My Creative Work Commisioned and Captured

Just a few month ago, the idea of having my work photographed by a professional crossed my mind. I do ok with my phone and Instagram is awesome but I am by no means a professional. Also, there's nothing like the experience of a good photographer and the expertise that comes with it. As much as I say that some day I will own a good camera to take better pictures of my work, I'm not sure that I have the innate ability to catch the humanness of an individual the way the Jenn and some of my photographer friends do. I think the Universe was more inclined to bless me with the talents that made the collaborations of my most recent endeavors possible. So, you can understand the overwhelming excitement I felt when I was approached by my client, Jenn, of 3 Tea Leaves to do hair and makeup for a few of her clients.

The lovely ladies you see here are the first photo shoots I've done hair and makeup for in quite some time and, quite frankly, they couldn't have come at a better time. I can't say enough how much I love doing creative work and now that I've jumped the hurdle of being in business and one full year, my heart and mind are much more open to delving back into the creative work that I love!!

Above is Marisol. She has long beautiful hair and great skin. It was important to keep this look as natural as possible and I did so by creating a soft curled look with a very clean and natural face. I worked to enhance her natural glow and made sure to keep the lip subtle as to not take away from how beautiful her eyes are. You can't see them in this particular photo BUT you can see what I'm talking about by visiting the gallery on my website.

To the right is Sha 'Ran. With a personality that can light up a whole room and a natural beauty that is unmatched, it didn't take much to make what you see here happen. Before she arrived, I already had a lip color in mind and really focused on making her lip the focus. Her hair was easy, as she showed up with in braids to control texture. She helped me unravel her braids and I shook and finger styled her hair into place using a few "natural curl" techniques I have in my pocket to give her hair the right shape and relied heavily on her natural texture to support this look. Really, I'm pretty sure she rolls out of bed and looks like this.... Seriously!!!

Doing this type of work is always fun and a welcomed experience. I love doing creative work and being a part of the creative process. I have since done hair for another photo shoot and hair and makeup for 2 more. I can't wait to post those pictures and share them with you!! If you would like to see more of what was captured of these two lovelies, visit the gallery on my website. If you'd like to check out more of Jenn's work, visit her website and her FB page.

Also!!!!!

Check this out!!!! To the right is my friend, client and recent collaborator, Kori!! This is her on ebony.com featured in an article regarding the 5 Black Plus Size Models You Should Know. I know her and now the whole world has no excuse!! This is actually evidence of the first time we met. The photo of her on the right is from a photoshoot she did with Willow of Willow's Photography. I styled her hair for that shoot and even let her borrow one of my wigs. Part of me hoped that our relationship would grow. I would have never guessed that it would have blossomed into the relationship and collaborations it is now!! Since then I have been cutting her hair and keepin' her lines fresh for modeling gigs. We recently worked together on a couple of her photography ventures. Did I mention that she is a phenomenal photographer as well?!? Look for her model work on Instagram at @korileilani and her photography work at @irok_images.