Pin-up Dolls

Pin-up Dolls

One of the most fun I had this week was shooting the Phoenix Pin-up Dolls.  The group came to see me because they like the retro styling I give to my pin-up photography.  Here is a quick shot of the entire group.

Sexy Phoenix Pin-Up Dolls Glamour Photographer  Arizona

As you can see I had blast shooting this group of pin-up ladies.  This next photograph is an example of the styling that I give my pin-up work.

Sexy Phoenix Pin-Up Dolls Glamour Photographer Boudoir Photography Arizona

As you can see, I convert the image from a photograph to a graphic with a retro styling.  It adds some fun to the image, and pin-up is all about fun.  Of course being a bit sexy is part of it too, but it must be very tasteful to be true to form.

Tasteful images are also what makes great boudoir photography too.   Show too much and the image loses it sexiness.   Hinting is key, and that is where my experience comes creating these sexy intimate photos becomes important.

Next week has a few surprises coming.  With my clients permission, you might just see something very unexpected from me.


Kaidynce – Future Star


I found Kaidynce at a pageant a few weeks ago, and she was just full of personality. So I brought her into the studio to get some shots of her to see if it carried through on camera. As you can see from these few samples, it did.

Kaidynce was a real pleasure to work with. I asked her to show me some different expressions, are these are a few of what I got.


Sassy Sarongs Product Photography

This week the most fun I had was as the photographer of product shots for Sassy Sarongs.  A great company which produces an amazing variety of sarongs.  Lisa is always great fun to work with on her projects.  Each time she gets a new batch of sarongs in, she calls her favorite photographer – me.

We started the day with some photography of Lisa for her marketing materials.  Her sarongs made for some very colorful and interesting shots.  She was a great sport about trying various things to get a large variety of photographs to work.  As usual, my photographers eye saw some great opportunites to create some amazing photographs.

After the headshots were done, we moved on to the product photographs.  The shots were targeted for her website catalog along with some printed materials.  Once again there was a large variety of sarongs to shoot.  The colors and quality of these sarongs is amazing.

We ended the day by shooting the full body promotional materials.  These photographs will featured a beautiful model posing in a gentle breeze.  Getting the sarongs to behave in the breeze to was a challenge, but as a photographer I’ve learned a few tricks to get it to work.  The final photographs will be used in magazine, posters and other marketing materials.

I look forward to working with Lisa and Sassy Sarongs again on their next project.

Orcatek Photography Phoenix


Headshots in Black and White

Kandiss Black and White Headshot
Kandiss Black and White Headshot

With almost everything being in color in photography today, the fine art of a great black and white headshot is slipping away. It seems that photographers are usually reserving it for fine art photographs. Whereas I include it in my glamour and boudoir work, black and white also has a place in portraits and headshots. Particularly when it comes to business portraits, black and white offers a sense of traditionalism and as trends come and go, a black and white headshot is sure to remain timeless without looking out of place among the most trendy business web pages. Headshots like this can bring an air of professionalism and may get you to stand out more from the crowd. Using a Booth for Professional Headshots to get you the right pictures for your portfolio, is a smart choice and will set you apart from those who take it themselves.

The tonality of a black and white image adds a special depth to the images that just can’t be done with a traditional color photograph. It is even more important that the photographer control the light with black and white to create those moods. Photographer Olga Topchii (you can see her work at olgatopchii.com), for example, understands the importance of tonality in her photography. She has black and white images that focus on composition to generate the appropriate mood. Not enough photographers focus on in this day and age. Often many photographers try to boost their colors too much.

Color has become a crutch for some photographers, so worried about the perfect red that they overlook the other key elements to photography. Black and white, with the constraints it poses, forces the use of all a photographer’s skills to get a great image.

Digital photographers have it even tougher. A portrait / headshot shot in black and white digitally does not have the same available range as film. Some of the typical techniques to work around this in landscapes such as HDR, do not work practically with a person whose expression and eyes are key and move just the slightest bit between the frames.

There are other techniques that a skilled digital photographer can use to work around this, but it is a skill that takes time to learn.

Orcatek Headshot and Portrait Photography – Phoenix, Arizona


Sassy Sarongs Product Photography

This week, the most fun I had was as the photographer of product shots for Sassy Sarongs. A great company which produces an amazing variety of sarongs. Lisa is always great fun to work with on her projects. Each time she gets a new batch of sarongs in, she calls her favorite photographer – me.

We started the day with some photography of Lisa for her marketing materials. She’s doing a big push at the moment, with new photos, keyword research and other means to promote her products around the world being employed. Her sarongs made for some very colorful and interesting shots. She was a great sport about trying various things to get a large variety of photographs to work. As usual, my photographer’s eye saw some great opportunities to create some amazing photographs.

After the headshots were done, we moved on to the product photographs. The shots were targeted for her website catalog along with some printed materials. Once again there was a large variety of sarongs to shoot. The colors and quality of these sarongs is amazing.

We ended the day by shooting the full-body promotional materials. These photographs will feature a beautiful model posing in a gentle breeze. Getting the sarongs to behave in the breeze was a challenge, but as a photographer, I’ve learned a few tricks to get it to work. The final photographs will be used in a magazine, posters, and other marketing materials. Promotional materials such as this can really help a business thrive and grow in a climate where consumption from digital to real life is very important for growth. More and more companies are looking at branded materials such as custom t shirts to promote their business, alongside other forms of promotion.

I look forward to working with Lisa and Sassy Sarongs again on their next project.

Orcatek Photography Phoenix