the Honeyshot blog: Beauty and Glamour Portraiture

Back In The Swing Of Things

6:22 PM

Time Travel, the Magic of Photography

11:50 AM

I'd hang out with my young self, sure! We'd go shopping in the back of Tito's aunts van and pick out the latest trends for our next shoot. And then we would go get some 110 film and lock the bedroom door so the little siblings wouldn't come busting in. We'd sing along to HOLD ON by ENVOUGE and crack up when we couldn't hold that high note at the end of that crazy accapella intro. :-P I would say just a few words of advice to her though. That's all she would listen to because, much to her reluctance, she marched to her own beat. Only years later, would I know that it would all make sense in the end. So I would only say a few encouraging words, something like "Keep following your gut" , "You are stronger than you know", "Don't ever wear your hair like that again", "Veeeery cute outfit" and "You fkn got this"...Back in those days, writing and fashion were my main focus, earning some accolades through High School, but somehow, someway, photography played a huge role in documenting my life and almost all of my important milestones. Here below, for example, I was actually three months pregnant. Young, determined, and in love, I was gearing up for a life of motherhood, apartment hunting and finding a way, any which way to capture it all. I had to hide the ring because it was a big secret back then, but this photographer was so caring and trustworthy that I booked several shoots with him, even of my little girl after she was born. The other image of me, I am proud to say, I shot myself. So many years later, doing exactly what I have always loved to do; capturing memories!

I recently came across this very cool post by Ard Gelinck, and some insane photoshop skills, of celebrities Then and Now, and I couldn't get enough! This compelling project inspired me to time travel with these celebs, flashing back to the good ol' days. Forget about the side by side with the free insta-app, this blew me away so much, I decided to give it a whirl, searching high and low for that shoe box filled with prints and torn up old albums. I smile wide every time I dust them off and wish I would do it more often and I'd never let go of those double prints I got for .99 cents. Here is my low-rent version, my own little legacy (psssst, I won't even tell you how long it took me to do this), inspired by this amazing project.

How fkn cool is this?!!!

Me, ca 1990 & 2017

the legacy of your life in print, honeyshot photography, photography by k. hernandez, modern portraiture, glamour photography

Beauty and Glamour Portraiture

The Enchantress Enchants

2:46 PM

I will never forget the day I met Shane. I was at a local exhibition and was introduced to her by a mutual friend, but I definitely noticed her beforehand. Her light shown from yards away and her honest smile was the draw. We exchanged Instas, all the while I am already planning our shoot even before asking. Fkn #girlcrush to the MAX, okayyyy! Lol

We met for lunch and, right from the start, it wasn't an ordinary Presession consult. The ideas flowed and the passion for our ideas was palpable. Let me just say that a collaboration like this has always been a goal of mine; to work with a fellow artist who is open to explore all the creative possibilities. Lunch turned into wine and dessert and I learned so many things, about myself and more importantly about my new Muse, who buzzes with this intense positive energy. What I didn't know is that Shane has trained herself for this wonderful openness and acceptance of herself and that she also is training and working with people, helping them achieve the same. She went from Pre-school teacher to Behaviorist, working with special needs children. Utilizing her background, education and life experiences led her to the path of wanting to help people achieve their full potential. Once she graduated the School of Womanly Arts, she made it her mission to share her skills and knowledge with those seeking encouragement and utter support by way of dance sessions, retreats and one-on-one mentoring though her business, Enchanted Embodiment. What started as a chat about the shoot turned into a deep discussion of self-empowerment, self-awareness, acceptance, of being a woman, owning everything about ourselves-good and bad and all the nitty-gritty inbetweens. Loving ourselves. Sharing that love with others; the heart and soul of my business is the heart and soul of hers and I was just floored by the end of our meet. The Enchantress is a Life Coach. She is also a Burlesque Dance Instructor. She is also a writer. She is also an artist in her own right. She is a sister and a friend. She is beautiful inside out. She is very much an Enchantress...Please visit her website and explore all the wonderful information and coaching she has to offer. Just sitting and chatting with her made me feel content, real, satisfied, and damn happy to be a woman! She embodies her message and it seeps from her pores!! Yes, its real....

