friday, we shot that Wednesday and I had these images done in 24 hours. *whew!*

Considering we didn’t have room to reschedule if the weather was bad, this was pretty risky since winter in the PNW tends to be very wet.

We managed to do hair and makeup, get to the location, shoot three looks and wrapped JUST as the first rain drops started to fall. Overcast is such beautiful light for shooting, I love it so much. Reason #2,456,890 I adore living in  Seattle.

Kevin and Keela, rain or shine.

You all remember a couple of weeks ago when the news warned all of Washington to brace for the biggest storm in the record books? Yeah, me too…..but not as clearly as Kevin and Keela.

Bride and Groom were set to become Man and Wife at the Redhook brewery on Saturday 10/15.

Rehearsal dinner was set for the day before, which happened to be the first (and worst) day of the storm, the power went out. Redhook notified them that they do not own a generator and that if this happened the next day…..their wedding would have to be cancelled.

Keela and I spoke on the phone, when she heard the news she immediately called me and we started to brainstorm a back up plan which was a small ceremony at a family members house on Sunday. While we were chatting about the wedding, we decided to stay on course with our plan. That we would follow the schedule as planned until the power went out, or we were kicked out of the venue by the employees.

The storm was set to hit at 3:00pm, which was exactly when the ceremony was going to take place. I contacted my husband and asked that he pack the truck with water and bring his chainsaw. Because, you never know when you’re going to need a chainsaw!

While we were taking photos, the rain wasn’t actually that bad. Definitely not the “Typhoon” the news was anticipating.
2:00pm rolls around. The wind is barely blowing at all.
Ceremony goes off without a hitch, and all the sudden it’s 9:00pm and I am packing up to go home.

 

Film is alive.

October is one of the busiest months of the year for me. It is still wedding season and everyone is trying to get fall photos done before the leaves go away.This particular shoot was for my Sister in law and their family. We hadnt seen their new home they had purchased in June, so it was a twofer! Shoot and see the new house, sounds like a great Sunday.We drive an hour to our destination, arrive and I break out the gear. Zoey (my niece) starts to give me a tour of the house. “This is my room, and my play room, and my princess, my bear, my toys. Oh I drew you a picture, its YOU!”
Our tour wraps up, and I realized I had left all of my memory cards at home. All 48 gigs of them. I start to panic but one thing I ALWAYS have on me is my old Canon EOS SLR and 35mm film. It uses all the lenses for my 5D Mark ii and is a pretty awesome camera, my mom used it to take photos of us when we were little. It’s very special to me.

1…..2…..3….4……

GOTCHA!

Just having little picnic break.

This whole shoot was done on Fuji 35mm 400 film. It was the first time I had shot with it, and even in low light, it doesnt turn too grainy. Happy girl!

Fall Family Session: Kim, Clinton and Co.

It is the first day of fall, which means Sweaters, boots, warm drinks and beautiful leaves. Oh, and the perfect time of year to get those family portraits done!

This particular session warms my heart. I met Kim several years ago when she worked at the Mac counter I shopped at frequently. Often times, I would stop in, check out the new collections, chat about life, buy a lipstick or 5 and then be on my way. We quickly became Facebook friends after my third or fourth time in the store.

I have watched her family grow over the years. She and her new fiancee’ Clinton were my very first Maternity Clients. Right about the time she found out they were pregnant with their first child, I had just started to become serious about photography. Three years and a second little baby later, we are shooting extended family photos and discussing wedding plans!

 

Time to play catch-up

I have slacked HARD for an entire year.

Yes, an entire year. My last post was May of 2015. WHOOPS.

A lot has happened! I quit my full time job at UW medical center as a general anesthesia GI Patient Care Coordinator, went full time freelance for Photography and Makeup. I have been busy ever since, and never looked back. Things are going (surprisingly) awesome!

Last week I received a last minute request for Senior portraits. I have only done one Senior portrait session in the four years I have been shooting, so I was pretty excited for a challenge.

We did Hair and Makeup early in the morning. Wrapped up and started to review wardrobe selections, looked outside and it was raining. This wasn’t your regular “sprinkle”, this was some legit Seattle Springtime rain. I looked at her, she looked back……and decided to go for it. In true PNW fashion, we shot at Discovery Park in the rain, ending at the lighthouse.

This session was some of my favorite and (I feel) best work I have done this year.

Cheers to new years and new challenges!!

 

Hair and Makeup: Kat St. John Makeup Artistry
http://www.katstjohnmua.com

Photography: Kat St. John Photography
http://www.katstjohnphoto.com

 

 

Me and Marlow

I meet models through friends, facebook and sometimes on Instagram. Thats how I found Marlow, or actually, how she found me. Social media can be terrible, but then it can introduce you to rad people like this lady. Business woman by day, bass player in a band/ bad ass model on evenings and weekends. Kind of like Jem, only way cooler.

Carolyn and Kyle

Recent shoot in the studio to wrap up 2014 with Carolyn and her friend Kyle, who happened to be in town from LA. Great lighting provided by the sunshine, we shot mid day, and into the sunsetting. This was one of the first shoots I have done in the studio with both natural light and with a tiny bit of assitance from my studio lights (towards the end).

