Repeat Clients » Kind Words & Happy Memories » Amanda Marie

I don’t think there’s anyone I’ve photographed more than Amanda Marie! She’s a model, makeup artist, creative, adventurous spirit, and a good friend. We’ve worked on countless modeling projects and super fun collaborations, so let’s take a look at some of my favorites.

I can’t remember exactly how it came to be that Amanda and I started working together. I’m pretty sure she was already getting established in the modeling community, around the time I started doing more personal projects to push myself out of my own boundaries. At this time, we had already been friends for many years, so I suppose the connection was natural. I honestly have Amanda to thank for helping me to be creative, just for the sake of being creative. All of this was during a time I was working myself to the point of burnout, so keeping photography “fun”, as opposed to only “work”, was essential. Although I do love my work! And can honestly say that I’ve found a better balance of having fun with work.

Here’s what Amanda once said about our photography collaborations:

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dani a number of times. The shoots we’ve done together were not only a lot of fun, but also ended up providing me with some truly amazing photos. They are some of my favorites in my modeling portfolio! She has an eye for artistic. You won’t be disappointed with your photos when Dani’s your photographer!

First, let’s take a look at a commercial session. This was part of a series of photos taken for the owner of three historic movie theaters throughout Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He wanted to showcase the unique vintage style of his theaters, as he’d poured his heart into renovating them to their original glory. We came up with the idea of photographing each theater with a different model, to showcase the beauty of the theaters, and to try to capture the joy of going to the movies. At this time, he owned the Dallas Fox Theater, the Stayton Star Cinema, and the Albany Pix Theater.

Ah, the ‘Wonderland Series’. This concept was born in 2010, the year I took it upon myself to create a dramatically different self-portrait each of the 52 weeks of the year. It was a major undertaking, to say the least, as I honestly tried to use a new lighting technique or learn a new skill each week, while simultaneously working at a graphic design studio, and earning my degree in Visual Communications. Seriously, why did I do that.

Week 10 of 52, I decided to turn myself into Alice (with my bunny). I loved the setting so much, that I wanted to give life to more characters in this odd version of Wonderland. Amanda became a version of the Hatter (alongside my kitty). I was over the moon that she used contacts and makeup to make her eyes appear larger, which I, having zero makeup talent, had only done digitally for my own eyes, as Alice. I was really focusing on the concept of doing as much “in camera” as possible, including hanging the sugar cubes and green bottle from fishing line, so I suppose it was this shoot that really solidified it in my mind that it was possible to create elaborate scenes that only require minimal editing or embellishment.

Gosh, am I just going to say that each one of Amanda’s shoots is so memorable… because each one of Amanda’s shoots is so memorable. I had always had the idea of doing a series based on my favorite horror movies. Eventually the concept became my (as yet incomplete) ‘Villians Series’: Horror movie icons, depicted as vaguely pin-up style women, without any blood or gore, but instead, showcasing their personalities via lighting, environment, and color. Amanda was a major part of this series from the beginning, giving me inspiration, helping with costume decisions, location ideas, and was totally on board to do all the makeup. She starred as the second villain in the series, Sweeney Todd.

The image on the left received an Honorable Mention at the Oregon State Fair ‘Salon of Photography’ 2011, which was kind of a big deal.

I used to hold ‘Day of Glamour’ boudoir marathons in luxurious hotel suites. Amanda was consistently one of my makeup artists, and she always helped me to pamper the ladies before their sessions. This particular ‘Day of Glamour’ was my most successful, with sold-out back-to-back bookings from morning to night. But even though Amanda and I had a full day, we set aside a little time for her own session. At this point, she had been modeling for a handful of years, so she had a full portfolio of amazing creative images! But this session was different. This was the first time she had done a portrait session, soft and sweet, romantic, just for herself. She is always stunning, but this shoot lets her gentle beauty come through.

These images were lit with the bright afternoon light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, softened by a few layers of sheer curtains. I wanted to really soften the shadows for this look. Since I didn’t have access to a giant softbox, I pointed my speedlight at the bare white wall and ceiling, which essentially turns the whole room into a giant softbox. That filled in the shadows and softened the scene nicely.

This next image was also lit primarily with window light. But I added one small speedlight, with no diffuser, fired low and camera-right, to give the edge light to her hair and that cool bit of lens flare. It was actually a “happy accident” test shot, as the speedlight was unintentionally aimed a bit towards the lens, causing the washed out corner; but it really added to the look we were going for.

And lastly, this photo entitled ‘Lady in the Woods’. Another completely just for fun shoot! Amanda messaged me out of the blue about the fall leaves; it was peak leaf season, but we had one more day of clear skies, before a lengthy rainy period started. What can we do with the leaves?? We threw this idea together last minute, and headed out to Ritner Creek Park. Amanda had a couple different outfit options, and we played around for an hour or two. But once she used some double-sided tape to put these leaves on her head, I knew this would be the best shot of the day. It still remains one of my favorite “personal work” portraits, and one of my favorite memories!

‘Lady in the Woods’ was displayed at the Oregon State Fair ‘Salon of Photography’ 2011; the gallery was curated to include the top twenty percent of judge’s scores.⁠

Thank you Amanda, for many years as my muse and friend.

Repeat Clients » Kind Words & Happy Memories » Amanda Marie

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