click here --> Enchanted Embodiment

The day of the shoot is here and I am still reeling from our hand waving, laughter filled powwow. My daughter-Professional Hair and Makeup Artist, lent me her talent for the day and the wheels were in motion. Shane arrived right on time and brought in her bag of goodies; long, silky slips, jewelry, furs, crowns....all a girl can ask for squeezed in a standard size tote, like the trick where the magician pulls out an elephant from a his top hat! She sat for hair and makeup as I played with all the frilly goods, pretending to organize and arrange. I zinged with excitement when I saw that bronze crown. After filming some behind the scenes, we went right to work, starting with a fur vest, for some casual headshots to warm up. The sun was teasing in and out, but the light in the room was perfect. She beamed even while I knew that posey posey was not her thing. We changed looks and that's when the actual magic began, incorporating mirrors, pearls, and ....well.....just letting go!! And as she moved and swayed and danced and we even shot a moving portrait. I wondered if my camera could actually capture all this soul! The dreamy effect of tulle in front of the lens was exactly fitting for this session, which went as planned in a very natural flow that is setting a new precedent for my future collaborations. It took me some time to go through the images. The range of poses, the freedom, the creative liberties we took in tandem...this suddenly became the hardest shoot I ever culled, ever!! I could not pick a favorite cuz they are all my favorite. Shane allowed me to explore creatively with her and for that, I will always cherish this session.... suffice it say, I was enchanted! Happy Viewing!

Beauty and Glamour Portraiture

F*CK PAIN....I AM A WOMAN

4:01 PM

Pain. Debilitating pain. Not easy to control, may affect your relationships, your marriage type of pain. The kind that may render you bed-ridden for a couple days, affecting your job, and your emotional stability. Endless tests, office visits, examinations, procedures, medication; as if getting our periods weren't enough!! Some women go through endometriosis pain and bleeding for days sometimes weeks at a time. The unbearable discomfort is hard to hear about, let alone-suffer from. Johanna has suffered from this pain since she started menstruating. She wants anyone and everyone to know that they are not alone and they should always seek medical attention, no matter how exhausting it may be....

"...Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years (ie. usually between the ages of 15 to 49), which is approximately 176 million women in the world" ref. Endometriosis.org

Johanna is a mom. A tough cookie. A boisterous personality with a great sense of humor and a keen sense of self. She is strong, a fighter. When she came in quiet, I sensed she was nervous. Her makeup and wheelie suitcase in tow, we started right away on what to wear for her shoot. She unpacked all her goodies, then her makeup. Rows of brushes and liners, lip colors, sponges, creams and powders; she is a professional, after all. A self-taught cosmetologist, and very talented hair stylist. She's been doing it since she was 12 and everyone went to her when they wanted a sleek style before an event.

We started with a soft look, and her husbands white tee. We cut the collar and stretch it out, ala FLASHDANCE. I'd like to believe that wearing her hubbys tee brings her some comfort. And, as I observe, she slowly opens up. I see her shy beauty begin to unfold. The more comfortable she gets, the more I see what she's been hiding. The mimosas helped, but she barely had a glass. We talk about life, our kids, our families, work...we both work in the medical field and pursue our creative passions on the side. Almost two hours flies by and we are down to the second look; red lips and black dress for my hand-painted backdrop in charcoal, placed so that we have backlighting coming in strong from the window behind it. It highlights her hair like a halo.

