Black on Black Matte Nails French Tip

   model - Aria     photos - Zorian   

I was Google ing  around Halloween,  for black polish and I saw how beautiful the black matte polishes looked.  But,  most bloggers said,  the mattes all seemed to chip easily and did not wear well.   Question,  What chips first on Nails,  Answer, the tip. 
So, Tip them!   Sally to the rescue.  Sally Hanson hard as what?  Nails. 

Aria and I found, Zoya Matte Velvet lacquer, Dovima/Mat  ZP499, for the black matte.
Apply,  3-4 coats with no base coat underneath.  The Zoya matte dries very quickly.  

With a steady hand, tip the Nails,  (one coat) of Sally Hansen’s. Black Heart 880. 
No top coat, it will kill the matte finish of the matte.    Voila!  Black on Black, Sexiness!

Testing out our new mani, we decided to try a place called “Chill”.  Chill and Steam are 2  restaurants, with separate entrances,  in one spot.  Steam,  is a  coffee shop.  Chill, is a tapas Restaurant.  We were thirsty and hungry, so we decided to to have Cappuccinos and desert . . . . . Bananas Foster to be precise. 
“Bananas Foster”,  Bananas flambeed in spiced rum, real butter, and dark brown sugar, laid  over a perfect crape, with ice cream drizzled over warm bananas.     Mmmmmmm.
Unbelievable!   

Dress - vintage, Rose Ring - La Romantica,  nails by - Aria

Yellow Rose Flower Crown

   model - Lilly     photos - Zorian    styling, hair, makeup - Aria  

   Once upon a time lived a fair Princess most beautiful and charming. . .   Lilly.

When I shoot natural light the most important thing is to find a magical location.    I look for a 

place where the light is beautiful and then adjust my lens choice to fit the subject and the 

background.

Location scouting is one of the most important and least understood things that a photographer 

must learn.  Finding a magical location that will fit my needs, for at particular shoot,  requires preparation.  

The  LOCATION BOOK

Your camera phone or small digital camera is all you need and you can easily make up a 

location book of fabulous spots.

Shoot lots of photos of places you like, print them out and put them in a book.  

Remember,to take notes on  time of day and season of the year.

Now, when you are ready to shoot and you need the right location,  you already have the

Perfect Magical Place.

   Rose Flower Crown  by -  La Romantica,  Necklace - vintage,  Lace top by - Aria  

Calvin Klein overalls

   model - Aria     photos - Zorian   

The perfect beach ensemble, Calvin Klein overalls and an off the shoulder sweater.

The photos were taken in the "Golden Hour"  natural light on a beautiful fall day.   

   sweater vintage,  Calvin Klein overalls  vintage, red Converse sneakers,  Ray Ban sunnies.  

Mermaid from Atlantis

   model - Kai     photos - Zorian  

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to photograph a beautiful Mermaid, visiting from the mystical continent of Atlantis.  It was truly an honor. 

Kai, is a working model, that is wearing an incredible mermaid costume, created by her mother for Halloween.   Kai’s mother, Julie, designed and created this Atlantan Mermaid outfit, to be functional for trick or treating.  It has a fish tail skirt instead of a “fish tail”, to allow Kai to walk from house to house, go to parties and not flop around like a fish out of water.  The fabric on the skirt looks like scales, the shell pearl encrusted top and the crown  are fit for an Atlantean Princess.

Normally, I love to find natural light that is magical, without a lot of modification.  In this case I decided to add an off camera, portable flash.  This allowed me to keep the magic of the “Golden Hour”  and still bring out the sparkle and texture in the outfit. 

I had my assistant move around to different spots while I was shooting, adding just a whisper of fill light, where I thought it was needed.  I filtered the Sony HVL-F58AM flash with a Rosco, tough UV filter and Rosco, 1/8 cto, held in place, on the flash  with an old bicycle tire that has been cut into pieces like a big rubber band.  This method of adhering the filters to the flash, is easy and quick.  I think, it is far superior to tape because there is no glue residue left on the flash that will attract dirt, sand and all sorts of junk.   

The Chair

 A fabulous chair creator, Island Time Design,  made this wonderful beach chair from the wood of an old recycled picnic table.  It is regal, spacious and very comfortable.  The chair has a umbrella holder, a drink holder and the arms are wide enough to rest a book or a plate of food.  It is the perfect beach chair.

These photos were taken with natural light, in the Golden Hour, the hour before sunset.   The months of October, November and December, when the days are warm with gentle breezes, are the Beach Rats, favorite time of year.  The Beach, with all of it’s ever changing beauty and very few people.  Perfect!

  

   model - Aria   photos - Zorian   make up, styling - Aria

The Chair,   sweater - vintage, pants - vintage, jewelry vintage and Ebay.

Magical Places

     

Great photographers have a knack for finding wonderful locations with beautiful light.    When the light is magic you don’t need a lot of extra lighting modifiers and more time can be utilized making magical pictures of fabulous models.

Magical places, change with the time of day, the seasons of the year and the weather.  When you find one of these places consider the time of day and make sure that the duration of the magical light is long enough to complete the shooting of your idea. 

Magic is Magic and it is heard to explain.  I love shooting beauty and fashion, so I am always hunting magical locations with the quality of light that I think is magical.   What I consider magic, a light that makes the model look beautiful, other people my consider very muggle ( a la - Harry Potter).  

In this photo, a wonderful magical location for beauty, the light is coming from the rear, a dark green background, and a ton of fill coming from the crushed white shell on the ground in front of the model.  For me, this is pure magic. 

   photography - Zorian     model - Aria     make up - Aria     styling - Aria   

    Cherry blossom crown available here.  

Afternoon Delight

   model - Aria   photos - Zorian   

   We were out and about on a thrifting-vintage hunting adventure in the beautiful down town district of Saint Petersburg.  It started to sprinkle and we were in need of shelter and refreshment.  We were ready for a coffee, a mid afternoon pick me up.  Earlier in the day we had come across an Italian cafe and espresso bar, Moscato’s Bella Cucina,  and decided to go back and check it out. Sitting outside underneath an umbrella we watched the people scurry around in the rain, as we enjoyed hot cappuccinos.  I must say this was the best cappuccino that I have had since I was in Milan.  We decided to get a cannoli to accompany our cappuccinos. The cannoli’s arrived with such a beautiful presentation.  Decadently dipped in chocolate, served with whip cream, garnished with fresh strawberries and dusted with powdered sugar.  We will definitely be returning to our new favorite cafe, the prices were very reasonable, the food was amazing and the service was stupendous.

Aria’s vintage floral dress is beautifully accessorized with a romantic peony blossom necklace by Chloe at laromantica. Nail polish by OPI in Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees and vintage mother-of-pearl marcasite ring. Cappuccino's and cannoli by Moscato’s Bella Cucina.  

Portrait of a Friend

   photo - Zorian  

Carrie, a good friend wanted a new portrait,  natural light with a romantic "dreamy glow".

I love shooting natural light.  Especially backlight.  I love the way the eyes can be

illuminated and the way the light plays around the silhouette. 

By the Sea

The end of summer at the beach.  

model  Aria     photo  Zorian