The following session is what you may safely refer to as my birth; the first attempt at an amateur photo shoot. Everything up to this point was done with cheap digital cameras mostly in the form of selfies.
It was time to get serious!
I've been hanging around on jungle gyms and parallel bars with friends for a while now. I wanted to try something new, something more solid. Some of the boys convinced me to visit this new gym downtown.
In short: I was hooked.
The place with suspicious initials P&M along with its staff made an outstanding first impression. However, I was not ready to abandon the street-fitness stage just yet.
An old friend who has been sharpening her skills as a photographer with the help of a scary Nikon entertained the idea of capturing my current state of development as a final memento before I venture off into the unknown world of in-door fitness.
A date was set, we picked a spot out of a number of impressive locations and before you knew it there was no turning back.
Over the course of two weeks I've lowered my carb and water intake down to the point where I was on the verge of jumping head-first into puddles just to take a sip. Looking back on that it probably did more harm than good.
On the day of the shoot (18.05.12) we were blessed with cool weather which was to be expected in the middle of May; chilly, cloudy and with a dampness that had the air of rain to it.The seven-story rooftop we've established for our session was not the safest of places considering its frail edges, dozens of aerials and lightning flashing in the distance but it made for a thrilling experience.
For me the process of posing in front of a tripod-mounted camera was pretty much like the first time I had sex. I had too much clothes on and I acted upon knowledge based on short Internet videos.
Regardless, the session went as smooth as a baby's bottom, considering the circumstances. We took our time experimenting with shots from different angles and with various objects found lying around. Bricks, piles of rubble and half-demolished walls were just some of the roof top's charismatic features.
Ivalina and I had a laugh over the absurdity of my awkward facial expressions and her matted hair. After all, the umbrella we've brought along was never intended for us. Keeping the camera dry was top priority!
After a lengthy period of trial and error we decided to call it a day and wrap up the equipment. We crashed at Iva's for a drink and a recap of the session. I was so dehydrated I would have drank cooking oil. Ironically, tap water was out of the question due to piping maintenance. Fml >.< We had to settle for a quick snack at a nearby bakery. (Thank goodness that was open!) The only thing missing was The Rolling Stones playing in the background.
A couple of days later I recieved all the photos in one neat archive file. Photography wise everything was flawless, but the model needed a great deal of work before earning that title.
Out of about 150 shots only a few were deemed worthy. The rest won a one way trip to the recycle bin.
Photography: Ivalina Saralieva
You can check out more of Iva's work at http://the-outfit-diaries.blogspot.com/
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