I was able to get in at least three great looks with them. Very happy with the results. I mean, who doesnt love shooting beautiful models who are besties?

Below are my favorite images from our session. See the full gallery here.

Fall Portrait Session: Lara and Gareth

Earlier this year I received an email from a friend/ previous makeup client and it read, “So, I’ve been thinking about getting some photos taken of my brother, his girlfriend, Keith and myself for Christmas presents for our parents/fam. I’d like some decent pics of my bro before he possibly loses his amazing beard/hair again.”

Gareth is Lara’s little brother who is currently being treated for Hodgkins Lymphoma.

First off: I love this kind of work. Giving back is always something I’ve tried to do. With anything, whether it be my “open door policy” at home, donating my time for a good cause etc. It just feels right.

I met Lara through a mutual friend at work. I was doing a significant amount of makeup at the time. Lara was getting married and needed a makeup artist. During our trial run, we hit it off. She was kind, caring and FUNNY. That’s when I first heard about her brother Gareth.

I have sat on these photos for about a month, but now that the leaves are (almost) gone, I felt it was time to post a blog about our session.

Discovery park is one of the most versatile and beautiful parks to shoot at, ESPECIALLY during the fall. It’s a Seattle gem. We were able to coordinate schedules between not one but FIVE people and somehow landed on a date where the sun was out and proud, it was 75 degrees and the leaves were perfect.

Family is so important, and while this post has a little bit of a sad undertone, it’s so uplifting to see people shine and find light during times like this. This family exudes joy, not one of us could stop laughing the entire session.

Gareth is now undergoing another round of treatment, this time at UCLA. There is a link to help raise funds for travel costs, food and whatever else the family might need during their stay in California. Here’s the link on how to help, every little bit counts.

http://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/g386/team-gareth

“Artist’s Block” = Your own self doubt

Recently I have struggled with myself as an artist. Hell, lets just say….as a person.

We all want to be liked, we want people to notice us. The little intricacies in our work that we hold so dear, the detail, time, energy and love…..we wish others would notice. But they dont. They see it, the “concept”. A pretty photo. They dont feel it, not the way we do. You post this work, that you love, took time and energy to create and it somehow doesnt seem as shiny out there for the world as it does to just you.

Self doubt is a MF. (I am sure you know what that abbrhreviation stands for)
The only person you are holding back is yourself. It will hold you back, sabotage and alienate your ability to carry on a normal life (abnormal, if you are me).

My very dear friend Miss A, told me “Just put your work out there. Putting stock into what social media thinks of you is like gambling with all of your money. Your worth is for you to determine. Don’t give that power to someone else.” 

One thing I hold dear to me are my friends and fellow collaborators. Those who will grab me by my theoretical shoulders and shake the ever loving shit out of me. And you know what? I need it. I need abrhasive confrontation. Why, you ask? Well, having deaf parents….your whole life is based around being direct. There is no such thing as “beating around the bush”. So, in these situations, I NEED my friends to grab me and say, “Hey! <insert explative> Stop the self hatred! Its total crap and it hurts my feelings.” Saying “I hurt your feelings” is like your parents telling you “I am disappointed”. THE WORST.

Em is a model/ musician/ poet/ mom/ superhuman. We collaborate together. We chat, we laugh, share ideas and really value eachother as artists.

Recently we did a shoot where she pushed me out of my comfort zone. So much, that I didnt know what to do! It was like, “Oh my god, this is the most perfect thing in the world! How do I work with this and not break it?! Make it look cheesy? I should have done everything different. Maybe people will think the editing is too heavy…..”

I sat and obsessed about this series. Probably for a good month or two. (More like three)

I edited this series about 4 times. Trying different filters, different editing techinques. This was something that was SO out of my norm, I felt my editing had to be different as well. I over thought it. Obsessed over it. The fact that I COULDNT love it was killing me.

POINT? I am getting there:

Em (Super human) asked if she could use the photos for a blog post. I couldnt say no. That was the moment. I had to “put my work out there”. It was the universe telling me to get over it. So, I figured I would post my own blurb about life. The last 72 hours of mine, at least. Which seem really intense, but as I am writing it really kind of deflates. *scratches head* Maybe I ought to blog more often.

Lets face this insecurity shit, head on.
The shoot was based off of “The twelve dancing princesses”. She was the one who didnt get away.

Hair, makeup and Photography by Kat St. John.
for more of my makeup collaborations, visit http://www.katstjohnmua.com. Let me know what you think of these! ❤

 
  

Carkeek Engagement Session: Rommel and Rachael

I met Romm and Rachael through a mutual friend. This is the first wedding I have booked Solo. When I met with Rachael the first time, I was taken back at how she really paid attention to detail. She studied art in college and knows a thing or two about photography. (Which FREAKS me out!)

I felt so honored that they would choose me as their photographer for one of the biggest days of their lives. Thats trust, and having alot of faith in me as an artist. Kind of made me feel all fuzzy. In addition to feeling honored and fuzzy, I felt LUCKY. When you start out as a photographer, you give discounts…..even trade services…….for a Hasselblad 2000fcm, with two film backs, four lenses and a case! (Guess who is doing Polaroids for their client’s wedding next year?! )

Here are some of my favorites from their session. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!