Finally, we end the session with a hug and she breaks down. I panic, immediately retracing our conversation for any slip ups or if I was too demanding! She THANKS me and hugs me again, "I haven't felt like this in so long, I feel like a woman, I feel beautiful, thank you!" I was in shock and confused. She hasn't even seen what I saw from behind the lens, aside from the few shots I showed her on the back of the camera-explaining away the "wahoos" and "ohyeas". But as she expresses all that she's been through throughout the years; the pain, the struggles, the procedures-all while taking care of her family-I was in awe of her supergirl powers! I have heard about the symptoms but never did I imagine how much it affects ones daily life. At this point, we are both in tears.

I ask her for the privilege of telling her story and she agreed. Her smile says it all; she GOT THIS! If one woman resonates from this share, even for the sake of knowing that she is not alone, then the honor is all mine! Please click the link above for any information on Endometriosis. In the meantime, here is the courageous and gorgeous Johanna!!!

Happy viewing....

Beauty and Glamour Portraiture

The Opposite of Self-Critique; Self Portrait Series

12:15 PM

Why is it so hard for us to take compliments? When people compliment us, why do we immediately ask "Ok, what do want, how much do you need?" Even men shrug off and shy away when someone notices how great their smile is or when they have a nice haircut. We all do that same little "aww shucks" shuffle, look down coyly and laugh it off, don't we? We immediately start to judge the other person; try to decide if they're being genuine, if there is a motive, are they just being polite...thus the battle of self-deprecation continues. We can sometimes say "Thank you" and mean it, well, because our mommas taught us so. Yet, the older I get, the more accepting I try to be. Not only of the compliments, but of my own appearance. Make no mistake, this goes beyond the superficial level. We beat ourselves up when reviewing images of ourselves and I have taken notice. Specifically when I speak with my own daughters, whom I think are the most beautiful aesthetically and all around. It pulls at my heartstrings to hear my girls talk about specifics; their shoulders, their teeth, their smile....things they feel are accentuated in an image. Right away, I want to shoot them (with my camera of course) and show them what I see. Responsibly, it starts with me.

MUA; Karina Ji Hair: Kysti

Like most people, I kind of cringe when I think about posing for self portraits. Even taking selfies can be quite nerve racking at times. Usually, the review is followed by a battery of self critique and the delete button trigger finger gets happy. How easy it is to look at an image of myself and start with the rants about my hair, my nose, my wrinkles, my skin, my twitchy eye...and then, it happened!

I began to cull a recent self portrait shoot. As I scroll past each image, I notice that I am really close to the camera and without even thinking I decided "Nope, these won't work"--trigger finger hovering over the delete, and then....pause...."Hmmmmm, this ones ok" and it continued. I actually liked them but more importantly, I accepted them, which is to say, I accepted myself! The opposite of self-critique began.

"I really like my hair here", and "Oh, my eyes really do look nice in this light"

It was very own reveal! Lol. Just like at a viewing session, when my clients sit with me and see their images for the very first time and ghasp-in love with what they see-themselves, which I live for. They can finally see what I see. Now, I did, too. Moving forward, I want to create a new habit; cringe less when viewing images of myself (its an exercise like any other and will take work, lol) find things I like and talk "UP" about it, say thank you and mean it when someone pays me a compliment!

As usual, life always has a funny way of bringing things round full circle. As I was drafting this post, I came across a beautiful poem and I wanted to share it here with you all along with some images from my shoot! Please check her stuff out, she is creatively beautiful!

"Honey, what I'm trying to say is this:
Fall in love with yourself.
(No, I mean it.)
Take yourself on dates and make yourself dinner.
Surprise yourself with chocolates and flowers and treats
and compliment yourself in the mirror. You look gorgeous.
Make yourself tea in the mornings, or at the end of a long day,
and take long walks with yourself,
stopping to pet dogs or to admire the view.
Fall in love with yourself.
Fall in love with the way you laugh,
and the way your hands look gripping the steering wheel of your car,
and the way you stutter when you're talking to someone you like,
and that one piece of hair that always curls away from the rest.
You are a delight.
You are a wonder.
You are gold.
Fall in love with yourself.
You're worth it."
•••
written by @shecraftswords