St. Louis Documentary Photographer | Project Obscura
As a St. Louis family documentary photographer that largely focuses on family’s stories, kids, and motherhood journeys, I generally don’t go out seeking models to photograph. Having said that, I just returned from a photography conference in Las Vegas called Project Obscura where I got to photograph models in the Valley of Fire State Park and it was incredible.
Now, you might be asking if I’m going to start adding fashion models to my repertoire. I’m not. But a conference like this accomplishes a number of things, so allow me to explain. It pushes me out of my comfort zone in a variety of ways. It forces me to more directly pose people as opposed to documenting the action as it unfolds naturally. It gets me out in an environment I don’t normally shoot in at a time of a day I don’t typically photograph my clients (though this may change that). It puts me in the immediate vicinity of top tier photographers who run very successful businesses and possess a wealth of knowledge they can pass on to me. It gives me tips on bettering my sessions for my clients. It allows me to network with people both from St. Louis and around the country. Overall, it gets me out of my element, pushes me to work harder, to think in different ways, and to challenge myself to always strive for better.
iPhone photo collage of Valley of Fire
We spent the first day of our trip photographing these models in the desert. Of course the weekend we went to Vegas, it was unseasonably cold and had just snowed the day prior. Naturally, two days after we left, they had temperatures pushing 70 degrees. Nothing like bringing a little bit of Midwest to the dessert, right?! We spent from about Noon until 5ish in the desert. All things considered, the weather wasn’t terrible and the sun was shining. The contrasts of the red rocks in the Valley of Fire, the very blue sky, and the mountains in the background were fabulous.
It can certainly be intimidating to be photographing alongside some “Industry Greats”, but I’ve learned that confidence goes a long way both internally and among others. Patience is key when shooting with a group of 25 other photographers in your direct vicinity. Obviously, that’s not something I typically have to contend with. Sal Cincotta is the main photographer who runs this conference as well as ShutterFest which I will be attending for the 3rd year in April. Sal owns Sal Cincotta Photography based out of O’Fallon, IL. His big thing at photography meetups and conferences where there are a lot of models and photographers is, “Get your shot and get out of the way.” Basically, don’t be a jerk because everyone wants to walk away with some great shots. Models and instructors were stationed in various locations around a mountain and we spent about 30 minutes at each station. We were given creative license to shoot how we wanted, but were given tips, pointers, and suggestions before we started.
The second day of the trip was the conference day. We were in a big conference room at Harrah’s hotel and they had about 6 speakers throughout the day. They were the same expert photographers who had spent the day with us in the Valley of Fire. I took a ton of notes, gained a wealth of knowledge, and took some key pointers down that I could implement immediately as well as work on long term. In a totally dorky way, I look at this experience like the Valley of Fire lit a fire under my butt! Ha!
I was lucky enough to go on this trip with two local photographer friends of mine, Dana Jacobs (Dana Jacobs Photography) and Kristen Easley (These Forever Moments). Dana is actually one of my backups for birth photography and I met her over two years ago. Kristen and I met not long ago at a wedding. Kristen was hired as the videographer and I was the second shooter for another photographer. The whole trip idea started when Kristen proposed it to a small photography group message we are all in together. I carefully considered going and couldn’t decide if I could justify the expense or if it would be worth it for me considering the shooting day was nothing like what I offer with my photography. After encouragement from some of my friends and other local photographers, at the last minute, I finally decided I should go for it.
Photo credit: Dana Jacobs Photography
I’ve never done a trip like this on my own and definitely haven’t left my kids like this in 6 1/2 years. I’ve basically been pregnant or breastfeeding all these years so I would normally pass. The time was right and the group was perfect, though. Dana, Kristen, and I mesh very well together and provided each other with support, encouragement, and friendship before and during the trip. It can be HARD to leave your family especially when you have little kids. We have 6 kids between us, so you can imagine the "mom guilt" was strong. Additionally, each of our families had been riddled with bizarre-o sicknesses in the weeks leading up to Project Obscura. It wound up being the perfect getaway in the form of a work trip. Sharing in your business successes, struggles, and hopes with other photographer friends really provides an irreplaceable bond and I feel pretty fortunate to have experienced such a ridiculously fun trip with these two.
Above side by side photos- Photo credit: Dana Jacobs Photography
Photo credit: Dana Jacobs Photography
I’ll spare you all the Vegas shenanigans of three photographers/moms with two nights out on the town, but I will say this: If you go to Vegas, just prepare for a TON of walking. This was my second time in Vegas and there was no shortage of walking either time — along sidewalks that purposely divert you into casinos, along shops, and restaurants. Even if you go the route of using GPS, you’ll likely just walk around for unlimited amounts of time trying to decipher where the heck you’re actually supposed to go. Also, it seems Vegas doesn’t really sleep until the true morning hours. Walk out at 2am and people are everywhere. Walk out at 8am and it’s like a ghost town. That's Vegas for ya!
I don’t regret my trip out to Vegas for Project Obscura for one second! I’m so glad I went! Documenting families, motherhood, and photographing real estate in St. Louis will still be my go-to type of photography. I am, however, always up for fresh ideas, new perspectives, and willing to learn whenever the chance presents itself!
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