The Melodic Magic: How Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar Enhance Photoshoots

In the realm of photography, capturing the perfect shot often involves more than just technical prowess, the right lighting, or an ideal location.

One often overlooked yet profoundly impactful element is music. As photographers sketch images with light, music can amplify emotions, set the mood, and elevate the overall experience for both the photographer and the subject. Here’s why integrating music into photoshoots can be a game-changer.

Crafting the Atmosphere Imagine walking into a photoshoot set and being greeted by silence or random ambient noise versus stepping into a space filled with carefully curated tunes. Music breathes life into the environment. Whether it’s an upbeat pop song, a soothing instrumental, or edgy rock, the soundtrack sets the tone.

High-Energy Vibes: Upbeat music boosts the atmosphere, encouraging fun and energetic photos. Fast-paced tracks make models feel lively and adventurous, leading to more dynamic and expressive shots.

I’m not typically considered a “high-energy" person, so it’s SUPER important for me to listen to music with high BPM, so I can bring the energy necessary for a good, efficient photoshoot.

Elegance and Poise: On the flip side, classical music or slow jazz can bring an air of sophistication and serenity, encouraging graceful poses and calm expressions. For those striving to capture the elegance of bridal shoots or high-fashion editorials, music can be an essential tool to foster the right mood.

Enhancing Emotional Connection: Music has the power to evoke deep emotions and transport people to different states of mind. When a subject connects emotionally with the music being played, this connection often translates into more authentic and emotive portraits. A song that resonates with the subject can help them open up, be more vulnerable, and express a wider range of emotions naturally. Whether it be the Reputation album by Taylor Swift or “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, if theres’s an emotional connection to the music, the person’s mood will shift.

Reputation by Taylor Swift (personally, my favorite album of hers)

I used to play “Godspeed” by Frank Ocean whenever parents were in the studio for their child’s senior pictures right after spending some time talking about how “next year’s going to be so different now that you’re going to have a high school graduate and how they’re going to be growing up SO fast!”

Easing Nerves and Building Rapport: A photoshoot can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially for those not used to being in front of the camera. Music acts as a comfort blanket, easing initial jitters and helping subjects feel more at ease. When people are more relaxed, it’s easier for photographers to build rapport and trust, resulting in more cooperative and enjoyable sessions.

Breaking the Ice: Soft background music can help break the ice, creating an informal, relaxed environment where subjects can be themselves.

Focus and Distraction: Background music can provide a subtle distraction, helping subjects focus less on the camera’s intimidating lens and more on the feeling the music evokes.

Creative Inspiration Music can serve as a muse for photographers as well. Just as a director uses a film score to enhance storytelling, photographers can use music to inspire creativity and guide the thematic direction of a shoot. A particular song or genre might spark ideas for poses, locations, and even post-production edits.

Synchronizing Movements: Shooting with a rhythm can build a harmonious sync between the photographer and the subject. Music can act as a metronome, facilitating smoother movements and transitions. This rhythmic flow is especially beneficial during fashion and dance photography where capturing fluid motion is crucial.

Personal Touch: Allowing subjects to contribute to the playlist can add a personal touch, making the session more tailored and enjoyable. When individuals hear their favorite songs, they are likely to feel more connected to the moment, bringing out their best selves.

The marriage of music and photography makes for an immersive artistic experience. Music has the unique ability to shape the atmosphere, influence emotions, and enhance both the subjects' and the photographer’s creativity. As we explore new ways to innovate in the world of visual arts, the role of music during photoshoots is undeniably one of the melodious secrets to achieving captivating and emotionally resonant photographs. So next time you prepare for a shoot, don’t forget to pack your playlist along with your lens kit. You may find that the perfect soundtrack is the missing piece to creating visual magic.

Scientists have found that songs with BPM rates between 115-140 have been proven to boost creativity, heighten concentration, and get your brain to its "eureka moment". If you’re a fan of hip-hop, and don’t mind some swear words, then feel free to save this Spotify playlist that I created to ensure that you’re listening to music that optimizes your creative flow.

