
How's it going, fam. The above video is a snippet from a short three-part fairytale-inspired series I directed for a studio where the protagonist embarked on his hero's journey to rescue the love of his life and prove his love for her by overcoming three obstacles. It had a "Nightmare Before Christmas" look and vibe and was fun to create with different types of animation. I pulled a clip out of the archives (people on the newsletter got the entire series link) because the flowers and the love theme pair well with our blog topics for February. Considering the last three days, I've been constructing flower arrangements and sets for photoshoots with those romantic elements; it's fresh on my mind too🌹🌷🌸, and if you "Know me, Know me," you already know I'll send people flowers just because. 😂 Next week, I'll go into detail with examples of the benefits of operating from a place of love within and the supernatural power it has on your life and those around you, which will help your creativity, among other essential things. It's pretty amazing; stay tuned...

OK, so the collage of behind-the-scenes photos was all that was left after cleaning up after my final weekend photo shoot because I gave away the other arrangements once we finished and didn't think to snap any pics of them until after the fact. I'm usually fully immersed at the moment, so BTS is always an afterthought. This was fun, though; the picture with the red background was taken early in the morning during prep and styling because, for that set, I specifically wanted early morning natural light shining through an east-facing window. For all of you models and photographers out there, it's good to know some basics of sun positions with location work to get the most out of your workdays and planning. If you do cinematography, this should be 101, but there are professionals on big sets who could better understand light, etc. Of course, various artificial lights are always an option, but it's good to know the subtleties of each quality of light and when, why, and where to use them, especially with film.
I used three different cameras that day because the glass in each one produces very distinctive characteristics in an image. I also shot five films; CineSill 800T paired with Tungsten light, Portra 160, which I've seen does really well with underexposing; Ilford Delta 3200 because I love that with natural colors paired with natural light; Kodak Tri-X 320 and Ektar 100 for the 4x5 shots. All in all, everything went smoothly and felt very calming.

I also used this cool Frida Kahlo photo art piece my older sister gifted me from some art show way out east. She shipped it to me on the west coast a while back, but It wasn't until a few days ago that I had the right project to utilize it properly. An artist made it out of glass, thick wood, and other materials. It fit perfectly as part of the design for one of the photoshoot sets and for the styling inspiration of a client. I want to explore more with this aesthetic more in the future.
❤️🔥🌙🌊
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🎼 Five fire songs I've been creating with lately. Enjoy!
