Do you believe in shoot karma? I hate to admit it but there is a bit of truth to that statement. Case in point, my shoot with pop phenom Avery.

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.

Want to see more Nancy, check out my website for the whole kit and caboodle. I have to say, this was a difficult shoot to edit, in a good way that is. Thank you Nancy Harmon, you are a rockstar!

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

Dam do I love portraits! What can seem on the surface as something simple is really quite layered when you start to look deeper. Celebrities, Supermodels, Regular Joes, doesn’t matter. Goal is the same. Create and document a glimpse into who they are as a person, be it contentment, confidence, vision, brilliance, swagger and even goofiness. Part of my process involves taking the time to connect with them. Yes, sometimes with the big fancy people we don’t have much time to become BFFs, but the effort is there just the same. You need to read people quickly. Be observant of hints that can lead you down a path of creative excellence, but most importantly, doesn’t matter who you’re shooting, you need to be yourself. For me that involves taking an internal moment to figure out what I love, yes love, about who I’m shooting. It helps me approach the assignment and/or personal work from a place of excitement and discovery. Think about the Mona Lisa. What does the world find so fascinating about that painting? Some say her smile holds a secret, some say she knows how many licks it will take to get to the center of a tootsie pop. The world may never know but come on, how fun is it to be curious about something?! For me a successful portrait leaves you wanting to be curious and discover more about a person or in this case, a rad agency called Monkeyfoot.