Lastly, if you’re looking for some equipment that’s going to change your next photoshoot, then I recommend getting the Ultimate Ear Boom 4! This waterproof speaker has some of the best & clearest sound that I’ve heard from a Bluetooth speaker! Not just that but since it’s waterproof, I don’t have to worry about it getting damaged if left out in the rain or when I’m out on-location with places with bodies of water. One charge and the battery last so long too!

Mastering Portrait Photography: Harnessing the Power of One Light

Harnessing the Power of One Light

When it comes to portrait photography, lighting is key to capturing a stunning image. The way light falls on a subject can dramatically change the mood and impact of a photograph. While multiple light setups are commonly used in professional studios, mastering the art of lighting with just one light source can be incredibly rewarding and efficient. In this blog post, we will delve into the importance of lighting position for portrait photography when using only one light.

Positioning the light source is crucial in creating depth, contrast, and dimension in your portraits. One of the most common lighting setups with one light is the use of a key light, which can be positioned at various angles relative to the subject. Here are a few key lighting positions and their effects on the final portrait:

1. Front Lighting:

2. Split Lighting:

Moving the light to the side of the subject can create more dramatic shadows and highlights. This setup is great for emphasizing textures and contours on the face, as well as creating a sense of depth and volume..

Placing the light directly in front of the subject can produce a flat, even lighting on the face. This setup is ideal for minimizing shadows, but it can lack dimension and depth compared to other lighting positions.

3. Loop Lighting:

Similar to Rembrandt lighting, loop lighting involves positioning the light at a 45-degree angle to the side of the subject. However, in loop lighting, the shadow of the nose creates a loop-like pattern on the cheek, hence the name. This setup is flattering for most facial shapes and adds a soft, romantic feel to the portrait.

4. Rembrandt Lighting:

Named after the famous Dutch painter, Rembrandt lighting is achieved by placing the light at a 45-degree angle to the side of the subject, creating a triangle of light on the cheek opposite the light source. This setup is ideal for adding a touch of elegance and classic beauty to your portraits.

5. Butterfly (or Paramount) Lighting:

In butterfly lighting, the light is placed directly in front of and above the subject, casting a small butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose. This setup is popular in glamour photography and can create a flattering, symmetrical look on the face. Experimenting with different lighting positions can help you discover the most flattering and impactful setup for your subjects. Remember that the quality of the light, its intensity, and the distance from the subject also play crucial roles in shaping the final outcome of your portraits.

In conclusion, mastering portrait photography with just one light can be a rewarding challenge that allows you to focus on the fundamentals of lighting and composition. By understanding the various lighting positions and their effects, you can elevate your portrait photography skills and create captivating images that truly stand out. So grab your camera, set up your one light source, and let your creativity shine through in your next portrait session!

Story Time with Bradley: Sweden Part 2

The Road So Far…

So I made it into Malmö? Cool. I have the address of my AirBnb? Awesome! Do I have an internet connection to use my phone’s GPS? Nope. Was I confident enough with my Swedish to feel comfortable talking to strangers? I helvete heller (Oh, hell no)!

This was my first time in a foreign country that English wasn’t their primary language. Not only that, barely anyone back home knew that I was going. I’m telling you right now; don’t be like me! I set myself up for the perfect Taken situation and my dad is NOT Liam Neeson, so I would have been left to fend for myself.

So I’m just kicking back at the subway station, using their free Wi-Fi to at least get a rough estimate of where I’m supposed to go with my GPS. When I say that GPS was just as confused as I was, that doesn’t even start to describe how bad it was.

What I and my GPS, that I named Siro at the time because I had the male voice enabled, later found out is that pedestrian walkways go under bridges and underlap parks close to the college areas in Malmö. I don’t know if you are aware but if you go under a road, without internet connection to provide your precise location, your phone’s GPS flips out and essentially goes into a loop like, “I got you this far! Help yourself!!”. 70°F weather in a light hoodie when your lost feels like 90° F in a winter coat.

