Jessica Kempen
You might think that every photographer out there always only photographs weddings for their own business or in relation to their own business. Some do but there are also those, like myself, that enjoy second shooting with and for other photographers when time and schedule permits. I love having that chance to work with other photographers- both as a second or with a second photographer. As a second you have the time to be really creative and not constrained by the need for all of your photos to work or count. You are not the main photographer, you don’t have the same time limitations and need to keep the day on track, you can take a breath while the main photographer does their magic. You can take a step back and truly SEE the main photographers setup. You figure out what you can do to bring a different angle, creativity, or look to what they are producing and you make something UNIQUE and CREATIVE by seeing things they might not have time to notice and by having the freedom to take chances.
This is one of those chances where I had the pleasure of second shooting for another photographer. I love any chance I get to work with Tara of Tara Engle Photography. We shared a studio for a time and her drive and passion is always something to be inspired by. She is creative, upbeat, and I have literally seen her sprint to get into position to capture a moment! So, with all that said, I love to work with her. She appreciates creative takes on portraits as well as details which truly gives me the freedom to look for those unique, fun, quirky photos that I love.
All the photos in this post were taken by myself while performing as a second photographer for Tara Engle Photography. Please enjoy. ♥
First, thank you Emily & Brandon for sharing part of Brandon’s last evening, for a while, in the States with me. You both were a ton of fun to spend such a gorgeous Minnesota evening with, and I loved exploring a new, to me, park! I will write more tomorrow but I just wanted to get a few photos up so you could share in them together and with your family before you both are separated for a time. I can’t wait to finish the rest!
Warmly,
Jessica
First: I am so excited to getting back to my blogging, and finally posting some of my amazing sessions and weddings that didn’t make it up onto the site! As photographer, I have really busy times of the year which don’t allow me to update as often I would like, and lets face it, this blog didn’t get the love it deserved. Photographing and then polishing photos for my wonderful clients took front and center. Here’s to a consistently update blog from here on out!
This is a session from May of 2011.
I have a love of fashion, and an immense desire to dress fashionably even though I myself have no skills in putting unique clothing items together to BE fashionable. :) Pam on the other hand is always amazingly dressed, as one would expect being a clothing designer.
I first met Pam in 2008, in the budding start of my photography business, as I decided to make my love of photos a true profession. It is always an interesting thing when you take those first steps into something new, it is a mixture of excitement with maybe a pinch of worry that you ignore while you undergo so much growth. I had to build a portfolio and start working my way up to a point where I would feel comfortable having people pay me for my work. Some photographers don’t have this insecurity, and can jump right into the deep end; for me, even though in most cases I jump first and look second, I wasn’t ready to start charging for my work. So I did what most photographers loath to hear, I posted an ad on Craigslist advertising portfolio building trade sessions.
Pam was one of the first individuals to reply to my ad. She let me know that she had a couple dress designs that she would like photographed for an upcoming contest. I, of course, was already super pumped because I was happy to be doing some of my first things as a professional. In my mind I thought she would be modeling her dresses or they would simply be hung and photographed.
A couple days after I agreed to photograph her garments she gives me a call that went a little like this…. “I have two, possibly three, garments that I would like photographed. The model, makeup artist, and hairstylist are all lined up as well. Oh, and I have a friend that has also designed some garments and if it is alright with you she would love to have them photographed. She would have another model along with an additional two garments.”
So… wow!
I just went from a simple shoot to the whole 9 yards in the matter of a phone conversation! Was I ready for this? I had never worked with a model before, let alone two. Not only that but I had never worked with studio lighting before and here I was t- two weeks to the shoot!
I rented the studio the week before the shoot- determined to learn what I needed to learn to not mess up. I worked through learning the Profoto lights, tested different modifiers, and practiced setting everything up. I scoured the internet for videos, setups, instructions, descriptions of lighting patters, on and on until I was as ready as I could possibly make myself in a weeks time. Do you remember when I mentioned jumping first and then looking back? Well this is one of those cases where I took the chance, made the jump, and succeeded! Later looking back, thinking I just dodged a bullet, holy buckets! :) I am proud to say that many of the photos taken at that first shoot, to this day, would be proudly shown side by side with my present work.
It was such a great experience, and I have always been so thankful to Pam for taking the chance on me and my photography. I love that three years after that first meeting she contacted me to tell me about her upcoming wedding, and that she would love to have me there to photograph it. I believe that the greatest complement to a photographer is to simply come back and work with them again, to refer them to your friends, and above all- to trust them with some of the most important days and people of your life.
So, Pam, thank you for entrusting me with photographing the love of your life for your engagement photos as well as your family and friends on your wedding day. ♥
Engagement Session – Winter Carnival St. Paul, MN
