Portfolio Update: Sofia Hultquist Press Shots

Sofia hired me a couple weeks ago to shoot some press photos of her. She runs Drum & Lace, where she creates music for the fashion and design industries. She is amazing at what she does. Her work is on Style.com a lot and if you saw Diane Von Furstenberg's recent campaign video, Drum & Lace made the music for it! She is super talented and just very strong and graceful, as evidenced in our photos together. She is a true individual, and it was so fun to shoot someone so unique! She is also super nice and a great person!

Sofia wanted some photos to use for her social media and website, and for press use when she gets written up. She wanted something un-staged and outside the studio, so I suggested we stroll around Los Feliz and shoot in the nooks and crannies of LA. Sofia has amazing style and brought these items to the shoot. I did her makeup using NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer where needed, Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dazzled, CK One Color Powder Eyeshadow in Infinite as highlighter (it is, dare I say, even better than NARS Albatross!) on the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, brow bones and forehead, as well as a few coats of L'Oréal Voluminous Miss Manga on the lashes (my current favorite mascara!). Her lips were a top-secret concoction of a few products that make up her trademark everyday red lip :)

CLIENT: SOFIA HULTQUIST
PHOTOGRAPHER: KELLY SEARLE
MAKEUP: KELLY SEARLE

XOXO Festival 2014

Some photos I shot at XOXO Festival last month. 

I shoot XOXO every year in Portland and it's one of my favorite jobs. It's honestly the bar I measure all our other jobs by, and working with Andy and Andy is such a great experience it's really hard to beat. Doing photos and videos for XO is also really personal to me. It kind of jumpstarted everything in my career!

Back in 2012, I worked on the Kickstarter video for Andy & Andy, and leading up to the first festival, we both had day jobs and were freelancing on the side. I had been contemplating going full time freelance but was on the fence. Enter XOXO. I couldn't shoot the festival if I kept my job--it would be too many days off. Andy Baio sent an email, and the gist of it was, 'you should quit your day job'. This motivated me and I let my boss know. I made the leap. 

It was extremely scary but it was so, so worth it. I'll never forget that energy of standing in the YU building and that feeling of not having a tether or a safety net. I felt scared but also so excited and inspired. It was so cool shooting something that felt important and relevant to us: it's a festival about independence and doing things on your own. We met so many creative people, good friends, and have gotten to work on some really cool projects with people we've met there over the years.

It's also inspired me to start a lot of projects of my own. The first year, it led to me getting inspired to experiment more with fashion and promotional photography, and that whole year I spent really pursuing my portfolio. I worked really hard. By the next XO, I had seen my photos on buses around Portland and was working with clients on the regular. The second year, I got inspired to start my own magazine. A few months later I was working with people from all over the world to make my weird idea a reality.

If this was the last XOXO, it really ended on a high note: the talks were amazing. I literally laughed and cried, met some really cool people and caught up with some old friends.

XOXO has grown with us, inspired us and been such an integral part of our work and lives. I'll always be grateful that Andy and Andy were willing to take a chance on an unknown. This year it was an amazing time as usual and I left feeling so excited to work on new projects and pursue all of my crazy ideas. If there is another XOXO, I know it's going to be amazing.

Thanks Andy and Andy! As always, it was the best. 

Head Shots: Amanda Bjorn

I've done a few projects with Amanda now and I can safely say she's one of the sweetest, most talented people I've had the pleasure of shooting! I wanted to shoot her head shots on film to create an ethereal effect; something her agent will hopefully be a fan of!

Not only is she a model, but she's also an artist, amazing singer with Bjorn and the Sun, and photographer. 

I did her makeup and hair for this look, and then we went out and I shot her around Los Feliz. We focused on glowing, dewy skin and a fresh-faced look. I really liked how these turned out because they're a little offbeat for head shots, which I think meshes well with her overall personality: quirky, down-to-earth and independent. 

MAKEUP

Makeup Forever HD Foundation, Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla, LORAC Pro Palette (focusing on the pale shades and the grey-brown for eyebrows), Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dazzled, NARS highlighter in Albatross, LORAC Alter Ego Lipstick in Duchess, Stila Lip Glaze in Vanilla. 

HAIR

Amanda has great natural waves, so I just enhanced them with a bit of Tresemmé Fresh Start Renewing Dry Shampoo and Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray (definitely, 100% the most amazing-smelling product ever), scrunching, scruffing, and twisting random sections with a flat iron.

Thanks Amanda!