I came back from San Francisco and Richie invited me over for pizza. I had literally just shot 4 rolls of portray 160 on my trip and decided not to bring my camera. Big mistake. It was my first time being at his and Joss' place in day-light and the light in his kitchen and bedroom are essentially exceptional! Later, as I was cruising through IG or FB I came across a great photo of Bella on some cool steps. I had 20 exposures left on my last roll of film and decided to use it shooting Bella at Richie's house.
I consulted with Richie before Bella arrived about the approach to the session. He recommended that I go for a series depicting the process of making coffee. Bella was really professional and brought three different looks for me to choose from. To be 100 I had a difficult time communicating my take on which one to go with and allowed Richie and Bella to take the lead. Some how, we landed on the outfit that I wanted: dark button down with shorts and no socks.
I didn't come prepared with any coffee peraphanelia, because I figured Richie had enough to get by for the photos. Of course he ended up having not only some sweet gear, but outstanding coffee from one of my favorite roasters in Denver; Common Wealth. He was still having some issues getting the results he wanted from his coffee brewing. I directed him towards an american weight scale in order to measure his coffee and water ratios and explained the grind setting he should be shooting for.
The entire session was staged, so I placed the props as well as Bella how I envisioned the images. Each pose and step in the process was taken with a single exposure. This made me plan, really wait, take my time, and make sure it was exactly what I wanted before I solidified my settings and hit the shutter.
I put Bella in the frame of mind that I was going for a conversational, comfortable, situation like she was just having a good friend over for coffee in the morning. I asked her to make specific facial expressions that you would typically and unconsciously make while a friend was telling you a story.
I was planning to use my 50mm 1.8f, but Richie suggested his 24-70mm 2.8f mkII L lens. It most likely lead to a different feel in the photos, but they came out fantastically. It was the first time I recognized that working with different lenses not only affected the images, but also the process of taking them. This lens focused so quickly, smoothly, accurately, and quietly that I was in disbelief! It felt so solid and yet it wasn't very heavy. The ability to zoom in and out is definitely convenient and I have to say I became a big fan of this $2,200 lens.
