Sumi

When Sumi arrived at the studio, I asked her what she brought to wear. When she replied, "A cocktail dress, a wrap thing that I've never worn and a kimono," I knew it was going to be an interesting shoot. Interesting turned out to be inspirational and fun. The outfits were all so different, it was like three different shoots. To top it all off, Sumi had the most variety with her poses and facial expressions out of anyone I've worked with.

I think the best description I can come up with for Sumi is that she's a free spirit. She gives the impression of complete confidence, both in who she is and with what she's doing. This attitude came through during the shoot as well. It was not as if she was modeling, but more like she was acting, like there was an internal scene in her head that she was bringing to the room. Her movements and facial expressions were not typical model fare. They came from a little deeper and were a little more personal.

My favorite part of any shoot is usually when I put away the strobes and pull out the hotlights. These let me shoot in a style that I enjoy more, namely portraits. For the hotlights, Sumi chose to wear the kimono. The combination of my shooting style and her outfit gave me some of my most powerful portraits I've shot yet. She really connected with the camera and it shows in the photos.

By the end of the evening, we were tired and hungry, but we were happy. She gave me some new looks and she let me try a few new techniques. When people can work together and get into the creative spirit together, I think the results are special. Hopefully you think so too.

You can see more photos from the shoot here.