Returning from a break
Some of you may already be familiar with me and Patton Boudoir from the time before the pandemic. COVID upended a lot of the world during the lock down, including my photography business.
Because weren't able to meet in person during the first few months, I was forced to take a break from boudoir photography. Social distancing recommendations made it physically impossible get together for shoots, so I puttered around the studio alone while trying something new with product photography.
That experiment didn't last long. The pictures weren't very good and I was bored. Pretty quickly I realized that the thing I love most about photography is working with people. That's why I'm drawn to portrait photography of all kinds.
With no money coming into the studio and no way to scratch my creative itch, I put the camera down hoping the pandemic would end soon. But it lasted longer than I could pay rent on an empty studio, so eventually I was forced to move out.
Rather than focus on things I couldn't control, I decided to revisit some of my other interests. I spent some time studying foreign language and did some technical work. After the pandemic had somewhat ended, I was enjoying other things enough that I didn't go back to photography. At least not right away.
A few months without taking pictures turned into roughly four years. And then at some point I recognized I'd been missing the energy that comes from creative collaboration. I could have just taken pictures for fun, but I really missed working with clients to create something meaningful for them. I get a great joy out of knowing I've helped someone feel great about themselves.
So about a year ago I began considering the idea of returning to boudoir photography. I looked through all of my previous work, picking out the images that I thought were my best. I assembled about 200 pictures in total. Looking at them as a group brought a renewed sense of inspiration that had been lacking for some time.
Looking at those images, I edited them down further to about 100 when I noticed that the vast majority of them were black and white. I knew I often preferred monochrome images to color, but I only had about ten color photos in total. The obvious preference for grayscale was bigger than I noticed. Why is a topic for another blog post.
The result is a gradual reopening of Patton Boudoir, but with some important differences. I'm now only working remotely in rented studios, hotels, and other locations. Being in a new location for every shoot has been a creative boost since it's always different.
I've also rebranded somewhat, emphasizing more of the fine art aspects of my work. Not only does it resonate with me, it also appeals to clients since it's something different from other boudoir photographers.
With renewed inspiration that comes from a stronger vision, I'm excited to start working with clients again. Thinking about a shoot? Let's talk.