Portrait Session: Portia Ross

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via PLola
Portia Ross by Cate Young

I LOVED shooting Portia.

Do you ever have those moments where you see something and you just HAVE to have it? That's what I felt like when saw Portia across a room one day after a class. She was sitting with a mutual friend of ours, and I absolutely fell in love with her style and her look.

So, like the creeper I am, I looked her up on facebook, got her email address and shot her a quick email asking her to sit for me. (Privacy settings y'all! Check'em) Anyway, because she's awesome she didn't run away screaming and we met up on Friday for a quick session. 

It's so refreshing as a photographer to find a subject who just knows. Not a lot of people are fully aware of their body, and it's one of the reasons why modeling is so hard. You have to be aware of every inch of yourself, and be able to manipulate it in pieces. Contrary to popular belief, it's a real skill.

Needless to say, shooting with Portia was a dream. She has a stunning face and I can't get enough of her. She's so effortless in front of the camera, and you'd be surprised how hard that is to come by.

In any case, here is a small preview of the shoot we did together. I haven't gotten through everything, and I hadn't even meant to start editing yet, but I wanted to start while the tone was still fresh in my mind. As I'm prepping my portfolio for grad school it's getting clearer to me that I need to have a clear vision of the kinds of stories I'm trying to tell through the faces I shoot, and shooting Portia really helped me to recognize that. I love that I'm defining my style. Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
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