Photographing engagement sessions can become monotonous if you don’t get creative. I decided to do a 1940s themed, engagement portrait session with models. I love the era of the 1940s from the clothes to the movies to the music. I wanted to produce 1940s style engagement photos that would bring out the mood and flair of the era. I purchased zoot suits (yes, they are still made) and some vintage dresses for the session. I also borrowed some period jewelry. This project gave me the opportunity to explore some different lighting and posing techniques as well as using the bold colors of the clothing to make a statement with the portraits.
Locale
I collaborated with two local wedding venues for the project–Bella Sera and Dove House. Each has some decor that provided the perfect complement for my 1940s style photographs. Bella Sera is styled after a Tuscan villa and has a large wrought-iron staircase and benches. Dove House is an old manor house that contains many period antiques. Dove House also has a yellow truck and a bright red phone booth on the grounds. What more could I ask for?
For the shoot, I used two models from Barbizon modeling college in Denver. Ian and Katie were great to work with. Ian even knew how to swing dance! I wanted to add a high fashion feel to the shoot so having modeling students gave me some added flexibility.
Engagement Session
We started the session at Bella Sera in Brighton. One of the cool pieces of furniture at this venue is a wrought-iron bench with back-to-back seats. I used this for an old-style Italian portrait. I then went up on the balcony and shot down on the couple swing-dancing. The top-down view from the balcony definitely provides a different vantage point. What a cool perspective.
We then went to Dove House in Lafayette. I had scouted this venue a couple of weeks before and knew the places ahead of time I wanted to shoot. The living room has ornate furniture that made a great backdrop fro a proposal shot. Dove House also has a number of pianos so we couldn’t resist recreating the Michelle Pfeiffer shot lying on the piano from the Fabulous Baker Boys. The bridal room has a great settee which is perfect for portraits. Unfortunately, the bridal room is narrow, so it was interesting to work around light fixtures and the like.
After the shoot, I had fun editing the photos. The colors were indeed vibrant as I had hoped. I also converted a few of the photos to black and white to make the session have a more authentic feel.
