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Surf, skate and female apparel company, BELLASOL is a long-time client. I feel guilty using that word because we’ve worked on so many projects together that friend might be a better way to describe our relationship and the level of trust between us. But it wasn’t always so. When Christina first came by the studio for our initial meeting/interview/pitch/whateveryouwannacallit, I could sense her hesitation. Not in regards to her photography needs but more in terms that people in the past have not met her creative expectations. She has a pretty strong type-A personality, business savvy and an inner need to have art permeate her branding on every level, be it clothing design, skate decks or surf boards. Challenges like this are always welcome because I really get off on proving people that this process can be fun, collaborative, stimulating and effective. To make a long story short, Christina was floored with my creative process from day one and we’ve never looked back.

In regards to this shoot, the objective was simple. Branding images that echo the BELLASOL mantra, BEAUTIFUL SOUL crossed with an ART BASED BRAND. In the past we’ve used models for all of BELLASOL’s advertising, but these images had a different end use, mainly PR, company branding and social media marketing. Christina wanted people to identify with the soul behind BELLASOL, since she is the CEO and head artist/designer we photographed her. Photographing a gorgeous woman makes my job easy but she did have some reservations, mainly because she isn’t a professional model. No problem. Prior to the shoot I provided her with a shoot treatment to act as sort of a script for the day. In doing this Christina didn’t have to pose for the camera and flash cheezy-fake smiles. We took the day at the beach to do what she would normally do before catching some waves. In the process we laughed, we danced, we spent the day at a stunning location with a dope vintage VW Bus! Come on, not to shabby for a day at the office eh? More happy snaps brookpifer.com

Not too long ago I was approached by Ragged Magazine, published by Filter, to photograph Go Radio. Immediately my brain goes to work on where I can shoot this, knowing full well the boys would be wearing American Rag’s fall collection. Go Radio is based in Florida. Fall clothing, Florida temps, afternoon storms and insane humidity, you do the sweat-math-factor.

We only had a couple days for pre-pro so time was definitely not on our side. Thankfully I have an amazing crew who knows how to put the urge in urgency and BAM, location secured. The bowling alley worked out perfect despite the time restrictions. We had to be out of there before the teams and leagues arrived. Yes, I’m saying that with utter seriousness. Combine that with an editorial sized budget and you have yourselves a fast paced shoot, dare I say Ludicrous Speed. Well, maybe not that fast but I couldn’t resist the Spaceballs reference. Our hustling pace didn’t allow for any BTS footage however, if you poke around my tumblr or facebook there are some pre and post shoot outtakes shot with the Canon G11. After the shoot band and crew had a glorious time feasting on mexican food and pitchers of margaritas. Talk about a happy ending…

I know whatever I type this is going to seem ridiculous. I’m already cringing inside my head because no, I don’t make it a point to buy my pug clothes. No, I don’t make it a point to dress her up on a regular basis. For the record I did dress her up for 1 full day making some photos for fun. That was it. End of story. Buffy the pug is more into eating, sleeping and running (yes, she runs like a greyhound, weird but she digs it) than being one of those fancy dogs that wear clothing. Honest to goodness, don’t you just feel like rescuing chihuahuas from their owners when you see them all dolled up. Give the poor pup some dignity, please.

Back to the shoot. Karma, luck, fate, call it what you want but there was definitely something else at play here. Normally my pug goes to the groomer on shoot days, but not this time. When the stylist pulled out all the dress options we had, courtesy of Betsey Johnson my jaw hit the floor. Quick chat with Avery and her management, an emphatic YES, lets put Buffy and Avery in MATCHING DRESSES! The rest is history.

Avery’s behind the scenes video is a part of a 6 shoot master-mix. She’s towards the end, stick it out, its so adorable.

In regards to editing I’ve been working with a photo editor on my own work. Again, take a look at my website, you’ll see what I mean immediately. The point of this reshuffling was to showcase a consistent vision that speaks to who I am as an artist and what I’m passionate about creating. I have to say the ax was out and boy did it feel refreshing! Similar to spring cleaning crossed with popping in a fresh pair of contacts. Or new underwear if you don’t wear contacts.

brookpifer.com

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I can only imagine how many times bands are asked for the meaning behind their name/album title/song title. This question provided the platform from which to base our shoot concept around. Can you tell we had mega-fun with Maybe If You Hit It? And it begs the question, what do they want to hit? Blackjack? Booty? You decide.

Pop tart Alex Amor in the house. Or is the correct terminology DA HOUSE? Her behind the scenes video footage is a part of a master mix of six other shoots. Enjoy!

Speaking of delicious, I had a chocolate catastrophe last night. Ever try Godiva Chocolate Truffles? Don’t. Awful to say the least. While at the mall, hitting up the Apple store, the husband and I made a pit stop at Barnes & Noble. I left without books (big surprise) but picked up a bag of what I hoped would be a delicious treat. Our cashier even confirmed that they were indeed worth the purchase price. This chocoholic disagrees, emphatically. After dinner, I gave one a try, hmmm, this sucks. I try one more, hmmm, still sucks. You know its bad when I don’t even want to finish. I’m sticking with Lindt.

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I love photographing humans! The interaction between us when we connect, laugh, tell stories…nothing but bliss! When I edit an assignment like this its almost a surreal trip down memory lane. Recalling the vibe that particular image happened, the magic, how my subject started to let go (or pull back). Little moments of pure, honest, beauty. Thanks to the peeps that participated!

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Allison Hagendorf is the gorgeous host on Fuse TVs top 20 video countdown, interviewing the most buzz worthy celebrities and delivering mega hits from today’s biggest music stars. Seriously, this woman is Photogenic with a “Capital P” and I could have shot her all day, but as is the case with most celebrity shoots, time is in short supply. Allison had a radio interview right before out shoot, then immediately had hosting duties following, making it impossible for us to run over. Situations like this are VERY common, you always have to be prepared for worst case scenario and my ADD forces me to have a plan B, C, D, E, F…you get the picture (pun intended).

Unfortunately her radio interview ran over and that meant our abbreviated shoot just got downsized from a Grande to a Tall. The skyscraper we used for our base of operations gave us permission for two shooting setups. One cozy (aka small) office was used as a staging area/studio. Then we had access to the rooftop. My only issue was by the time we had Allison in our grasps that beautiful early light was harsh afternoon light and sunset was never option due to her schedule. Solution, find some shade, use your own lighting and create magic! The biggest thing that made this entire shoot turn out so dam beautiful, in addition to Allison being a stunner, was the ability to be flexible in my approach. The focus of the day was not the location we were shooting at, but Allison. Keeping it simple, elegant, flattering equals magic.

Want more Allison, you can check out additional shots and outtakes on my website.

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