Tulsa Modeling Photographer - New Model Test Shots

Tulsa is full of natural beauty as you will see in a few of my favorites shots from a new model test I recently shot. Brogan came to me in need of modeling career consulting, she had shot with other photographers in Oklahoma and even New York but they were not the type of photos that were right for high fashion modeling. I could immediately see why she wasn't booking high fashion print or runway.  My daughter Jade and I knew she needed to change her look (hair, make up, style) and much more. It was good that Brogan was open to the change that would transform her into a high fashion model. We suggested a new hair color that was closer to her natural color. The color brought out her eyes! Jade styled her hair, did her makeup and clothing styling for the shoot and also gave her a lesson in movement by suggesting several poses throughout the session. Brogan did well at following direction and kept a great attitude through out the shoot which is something I take note of when developing a new model. Many young women don't realize that a model must develop stamina for photo shoots and the job is not as easy as it looks. Below are a few of my favorite shots from her fresh start portfolio. When I saw what we came up with, I could see her potential as a high fashion model and I will continue to consult her on the next steps of her modeling career development.

60's Bridgette Bardot Inspired Photo Shoot - Oklahoma Fashion Photographer

Gretchen needed some new looks for her portfolio, so my stylist Jade Gotcher, pulled a look together that was part Bridgette Bardot and Dolce and Gabanna inspired. She wanted it to look 60's yet modern. Jade also did Gretchen's hair and makeup to compliment the clothing by painting a flicked out cat eye liner and a barely there soft lip. When Jade was only 10 years old, she would assist me when I would do hair and makeup for modeling portfolio shoots, adding some lip gloss and a little blush for touch ups on the set. Her experience on those shoots has been well utilized since I became a photographer. I even painted Gretchen's toe nails and finger nails so we could expedite this glam look, that took a few hours!     Before the shoot I looked at Gretchen's portfolio and felt like there were some basic modeling portfolio pictures that she needed. A close up beauty shot and a full length that really showed off her legs. As a model you should have a leg shot in your portfolio, if you don't then you need to get one. When I was a model I booked many well paying jobs because of my photos that showed my legs. I also felt like Gretchen had a lot of dark moody shots and I wanted to add some colorful lively shots to her portfolio as well as shots that did not hide her in the shadows. I chose the Tulsa Rose Garden for Gretchen's beauty shot location because the rose background complimented the floral print bustier. I also wanted more action in her portfolio and my own portfolio as well so Jade showed her how to do a running shot. Gretchen followed instruction well and she was wonderful to work with! The shot with Gretchen sitting on the chair featuring the artwork of Tamara De Lempicka, the famous polish art deco artist, was not something we had planned for the shoot but as Bob Ross would say, a "happy accident". We were walking around downtown and I saw the chairs and asked the bar manager if we could shoot some shots with the chairs. The bar manager was kind enough to indulge our desires and let us do a few shots of Gretchen sitting in the exuberant chairs. When it came time to edit the photos I experimented with split toning editing which can only be accessed in raw editing mode in Photoshop. I also utilized color balance to put some blue in the shadows and gold in the  highlights and mid tones. I wanted these photos to have some extra punch with the tones and am very pleased with the effects. 

Tulsa People of Style Jade Gotcher by Tulsa Fashion Photographer Jamil Gotcher

Stylist and Model Jade Gotcher was feeling very inspired to style a new look after seeing Saint Laurent Paris collection by Hedi Slimane. She had been telling me that she loved the collection and showed me the runway images from the collection. So I was elated when I went to an estate sale in Tulsa and stumbled across the wide brimmed fedora hat that Jade needed to finalize the Saint Laurent look she was going for. The weather was overcast which is great for photography because you can literally shoot any location because you are not limited by harsh sun light which can make everything looked washed out and harsh unflattering shadows on the face. Since we weren't limited by the harsh sun we shot these photos in the little greenhouse area at Tulsa Woodward Park. The small yet formal garden has the Vogue magazine location feel you see in high fashion photography and I always love working with my daughter Jade because she is so good at styling and modeling, it makes my job as photographer easy!

And don't forget to visit Jade Gotcher's blog for more stylish updates so you can stay In The Loop or visit our official website Jamil Gotcher Photography

Tulsa State Fair Fashion Photography Shoot - Oklahoma Photographer

My daughter Jade wanted to do a photo shoot for her fashion blog at the Tulsa State Fair and I thought it was a great idea! I immediately started thinking of cool angles and fun, colorful backgrounds to shoot.  Her fashion story centered around the Turban trend! I liked the way she styled her outfit with cognac leather boots and a classic white shirt. We were going for the unexpected, a high fashion and slightly exotic look against the colorful carnival atmosphere. I think the state fair would make a great backdrop for high school senior portraits or an engagement session as well. 

I used the flash on the shot above and the fun house shot below because it was getting really dark by this time and then saturated in photoshop to enhance. I also used layer masks to lighten some areas and inversed the mask to darken some areas, also contrasted and after you size them for the internet you need to remember to sharpen the photos. 

This shot was strictly ambient lighting. I was going to use the flash but instead decided to have Jade turn her head toward the lamp light they had at the fair. I also had my ISO kicked up really high.

Oklahoma Photographer - Jamil Gotcher Photography

Jade and I went out to Chandler Park here in Tulsa Labor Day Weekend and it was just beautiful out there. The little black dress Jade selected was perfect for showing her fashion model figure. This photo shoot was for her personal style and fashion blog, IN THE LOOP  The color photography from this shoot turned out really pretty but I converted these to black and white and created this storyboard layout and am really happy with the classic look of this layout. I think it would be great framed in a simple yet elegant black frame for the wall. I remember when Jade did a test shoot in New York when she was signed with IMG modeling agency and they had to drive pretty far out of the New York City area just so they could find a location very similar to Chandler Park. I remember thinking how great it is to be able to shoot right in Manhattan but how even New York Photographers want to photograph in a nature setting. What I love about Tulsa from a photographer's view is we can go from urban cityscape to wooded landscape to giant natural red rocks like we shot in Taos New Mexico all within 10 minutes. This makes it great for photographers for a variety of backgrounds
 for a models portfolio or senior portrait photography.

Madonna MDNA cover art inspired effect. - Tulsa Photographer

I figured out this tutorial that was in Spanish on how to make a photo look like Madonna MDNA cover art. So I used a photo I took of Jade that was very pretty in it's original state with a nice gold bokeh background but wanted to try to Fluted Glass texture distortion effect. I wish I had a better fluted glass texture as I think the Madonna MDNA has a very nice fluted glass texture, that has lots of highlights. But I still like the way it turned out. Jade liked it too.  Feedback is greatly appreciated. :)

Flower Crown Fashion - Tulsa, Oklahoma Photographer

I've been wanting to make a storyboard layout for some time and a few days ago I found some templates online. I thought our last shoot turned out really pretty so I used those images to create the storyboard. The image in the bottom left frame was selected by Steve Madden Online Magazine for  Steve Madden Outfit Of The Day  They found the photo on Jade's fashion blog, http://in-the-loop-blog.blogspot.com