Some thoughts from over the last 5 years of Photography

Every Photographer's dream is having a studio of their own. To create unhindered, to practice their craft in  a safe space and delivering a service that makes your customers smile as if their ears are going to pop off from being so overly pleased.

It has taken me five years to start my own studio after being a mobile photographer and servicing my customers at their homes and also offering outdoor shoot. It is my pleasure to add a new service and division to IamPhoto. 

In all honesty a five year journey to get to this point has been well worth it and has been one amazing journey. Most photographer would probably disagree with me as first prize is to start immediately your own studio. I am so glad I didn't five years ago. Why you might ask ? Here are a few points to ponder upon from my experiences.

• Fast Style Adaptation- It has been the most thrilling part of my shoots for me personally to be onsite and being forced to use the outdoor environment the client choose due to they live their. Being challenge every single shoot. I urge new photographers to do this. You learn to use you camera in EXTREME situations and the pressure is on the deliver an AWESOME product. You get creative with your environment and no studio will prepare you for this. This teaches you to adapt your developing style under the extreme. It's a harsh lesson but really well worth the journey. This lead me to 44 international awards in five years alone.

• You- On a average Saturday I would shoot 4 different shoots literary every 3 hours I am on another shoot. This tough me  lean up on the gear. Ask yourself do you really need all that stuff for a maybe. You have your camera , flash, lenses and a subject what do you really need more than that? Oh, ya you just taking that moment to believe in yourself. Really !!!! No amount of gear and or assistance is going give you that security you are looking for. Believe you are doing all you can do within your skill set and every moment you are learning something new. This clear understand makes shooting fun and opens a new world on how you will do business, create your art and how you mentally prepare yourself for every shoot. This is truly the make and brake that can make a great shoot go beyond your set goals every time. 
• Goal setting vs Expectations- Putting a whole bucket load of expectations on every shoot is like taking a double barrel shotgun and shooting yourself in the foot twice. It is 100% pointless. Expectations is born from hope and photography is not a very hopeful job you only get great at photography with 1000% hard work and growth of you skills and craft. Setting goals for every shoot is a realistic approach off combining your skill level with your environment and what the client wants.

New Year 2014 : DAY 1 

Captain's log : Star date , two, zero,one,four,zero, one,zero,one, : 

New year's day and heading off to the unknown : Filled with joy and curiosity of child, I gladly awaiting the year's offerings of adventure. How does it get better than this? 

Looking back at a year of growing and wonderful insights. Standing at the precipice of another 365 days, resetting refreshed, Welcome 2014.  With this I would like say Happy New year to everyone and may 2014 be filled with adventures of joy love and peace.

Leaving all of you with this Landscape image of the day.

      Prints for sale are viable just follow the link

http://pixels.com/featured/fresh-water-sunset-isabel-laurent.html



 

Weekend Fashion 

This weekend gone by I did a nice little shoot with a lovely group of enthusiastic and energetic people that all have one thing in common. Fashion. This photo shoot was planned to promote an initiative called Afro Lize Me - started up in 2011 to promote local and regional fashion and life style practitioners. To give a platform to express authentic African inspired contemporary fashion. This years event is scheduled for October 13th held at Sanitas Gardens, Gaborone - themed: LIFE. FASHION.ART a mini exposition and shopping extravaganza!
This is a lovely event that has been hosted to enhance local entrepreneurship and cultural pride. I was dazzled by the materials and patterns and all the amazing crafts that everyone has been working on tirelessly. I cant wait for the 13th October 


The shoot was done at one of our little Gaborone gems the famous tea garden and nursery Sanitas. It was lovely doing the shoot surrounded by all the plants.


I would like to take the time to thank everyone evolved with this project yesterday for their time and effort. It was wonderful working with all of you and enjoy the afternoon with all this energetic, vibrant , creativity that flowed off like water.
But let me stop yakking on about the shoot and introduce you to the models with the first release of their Portrait shots in Black and White Pre-shoot shots to setting up. 

Model:  Rebekah Taylor, Make up artists: Naomi Taylor , Photographer: Isabel Laurent : IamPhoto

Model : Hannah Taylor, Make up artist : Naomi Taylor, Stylist: Nancy Moroke of Divine Style, Accessories : Fabric Lady, Botswana, Clothing: YGSF, Photographer : Isabel Laurent, IamPhoto

Model : Sibusisiwe Mwiinga, Make up artist: Sibongile Phiri , Fabric throw decor : Fabric Lady, Botswana, Accessories: High neck piece: African Lace, Photographer : Isabel Laurent, IamPhoto

Model: Evelyn Mashabe, Accessories: African Lace, Hairstylist : Sibongile Phiri, Make up artist :Sibongile Phiri , Photographer: Isabel Laurent, IamPhoto

