Cheyne’s Photo Blog

Come Sail Away with Me

     

Another fantastic collaboration project!

The model:
Cerise Marchan is a wonderfully talented model who can pose like a pro. She's a local girl who looks great in front of the camera, so it was really easy to work with her and give her direction. Plus, she's mature and handles herself professionally, which I love.

The hair & makeup:
My trusty Mish came through again with another beautiful pin-up inspired look. From the sultry red lips to the stylized victory rolls in her hair, Mish pulled this look together in an hour (a record, I believe!) and she still managed to do a wedding for another client later in the day. Her talent is priceless in helping to bring my vision to life.

The wardrobe:
A random thrift store find, the nautical blue jacket was the perfect style and cut for this sailor-themed shoot. The white shorts were picked up the day prior to the shoot. It helps to have a vision in mind when shopping. That way you don't overspend or overlook anything that can be styled into something awesome.

The shoot with Cerise went so well that we scheduled another shoot right after, this time with my good friend/model Jason Loo. Those pictures will be available on my website (www.firebirdphoto.com) for you to view.

Loading mentions Retweet

Arabian Prince

   

I never like to do the obvious, so when I was contemplating a theme for South American model Marcos, I immediately discounted doing a "Futbol"-themed shoot; Sports is not my thing. I wanted something that would showcase his exotic looks (and impressive physique) and also my signature vintage style.

It dawned on me to take a trip to the Middle East and re-create an Arabian Nights theme. After some research, I had a better understanding of Arabic & Middle-Eastern styles of garments and how I can reproduce them on a budget. I lucked out and found some great harem pants on sale at the local Goodwill. Paired with layers of costume jewelry and a gold vest I already had, the outfit was complete - except for the headgear.

I own an actual Fez (a souvenir from my friend's trip to Egypt) and a muslim knit cap, but they still didn't look right to me. Well, as you can tell from the 2nd photo, the solution was staring me right in the face, so I went with it. Yes, I used the same window curtain that I used for the Matador shoot. It was the perfect color & texture, so how could I refuse? Wrapped around his head and accented with a gold brooch I got from Japan, the look was complete!

You heard it here first, people, the stylist who refuses to use the same outfit twice did it this time. The lesson here is one of re-invention: view an object as something else, re-purpose it, and it will ensure you stay under budget and will flex your creative muscles.

Loading mentions Retweet

Hilo photoshoot

I apologize for my lack of posts lately, I've been swamped with photography work. When I'm not shooting, I'm planning/designing the next shoot.

         

One of the big events was a photoshoot in Hilo with some visiting models. The models were imported by another photographer, who kindly let me borrow them for the day (thanks Theodore!). Mike Lane flew in from Kentucky, Mattchu from Vegas and Rachel from Honolulu.
 
My photo adventure began with an early morning flight at 5:00 am. Half-asleep, I checked into my hostel and spent a half hour walking through Hilo town scouting for locations. After a quick breakfast with everyone, we set out for our first session at a nearby beach.
 
Unfortunately the weather was not the best. Rain and chilly winds greeted us at the beach, but that's Hilo for ya. Big kudos to Mike & Rachel for standing in the rain in relatively skimpy bathing suits for the 50's retro shoot. It was also my first time doing hair on a female myself because my makeup artist Mish could not join me for the trip. Rachel and I collaborated to get the victory rolls in her hair. In spite of our weather woes, the shoot went great. I had an umbrella casualty, forcing me to bid adieu to yet another piece of equipment. At least it was put to good use before it was tossed.
 
The next shoot was of Mattchu in a pair of overalls I'd been dying to use since finding them. Unfortunately, the perfect location was alongside the Hilo Farmer's market, so we had a couple gawkers during the shoot. Being a model means being unabashed and Matt pulled it off effortlessly. After a quick wardrobe change, we tackled a schoolboy shoot on the sidewalk, which is where we took that behind the scenes photo.
 
The final set was a 1970's inspired look. Mike wore a unique orange shirt and mustard pants combo I had set aside specifically for him. Ironically, Mike's outfit was purchased entirely from the women's section ha! Rachel wore a very retro muumuu I had in my collection for a while. The historic Palace Theatre served as the backdrop for our final session of the day.
 
Afterwards, we took the time to play tourist. We enjoyed some shaved ice and drove to Rainbow Falls. We even stopped at an international Pow Wow they were having. Mattchu and Rachel are part Native American so they joined in the dancing festivities while I shot candid photos of them. It was an interesting way to end our day.
 
We rewarded ourselves with some great food and drinks at a local bar and then it was time for my return flight home. Yes, I stayed in Hilo for approximately 14 hours. It was quite a whirlwind adventure, but well worth it. I not only got some stellar images, but I also made great friends that I look forward to spending time with again!

Loading mentions Retweet

Fresh Ink

     

It's finally out! The LOOK Hawaii Magazine issue featuring the photos I shot back in January 2009 is finally out!
 
I didn't shoot the cover photo (2nd pic) but I two beautiful glossy double-truck spreads inside! I styled the spread entirely from a new
vintage boutique named CLOTH (located at 909 Kapiolani Blvd.) that carries the most amazing collection of vintage wear I've seen so far.
 
It's such a trip to see my work reproduced large in a magazine! It's such a surreal honor. Speaking of surreal, the weirdest compliment (?) I received about the photos has to be "Oh my god, are those real people?". I guess if you're not used to seeing my vintage processing, you have to do a double-take to decide what is "different" about the photos. Looking at them now, I can see how someone might thing I painted them.
 
