Assignment: Boxing with Ramona

Ramona is a force to be reckoned with! From SolidCore, to boxing, to neuroscience and a plethora of other amazing attributes, shes an all-around badass. My approach to this shoot was a combo of portraits and photojournalism of her as she really trained. I asked for her input about her passion and here are her words.

"When Lionel and I first discussed doing a shoot together, he told me he wanted to do a shoot with me doing something that I love. Immediately, I said boxing, because though I've only been doing it for a couple of years, it has become a huge part of my life and how I identify myself. I came to boxing on a whim - I was a triathlete and was looking for something new to learn and to add variety to my workouts. Friends told me I would probably like it, so I looked around for someplace that would teach beginners and found Downtown Boxing Club - online reviews made it sound like just the kind of old school gym that boxing movies are made of. It was all that and more. The owner Dave White, is a fascinating character who has taught me so much more than just how to throw a great jab. The other boxers at the club come from all over the city and from all backgrounds, but everyone has one thing in common - we all love that feeling of our gloves making that perfect contact with something. Over the last two years, the gym has become one of those places in my life that makes me happy, no matter what.

Dave was kind enough to let us shoot at the gym one afternoon, which made this session all the more special to me because this isn't just a boxing gym, it's MY gym. Lionel did an amazing job of capturing the essence of it with phenomenal lighting and angles, and did an incredible job of capturing the focus I feel when I'm hitting the bags, but could never see for myself. This shoot was incredibly special to me, and it was an honor to get to work with a talent like Lionel (for the second time!) I hope you enjoy the results."

Sidenote: I took a SolidCore class on Saturday and talk about a challenge. I am sore all over!
 

Portraits with Geneva

I haven't shot any seniors sessions to date. And while this still doesn't count as a senior session, Geneva is in high-school so it somewhat classifies under it. I've known Geneva's mother for a few years and even photographed her once. This time she reached out to me to photograph her daughter.

We shot a little bit in my home studio the, headed out to Brookside Gardens and finished off in an urban setting. Geneva told me she doesn't like to smile so we worked on getting some cool non-smiley pictures she liked. The smiling ones were all natural, captured during conversation. 

I think Geneva rocked it!

Thanks to Christin Michelle for doing hair & makeup.

Below are just a few favorites from the day.

 

Kelly and the deer skull

In early March, I was walking in the woods with Luna and we came across a half decomposed deer skull. This wasn't the first time I had seen dead animals/parts in the woods but this skull had antlers. In other words it looked cool and it triggered something in my special little brain. Using a few of Lunas poop bags I covered it and took it home in hopes I could clean/prepare it for 'display'. This turned out to be both a mistake (the smell) and a success (final product). After Googling DIY taxidermy techniques and spending the next few weeks using cold water maceration technique, I'll spare the details, it finally came out. 

Now onto Kelly. I worked with Kelly at the beginning of this year when I visited Richmond. It was a great shoot, cool and  casual. We agreed we would do a round two and it was nice to know that the deer skull intrigued her as much as it did me. I think it turned out pretty well, kinda of a creepy, beautiful and abstract thing.

 

Images with Anna

I met Anna in the fall of 2014 when Kristiaan and I photographed the team at Taylor & Hov. Recently we teamed up for a fun, sexy free spirited shoot. The goal was put together a few outfits and see what happens. Clearly we improvised but the results were stunning nonetheless.  We even had the chance to try the levitation technique, I think it came out amazing! 

I was so impressed by how fierce, fun and fearless she was!

Enjoy!