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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

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70's Chic

     

Let it be known that as much as I love the 50's, I am also in love with the 70's. Whereas the 50's were about clean-cut colors and perfection, the 70's were about crazy polyester patterns and just looking cool. At least that's what I think ;)
 
When I first saw my model Azhjeli, I wasn't sure if I had the skills to work with him. He had long hair, something I had never worked with before on male models. After I found out he had cut his hair, I began to see potential, especially since he had a rockin' great physique.
 
My original idea was to continue my "Pleasantville" series (first started with my Milkman session) with a vintage postman. I had difficulty styling the outfit to look authentic and a location was baffling me, so I opted to do another decade. I had a polyester shirt I'd been dying to use since I purchased it. The location was originally supposed to be in front of an old, run-down apartment complex, which I thought resembled an old 70's motel. When we arrived at the location, we found it had been fenced up, no doubt soon to be demolished. Disappointed, but determined, I thought the next best location was a turqoise-colored building on King St. I always pass this building during my lunch breaks, so I knew from the start I wanted to shoot there.
 
In his polyester shirt ($7.00 @ Goodwill!), baby blue slacks and white leather shoes, Azhjeli looked every bit authentic and people couldn't help but slow down and stare. I think it'd be neat to be recognized on the street one day simply because I'm the only photographer in Hawaii who shoots vintage-themed photos.
 
I love the 70's and can't wait to shoot another 70's-inspired set. Will you be my next model?

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Rockin' Rockwell

     

My first exposure to Norman Rockwell's paintings were in my pediatrician's office. 10-year old Cheyne didn't fully understand the patriotic or satiristic nature of Mr. Rockwell's work, he just knew it was great to look at, sometimes funny. As time passed, I became more and more aware of what a brilliant painter he was. Norman Rockwell's work not only presented America, it also preserved America. This is the type of feeling I strive for in my images. In addition to them looking great, I wanted them to feel great. These little moments preserved forever in my photographs.
 
The model I selected for this collegiate portrait was Cade London, a young man relatively new to modeling. His current port consisted of shirtless photos taken by his girlfriend, but I saw the potential in him that no one believed. He had a wholesome good look, which was a potent mix of American hearthrob with ethnic flair.
 
The day was beautiful (compared to the rainy day prior), but the bright sunshine came at a price -- leave it to me to dress a model in layered clothing and have him stand in broad daylight! Cade was a trooper and he took direction very well. Here, you can see two shots and my behind the scenes shot, which reveals my typical minimalistic lighting diagram.
 
If you look closely at the books, they reveal my personality (as they are from my personal home library). They are (in order from bottom to top): "An Incomplete Education", Mandarin Dictionary, "The Complete Business Guide to Graphic Design" and "Tales from the Tao". I selected them for their color and shape, but they are symbolically very appropriate.
 
I am looking forward to working with Cade again, but also to tackle another Norman Rockwell inspired shoot!

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

You can control everything everything except the weather. I was reminded of this today during my session with Chris & Erin, who traveled to Hawaii from Vancouver, Canada. The shoot was planned a month in advance, but none of us could have predicted such a heavy downpour. If they weren't leaving in two days, I would have rescheduled. The steady rain left me with two options: wait it out or shoot indoors. They decided to wait it out and the first chance we had, we dashed out into the clearing and shot as fast as we could.
 
Luckily, I had the expert assistance of Lisa (who's a wonderful baby/child photographer!), who not only helped to setup my lights, but kept the equipment dry with her cheery rainbow umbrella. Together, we survived the rainy gauntlet. The real troopers today were Chris & Erin, who braved the chilly weather -- in shorts -- and still managed to be in high spirits and oh-so-photogenic!

     

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Racing the sun

You're looking at the first edited shot from a photoshoot that was a month in the making. See my previous post about Wish Kid LaShonda.

The day started with immediate stress as sheets of rain hitting the sidewalk outside my window woke me from my slumber. Rain on a day when a sunset means everything? Not good. I kept my calm, finished some chores and prayed for the sun to break through the clouds synced with a choir singing "hallelujah". That never happened. The best I got was an overcast pattern. To use a metaphor badly: It was a cloudy bowl of lemons, so I had to do my best to make lemonade.

We were to start at 3:00pm, but my makeup artist had to pick up her son from school before we could officially begin. I factored in a couple minutes of delay, which was fine. Then I get a txt message from my makeup artist that she was hit in the back of her head with a ball (don't know what type) when she was picking up her son from his afterschool program. Yikes! The last thing I needed was a makeup artist who was about to pass out! She was still a trooper and came to the shoot. I told her to drive safely, but secretly I meant "STAT!" My assistant Joe was also late, citing complications with his car and his back-up bicycle.

By 4:00pm, we arrived at LaShonda's hotel door and surprised her family. After some brief introductions makeup began and I had to leave to scout the beach location. Upon our return to the hotel, makeup was done but the sun was setting fast. It was a race against the sun as we drove towards the shoot location. Everyone seemed to be driving at a leisurely pace, perfect for those of us who were in a rush.

Finally at the location, I practically leapt out of the car to go setup my lights while the rest of the crew parked. The sun was setting fast and those clouds blocking weren't helping much. By 5:30pm we were already shooting and rapidly going through the poses. I felt bad that I had to rush this first-time model, but I really wanted to get some awesome shots with my limited light.

At 6:30pm our shoot was finished and no one was more thrilled it was over than yours truly. It was a great cause, but a harrowing and stressful experience. But, looking at the photos, you would never suspect a thing.

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