The third photo is of my original sketch and the final outfit. I sketched the outfits after researching the outfits in CLOTH. Once I knew what I wanted, I drew it and made sure we stayed as close to the sketch as possible. Planning ahead is such an important skill to develop. Admittedly, it isn't easy, but it pays off in the end!
 
My success is a shared one. The wonderful team that helped it all come together consisted of two fabulous makeup artists, Toni P. Farley and Sarah la Glam, two gorgeous models, Blake and Eirik, and of course the help of one awesome photo editor Ryan Kerns. Thanks also to Karlel, the Editor in Chief of LOOK Hawaii Magazine, for hiring me to work on the issue.
 
Find a copy or subscribe to the magazine by going to the LOOK Hawaii Magazine website. Tell 'em Cheyne sent ya!

Loading mentions Retweet

El Matador

       

This series was inspired by the matadors and bullfighters of Spain. I've always admired the beautiful costumes and statuesque poses of the matadors, so I was thrilled to finally start working towards achieving that vision.
 
The perfect model for the job was Winfield Kelly. Winfield is very professional and though this was our first project together, I knew I could trust him to get the job done. His latin looks combined with his professionalism made Winfield a joy to work with.
 
Besides my great model, one of the other elements that really sells the idea and completes it is the matador outfit. Built from a variety of thrift store finds (for under $25.00), this budget bullfighter outfit was actually part of a 2-piece dress which probably belonged to some old Filipino lady with an obvious flair for style.
 
Here's a behind the scenes video on the styling for this shoot:

 
Hawaii residents should recognize the backdrop as the famous Natatorium, the War Memorial. In it's heyday, the Natatorium was an olympic-sized seawater swimming pool which housed swim meets. This dilapidated structure was recently renovated with the hopes of re-opening it, but it has since been neglected and is in dire need of maintenance again. Unfortunately, the maintenance costs are not in the budget and there is talk of tearing it down. It saddens me to hear of these decisions, but I am very glad to have captured it before its demise. Fans of my work will notice that it's as much about the location as it is about the model. I put lots of thought into where I shoot and I am honored to shoot at famous Hawaii landmarks. It is my way of preserving them forever.

Loading mentions Retweet

Sunday Breakdown

Loading mentions Retweet

Fit Fashion

     

I was approached by Hudson Taylor, Hawaii's reigning "Most Beautiful Man", to style and shoot him in a fashion editorial shoot.
 
Looking at Hudson's portfolio, I was slightly intimidated. How does one begin to style a fitness model with a rock-solid physique? Hudson helped with some of the research by divulging his favorite clothing brands (Emporio Armani) and favorite colors (red, black and grey), information which turned out to be a tremendous help. If I had more time, I would have gone shopping and acquired more tailored pieces, but the shoot was a mere 3 days away. I decided to style him using (gulp) items from my existing wardrobe closet.
 
I wanted something fashionable, but I didn't want to do an entire red outfit. I chose to keep red as an accent color. I started pulling everything black and grey out of my collection. When it was all laid out, a grey Nehru jacket (made popular by the character Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films) stood out. I liked the streamlined look of it, with the buttons hidden from view. Plus, the collar was unique. For the red lining, I used a woman's trenchcoat underneath. This gave the right amount of red and also added more distinct flair because it was longer than the grey jacket. The plaid pants were taken from my personal collection (the stuff I normally wear to work). I tied the pants with red braided cords to distribute the color throughout the ensemble. Accesories included a red chair-tie used as a necklace and a fingerless black glove. There was no denying this was one unique outfit.
 
The location coordinated well with the outfit too. The red brick mimicked the plaid pattern in the jeans and provided enough of a generic background for Hudson to pop out. It also looks like we traveled to the mainland to shoot!
 
Hudson loves the photos and the outfit so much, he wants me to style him another outfit soon. It's a huge honor for not only my photography
skills to be sought after, but also my styling. I never thought it'd catch on, but I guess when you spend as much time on details as I do, you'll eventually be desired for what you love doing. That is a great feeling that looks great on anyone.

Loading mentions Retweet

Inspirations: Fashion Safari

   

This is the first in what's going to be a regular feature on my blog: anecdotes and notes on my inspirations for past shoots.
 
I've worked with Jason Loo before, so we've developed a mutual trust in each other's abilities and skills -- I know he can strike some awesome poses, he knows I can shoot some awesome photos, no big whoop -- so I was tickled pink when he asked me to create a custom themed shoot.
 
He had just gotten back from American Idol auditions in San Francisco and had picked up a cool wooden elephant necklace. He wanted me to build a shoot around that little, wooden souvenir. Boy, what a challenge.
 
I started thinking about safaris, specifically African Safaris, the kind you read about as a child. Then, I started to think about how to stage a safari. First, I narrowed it down to some basic elements: attire, weapons and animal prey. I should mention here that one of my major inspirations is Michel Gondry ("The Science of Sleep", "Be Kind Rewind", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"). The man is a genius and the detail he puts into his sets and his props is astounding. He also uses cardboard a lot, which is a low-tech approach I highly admire.
 
So, the night before the shoot I sat and created these cardboard props to fill this fantasy world. The toughest challenge was the pith helmet (not shown here), getting it to look and read like a flat 2-dimensional object was a puzzle.
 
Add in some purple gloves and a snazzy outfit with lapels and you've got yourself one surreal safari.
 
Ta-dah!

Loading mentions Retweet