female artistic portraits at Union Station
I LOVE to learn new things, and as an entrepreneur the necessity of learning new things NEVER stops. I used to go to photography conferences pretty much every year, sometimes twice a year. Then I got pregnant, had kids, and well I realized almost 7 yrs had gone by since I went to one, that’s way too long!! So I was beyond excited to go to Shutterfest recently in St Louis, MO. I learned some new techniques, networked with other photographers, got to see and try out new photography products and equipment, and best of all it refueled my passion and love of photography.
Unfortunately my camera broke halfway through the conference. Whenever I have a paid photo shoot I always bring a backup camera and I remember packing my bags for the conference thinking “hmm….should I bring my backup, nah, it’s too much to carry, one will be fine” And of course I regretted that after my camera tumbled 2 feet to the floor and failed to turn on afterwards. But even though I missed out on taking pictures during a few of the photography workshops, it did force me to just listen and observe…and at least I have a thousand less pictures to edit, lol. Thankfully after a few hundred dollars in repair my camera is already back as good as new from Nikon. And now that I’ve gotten around to editing some of my pictures from Shutterfest I wanted to share these in particular with you. These are pictures of the young and amazing model Gabi Porter. She has been modelling at Shutterfest for the past few years now and I was lucky enough to be introduced to her and invited along on this photo shoot by one of my conference roommates and amazing photographer Ali Johnson. We had so much fun playing with these red color gels and this incredible outfit. It’s gothic, it’s a little sexy, it’s quite rebellious & daring, and I freaking loved it, wish I had this outfit for my own costume collection!
The photography conference was held at the St Louis Union Station, an incredible historic venue and hotel that made the whole experience just that much better. It provided us some unique backdrops for pictures and was just a fun place to explore and meander around between workshops and seminars. Photographing people in unique places, particularly with historic and architectural significance is one of my favorite things. It was my first time not just at this Union Station, but in the city of St Louis. I did get to try some amazing BBQ but missed out on catching a blues show, which I’ve been told is another must-do in the city, so next time St.Louis, I’m pretty sure I’ll be back again!
unique gothic portraits at Union Station