Friday, September 1, 2017

Pinup Update - Photo Shoots



After sharing my experience winning the Miss Peggy Sue Pinup Competition, I promised an update when I got a photo shoot under my belt. I am happy to report I have now done two photo shoots, and have a few more lined up, possibly a calendar shoot as well!

Do you think it's ok for a calendar I want November (my birthday month) and October (my anniversary, which also happens to be HALLOWEENNNNN!!!)?  That's not greedy, right?? (I love Halloween… if you couldn't tell.)

One of the awesome prizes I won in the Pinup contest hosted at Peggy Sue Car Show was a photo shoot by Ron Pearson.  He specializes in pin up and vintage inspired photography, though he does everything!

He had some great ideas for location, and even had some wardrobe pieces for me to use!

But  the first photo shoot that I did with Ron was for a local diner called Zee's Diner. This is not the shoot that I won, but an opportunity to model for the first time!

Ron let me know that I would be working with another model, Bridget Codoni, who has done several photo shoots with him, and could give me some tips and hints.

What I found interesting is if the pose feels awkward, it's probably a good shot.

For example, swan neck is a real thing, and super important, and arching the back to the extreme looks great to the camera.

Ron told us where to stand, where to place our hands, which way to face, and asked us to smile, or look more serious. He made me feel comfortable, and his direction was clear, and friendly - "smile like you are happy to be here!" and "Put your chin down, and toward me - perfect!"

I next met up with Ron a week or so later at Starbucks to get some prints of that shoot. I thought it was super cool that the Barista gave him my drink free of charge, thanking him for his service - he served in Vietnam, and wears a hat with pins that shows his pride.

While we were there, Ron had me kiss, and sign a large print of Bridget and me, "to Zee's Diner, Love Miss Peggy Sue." How fun is that?!

We also discussed what I would like to do for the photo shoot I won. He let me know about other shoots he had done, even on a large ship with a navy theme.

He suggested we could go to nearby Schellville, where there is an airport with tons of vintage planes. OMG, yes! So we set a date, and talked wardrobe.  He had a few pieces, and several ideas.

I ended up ordering an outfit on Amazon, Smiffy's Women's Wartime Officer Costume.  

I wanted to look beautiful and sexy for the photo shoot, but as I said in my Q&A portion of the Peggy Sue pinup contest, I like that pinup allows me to be sexy without showing my entire body.

The feedback on this costume looked good, so I went with it - as a costume it's pretty good, and was perfect for the photo shoot. I only wish the skirt were a true pencil skirt - I had to do some awkward poses for sure to make the silhouette right.

I did this photo shoot with Terri Boyer - who, like Ron, is a military veteran! She is super fun, and sweet. She came over, I did her makeup, and assisted with her hair, then we got dressed up, and she drove us to the airport.



Ron had already set up lights, staged a fan and a smoke machine in the hanger where we started - we shot with an airplane mid repair, a helicopter, and a vintage jeep.



I kept looking at camera with my head too high, or looking too far to the left or right. Ron explained that when I do that, too much of the white of my eye shows. I understood when he showed me in the camera, and later when I got the proofs - don’t look too far off camera! Lesson learned!



When we were done in the hanger, we went to meet a couple of brothers who had a Fairchild plane that they pulled out of their hanger just for us to shoot with!

They were incredibly sweet, and offered Terri and I seats while Ron got the camera in the right mode to shoot in the sun light. Terri and I had changed and brought props (courtesy of Ron!) with us - hats, sunglasses, pearls, long gloves, a vintage camera and vintage Samsonite luggage.



Again, Ron let us know where to stand, what to hold, when to smile, etc.  I enjoyed switching it up, some more serious looks, some cheesed up with a big smile! I also liked that Ron was open to suggestion on poses.





That morning, I'd spent hours getting ready in the morning, doing hair, makeup, and getting all my outfits together. We spent several more hours at the airport, shooting, and dealing with wardrobe changes, and yet more shooting.



It all seems so easy when you see the finished photos,  and it certainly was tons of fun - but doing a photo shoot is super exhausting!  When we were done, I was so ready for a cold brew!



Ron has already gotten me proofs, and prints, including one - Mechanic Jen on a piece of heavy tin instead of in a traditional frame!!  I will cherish that keepsake forever!

I cannot wait to do more photo shoots, get more practice at being a model! It is a great confidence booster to see the finished result, and all the beautiful shots.

What is even better are the memories that go with the photographs. I see a picture, and I remember what we were laughing about.



I love that the people I was surrounded by were fun, and nurturing - this was a low stress environment, and all fun. It was not intimidating, or awkward - no one told me to make love to the camera like I have seen in the movies.

I did however take some lessons from when I used to watch Americas Next Top Model almost 10 years ago! Pretty hands, and pretty feet, and swan neck!

I will keep you all posted on this yearlong journey as Miss Peggy Sue 2017, and Lady Lipstick, my pinup alter ego. So far, it's been a blast!



27 comments:

  1. How fun! Your photos are gorgeous! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  2. Wow beautiful photos! Thanks for stopping by to linkup :)

    www.tipsyheelz.com

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  3. Oh my! These photos are fabulous and what a fun experience you had. Thank you for sharing all the tips your learn and for joining my Fine-Whatever link up.

    Rena
    www.finewhateverblog.com

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  4. I have always wanted to do a pin-up bombshell photo shoot! I love that you did it.
    :) gwingal

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  5. This is so cool! I love the pictures and you look AMAZING!!

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  6. Oh my gosh, these are so cute! You are a natural girl!! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  7. Oh wow! These are amazing! What fabulous photos to look back on. Just gorgeous. Sue via #CreateLinkInspire

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  8. These photos are amazing!! Such a fun shoot!

    xx, Elise
    www.sparkleandslippers.blogspot.com

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  9. I love this idea! I love vintage styles and your shoot turned out great. Love it with the airplanes and suitcases.
    thanks for linking!
    jess xx
    www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

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  10. What a fun idea and it was such a glamourous time back then. Thank you for sharing with us at #overthemoon link party.

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  11. Oh wow, this is fabulous! You look amazing in these shots, what a great time you must have had doing this. x Jacqui
    www.mummabstylish.com

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  12. I love the clothes. Looks like a lot of fun

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  13. Thanks for linking up to the Top of the World Style party. Cool, this looks so fun! I would love to do that!

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  14. Your pictures are terrific and really look vintage, but the uniforms are not "officer" uniforms as they advertised. The stripes on the sleeves are enlisted designation. Military officers were insignia on their lapels showing their rank. I served in the AF from 1969 to 74.

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  15. That is true - but it was sold as a costume, not a uniform. As I'm sure you know it can get kind of iffy when someone not in the military presents themselves as someone who has served or wears rank or medals they've not earned. For a fun and cheeky photo shoot, avoiding that potential for giving offense to those who actually made the sacrifice that goes with an actual uniform was the right call, I think! Thanks for your service!

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  16. Thanks for sharing and linking up at #BloggersPitStop. Have a great weekend.

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  17. Oh my goodness, what fun! Your photographs look absolutely wonderful. What a great experience. Thank you so much for sharing, and for being a part of The Hearth and Soul Link Party.

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  18. This was really interesting. Y'all are really cute in all the photos, but my faves are of you in front of the yellow plane. Love the cute outfits & vintage luggage too. I don't know a thing about photo shoots, so this was news to me that they are long & exhausting.

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  19. Fabulous pictures and I love vintage clothing - I love the ones with the plane :)

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  20. Hi Jennifer, just hopping back in to let you know that you will be featured today at SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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