Model : Ruth Filipo, Make up Artist : Sibongile Phiri , Accessories: TswanaLyric , Photographer : Isabel Laurent, IamPhoto

Natural Light and Fashion with a twist of Portrait

Being a Portrait and Natural light photographer and having the chance to use my skills and applying it to Fashion was an interesting challenge. .........Bring it !!"I very rarely walk away from a challenge and this one was no different.
 The first thing that I got all excited about was the opportunity to do an outside fashion shoot and using sunlight. I have found that nothing beats sunlight. It brings a richness to skin tones that you never can find a in artificial lighting environments.
Choosing your timing of the shoot is very important and with the making up of the models I knew that the only time we would have is the Golden hour. The golden hour is the time of the day when the sun is low on the horizon and I'm not a morning person so that left late afternoon. - I suppose I am a morning person just from the wrong way I love going to bed at 6 in the morning after spending a whole evening /early morning painting or creating art. -  The only challenge with that is that you only have so much time to do your shoot in. Thank goodness for living in Africa we have lots of sunshine and our golden hour lighting is very bright till the end. In the southern hemisphere we are having winter and  winter sun light in the golden hour  brings a nice blue hue on top of the rich yellow. So your models get defined much more and you don't have to worry so much about silhouette or over shadowing to much.
I decided when taking this challenge I was going to do this with the least amount of equipment. I have found that of late people are running them selves in circles about equipment and the paraphernalia that is available to photographers on the market today. I did this whole shoot with one camera, one flash and 2 lenses, and with that said I let the sun guide me for the rest. I ended up only using the flash at the very end of the hour and half shoot.
I really urge starting photographers to not worry about your equipment and rather spend your time shooting in daylight and practicing to frame your shots. Being a family and children portrait photographer I had chosen the hardest models to work with. Trying crawling behind a toddler for two hours and getting the shots, is one of the most daunting tasks, your learn very fast how to anticipate light, movement and reading your environment for the best shots.
Bringing this fast shoot approach to the fashion shoot helped a lot not just for the shooting but having that extra second on each shot.. I was able to enjoy my shots and anticipate the flow of the models. In that hour and a half we did seven scenes and still had a brake for pizza and something to drink.
At this point I have to add that having a team and a scenes coordinator helped SO MUCH !!!! Our team consisted of seven people , two extraordinary models, one brilliant make up artist, one amazing designer , one hairstylist with extraordinary coordination skill, an extra make up assistant with a flare for the arts and myself.
This cooking pot of talent produced one of the most amazing shoots I have had to work on. No one didn't know what to do. Between 7 of us we didn't forget anything. To quote one of my favorite cartoons when I opened the photos after the shoot for editing " I nearly went blind from over exposure of pure AWESOMENESS". I really did. Looking back from how this idea took shape until the finale product I cant believe it was only seven days.

Sneak preview of the FASHION SHOOT

Well Okay I'm trying to keep up with my blog, but yes got sidetracked this long weekend. Had the most amazing shoot yesterday . The most powerful thing that struck me yesterday while on shoot was and still is how stunning it is to work with people that do not have airs around them, what you see is what you get. And the team I had the chance to work with yesterday was not just amazing, but was an in site to the beauty of each person on the team. That each individual on the team has a true passion for what they do.  They had the chance to create freely within his/her field and the photographic products that I have been editing is proof of free creativity and to the level of excellence that each one on the team strives for not just in their careers but in their daily lives. To give you guys a little sneak preview

I am so in love with this photo
Model : Akiyo Kindiano
Make up : Evandra Botha
Hair stylist: Kelvin Krown
Photographer: Isabel Laurent - IamPhoto

Right I'm out of here stepping away from my computer think my eyes are crossed over from all the editing.

Starting a daily Blog

22/06/2013

Well I have to start daily or at least once a week blogging. Things that I came across this week. This week was exciting of seeing my architectural photos that I have done getting ready for printing in the pamphlets and Also seeing some of them already printed in local news paper. Will have to see if I can get a copy of that paper and put up a pic. Got some more buildings to photograph in the next few weeks. Delivered some lovely new born photos this week. Franci and her Son .
Yesterday I had a moment to look over my older photos looking I came across my Rhino photos Mommy and Baby Rhino . I decided to put up the photo on my facebook and at that moment I was struck with a longing for Serowe. The Town is in the Central of Botswana and that puts in smack bang in the middle of desert or semi desert. Its one of those places you either hate it or love it there aint any in between. While in Serowe I visited the Kharma Rhino Sanctuary and had the chance for a game drive. Sadly we got to the watering whole very late and I had battled with the lighting. I did some photos of Mommy and baby rhino. I remember Mommy look straight at me one the last shot I did and I do remember thinking "wow, but its time to leave them to drinking water"

And today has been spent in bed drinking ginger tea and not feeling all that well
But I'm sure I will feel better tomorrow.