Vintage Boudoir Portraits: The "Marilyn Monroe" Shoot

   This shoot was a special project of mine. Marilyn Monroe's portraits are some of my favorite photographs; they're so full of life. When Marilyn stepped in front of the camera, she was able to model so much more than just beauty and sex appeal; she allowed the photographs to capture her personality, her emotion and her energy. In my first ever boudoir shoot, I wanted to recreate that same energy that Marilyn Monroe brought to the camera. 

   The hairstyling and makeup was provided by Mackenzie Lane, an educator at the Douglas J. Aveda Institute; Currently, she teaches Cosmetology Intro for students in Knoxville, but she will be transferring to the Aveda Institute in Cool Springs in March. Mackenzie has a lot of experience in wedding hair and makeup, and that is also her favorite style to focus on. The Marilyn Monroe Photo Shoot was Mackenzie's first time styling for an actual photo shoot. "I get to do a lot of transformation makeup work and editorial styling with my students," says Mackenzie, "so getting to actually be a part of something like this photo shoot was an awesome experience."

   We chose Emily Lowe to be our model and our very own Marilyn. From the start, we knew that Emily was the perfect match to the beautiful movie star, with her gorgeous features and her beautiful hair. "I'm absolutely a Marilyn fan," says Emily, "because she is a true example of beauty being more than skin deep." 

   To create our Marilyn Monroe, Mackenzie focused on creating a flawless complexion and those crowd-stopping red lips. The only thing missing on Emily's face was the beauty mark, but that was easily remedied with a quick mark from Mackenzie's eyeliner pencil. The hair was simple to create, as well. Emily's hair was a little longer than the original look that we wanted, so after about 50 minutes of curling and pinning up the curls, Mackenzie was able to create the perfect vintage curls that made Marilyn Monroe famous.

   The final touch was a playlist of songs from Marilyn's most famous movies, as well as a few more recent songs written about the star. During the shoot, Emily was completely in character, complete with smiles, giggles and kisses blown to the camera.

   After nearly five hours of styling and shooting, our Marilyn Monroe: Vintage Boudoir Shoot was a huge success. Take a look for yourself at the photos we created...

 

 

Model: Josh Lee Knight

Josh Lee Knight was born and raised in and around Nashville, Tennessee, in a family of eight (five brothers and his parents). He started modeling at the young age of 17, when he was approached to be in a hair fashion show. Josh found himself having a ton of fun during the show, so he found a local agent to pursue modeling. Some of the highlights in the start of his modeling career have been walking for Express on their nation-wide tour, posing for the cover of Essential Connection, and being a featured extra on the ShowTime series Shameless. He recently signed an overseas contract for view management through Vander Models, and he will be spending sixty-one days in South Korea. In the future, he plans to continue working on contracts in Asia and then begin submitting in Europe with frequent trips to New York City.

Josh was a blast to work with. He brought a lot of energy to the shoot, along with tons of laughs and creativity. You can keep up with Josh's career and his modeling adventures abroad by visiting www.facebook.com/Joshleeknight. Be sure to show him some support by clicking "like" on his fan page.

Korey Austin: Preview

A sneak peek of my recent shoot with model, Korey Austin...

Valentine's Day Portraits: Special Post

In honor of a day that's all about romance and lovers, here are some special couple's portraits from the past few months of shoots. Happy Valentine's Day, and I hope you enjoy!

Jared Allman: Preview

A sneak peek of my recent shoot with actor, Jared Allman...

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Ballet Portraits - Set 1

   Recently, I did a shoot with Kristen Clark and Josh Matthews, local dancers at Elizabeth William's School of Dance. Both of them are extremely talented individuals, with an incredible sense of strength, flexibility and balance. Josh and Kristen have danced together in a local performance of "The Nutcracker Suite" for several years, with Kristen as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Josh as the Nutcracker. 

   Kristen Clark practices many forms of dance, but she places her focus on ballet and jazz. She started dancing at the age of three when her mother enrolled her in a class, and she has fallen in love with the art of dance since that time. For Kristen, dance is a hobby and something that she couldn't live without; it has become a lifestyle for her. She loves every moment that she gets to perform and influence others with her dancing. When trying to connect with a song that she is dancing to, Kristen focuses on how the meaning of the song relates to her own life at that particular moment. Some of the highlights in her dancing career include being part of the Tremaine Performance Program (a national touring company) and the many awards and accomplishments that she has received through her experiences. Kristen's future plans include studying pre-med in college while being part of the dance team; after college, she hopes to become an optometrist or pharmacist. 

   Josh Matthews has been dancing since he was ten years old; while waiting on his sister to finish practicing for the Nutcracker, Elizabeth Williams offered him the role of the giant toy soldier and Josh was eager to accept and has been dancing since that day. For Josh, dancing is a way to express his feelings. During a performance, he finds that the best way to connect with the music is to open his mind, take in the moment and then put his feelings into the movements. Some of the highlights of his dancing career include receiving the triple threat award, being chosen as a five time rising star award, and winning multiple trophies and money awards at various competitions. Josh's future goals are dancing in college and then starting his own photography business. 

Athletic Portraits: Trystan - Preview

My latest shoot in the athletic portrait series was with Trystan, a soccer player at Carson-Newman College. Here's a sneak peek...