The worst part wasn’t even that I was lost though. It’s that I was super sweaty!

I’m a vain person; sue me. I could NOT walk around a country lost AND looking sweaty. That’s just not my way, but there I was looking like Clark Griswold just trying to get to Walley World. What was supposed to be a 13 minute walk with only 3 turns, turned into a 37-minute adventure just trying to find this AirBnb. The plan was to get to the AirBnb early so I could gussy-up, get this sweat off my face, drink a glass water, situate my luggage, and chill -but that didn’t happen. Less than 10-minutes after I FINALLY get to the apartment and use the restroom, I get a text saying “I think I’m at the gate?” GIRL!…WHAT?! I’m still oozing with sweat - I’m talking damp, and this is my first impression of meeting this person whom I’ve been getting to know for the last few months.

I hated it all. I wanted to run away, but the only exit was the gate (where she was), so I had to just wipe my brow and deal with it. I greet her at the gate. I’m super hesitate to give her a hug because I’m more soaked than ever - which is funny because we joke how disgusting the first time we met was (so I was RIGHT to be self-conscious). I probably looked like Tyrone Biggums because I had all sorts of crackhead energy like, “So how was your flight?!”, “Did you find the place okay - I got lost and was hunting for the last half hour?”, “Boy…this place doesn’t have anything but this tiny icebox air conditioner. Is it hot here, or just me? I wish I could say that was me being smooth, but honestly I feel DISGUSTING with how sweaty I am I wasn’t planning on Sweden to be this hot so I wore this hoodie without thinking that y’all actually have summer here too. Duh! Of course you have summer…Midsommar!” I kid you not that all was said in one sentence.

Crackhead energy is NOT appropriate in Scandinavia!!

Not just in Sweden, but all Scandinavia. You can’t just come in hot with people or else they will not respond well, but in a polite way. Similar to Patrick Bateman’s “I have to return some video tapes” line in American Psycho, you’ll get a very similar response like “I must use the toalett”, “I have to get started on dinner.”, “Are you ok?”, and many more that it doesn’t matter what time it is - they can be used.

After freaking her out a bit by my zeal to show her the place and the air conditioner, we were able to settle down and chat. As hours passed, we realized that both of us hadn’t eaten in hours so we went to a place more universal than the United Nations - a pizza place.

Pizza is NOT Sweden’s best food…

Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn’t ALLLL THAAAAT. The ordering experience was fun though. Have you ever watched when a kid tries to be an adult and order for themselves, and their parent has to eventually step in and do it the right way for them? That’s what ordering this people felt like. I thought I was killing it! Like, “No I can’t eat that, it has kött (meat) on it” but when the man asked me “Vad ska du ha? (What will you have?)” I completely dropped the bag, and had to give him that look like “Ehhhh…Google translate?” Unlike MOST of the people in Sweden, this man did NOT speak English, but luckily I came with my own personal translator. She ordered one meats pizza and one with vegetarian kebab for me so I could try it. The crazy part was that no banana HAD to be said or else I was about to get banana all over my pizza. Excuse me what? Yes. When she said “Inga banan (no banana)” I knew she was going to be cool people and I wasn’t going to end up being trafficked that day.

Going to get pizza was just the first of many adventures that we went on during this trip. Check back in next week; probably one of my favorite and most memorable stories of the whole trip…✌🏿

unsheltered

Have you ever made a completely ridiculous joke - like way out of this world - about something happens, and then it actually happens? Well if you haven’t, let me kind of explain how it goes:

Scenario One: That’s Bae” Becomes Reality

You’re just having a regular-ass day, you see a person across the way and jokingly say, “That’s bae right there.” - fast forward 7 months, that really does become bae, and you’re just stuck looking at yourself in the mirror wondering how you got to this point.

Scenario Two: Predicting the Struggle

You’re driving down a street bustling with homeless people and you joking say, “That’s going to be me one day” - fast forward a few months, and you’re having to live out a storage unit, while your baby is living in someone else’s house.

Scenario Three: The Ultimate Cost of Arrogance

You’re cruising through life going 100mph on the highway feeling “invincible AF” and you say some smart-ass joke to your passenger like, “Don’t worry. I got this! No cop has ever been able to catch me.” - fast forward a few seconds later, and you’re upside down on the highway looking at the lifeless corpse that used to be the love of your life.

* These are scenarios based off of both fact & fiction, but all are completely possible

Literary Reflection: Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Now I don’t mean to be hella downing this week, but this is just what happens whenever I read contemporary literature. This month I read Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. No lie - this book was really good! There were a BUNCH of political discussion in this book, but the more important aspect of it was the question that the novel asks the reader; Who are you/ How do you live when the things that provides you shelter are taken away?

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Shelter by definition means a place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.

• a place providing food and accommodations for the homeless.

• an animal sanctuary.

• a shielded or safe condition; protection.

verb: protect or shield from something harmful, especially bad weather.

• find refuge or take cover from bad weather or danger.

• prevent (someone) from having to do or face something difficult or unpleasant.

• protect (income) from taxation.

Shelter for people can be anything: structures, people, nature, and even work.

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As humans & animals, our brains are wired to survive and to react to extreme stress naturally. So that’s the first layer of shelter that we instinctually have, but then as humans we go on to add more things to protect ourselves from even reaching that flight or fight response:

• I don’t want to have to hunt for food, so I put hours of energy into work to afford getting groceries.

• I don’t want to get hurt emotionally, so I don’t allow people to get close enough to do so.

• I don’t want to fail, so I don’t try.

Completely valid, completely acceptable, but understand that thinking that way is not static. It’s all about neuroplasticity or the ability of the brain to change through the individual’s life. This has been a very popular topic amongst many psychologists in recent years. In an article for Psychology Today Dr. Jamie Aten summarizes in 3 ways to rewire your brain and hone your stress response.

1. Mindfulness: A popular method amongst millennials. Mindfulness is best described by Dr. Aten as, “paying attention on purpose to one’s body.” Now for some that means meditation (and that’s great for y’all) but for me, I get real antsy just sitting alone with my thoughts. Something that helped me is a guided mindfulness journal which introduces you to the practice in a low-pressure, go-as-you-will way. There are a lot, but the one that my friend got me is called “The Mindfulness Journal: Daily Practices, Writing Prompts, and Reflections for Living in the Present Moment” (Damn! That’s a mouthful!!) by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport. I’m not a HUGE believer in cosmic energies, but I do believe that there are some energies that we collide with that just shake us so deeply to our core that we just need to take some time to reflect on ourselves.

2. Situational Awareness: According to Dr. Aten, everyone from military tactical leaders and first responders swears by situational awareness. Situational awareness is like mindfulness, but from an external perspective. That could be something as small as realizing that the floor is wet, so you should process with caution, to as large as realizing that this person that came into your life is trying to help you understand yourself more. Dr. Aten writes that one way to engage situational awareness is to instead looking at everything in your environment at once, look at what doesn’t belong instead. Next, scan for pertinent information, and finally loop in new information as it is encountered; trying to stay mentally one step ahead.

3. Rehearsal: This one is somewhat self-explanatory. Rehearsal is preparing for the worst-case scenario. Depending on how someone utilizes this though, they can negatively affect themselves. If someone is constantly preparing for their partner to be unfaithful, and the way that they prepare for it by becoming private and cloistered - that’s not helpful for either party.

These are just 3 broad methods summarized from a few psychologist on how to help rewire your brain, but there are a lot of other books and studies on the topic, if you’d like more information. I definitely recommend taking some time this year to focus on yourself, and who knows you might come out of 2019 into 2020 viewing the world through a lens you didn’t know existed.

So I ask you, who are you/ how do you live when the things that provide you shelter are taken away?