If you know me at all, you know I love all things COLOR. This micro elopement session made my creative heart so happy. Not only did I get another chance to photograph Anisett and Jason (the dream couple from this Sunset Cliffs couples session), but I also got to play with all sorts of artsy techniques while hosting a conversation about how to confidently and beautifully photograph melanin skin.
This elopement photoshoot was set up as a demo for Light + Melanin, my workshop for photographers who want more diversity in their portfolio, but don’t feel confident shooting or editing darker skin tones.
As a black woman (and a photographer) one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing the ways that other photographers edit black skin, and how they’re totally disrespecting darker skin tones… You can’t just make us all oversaturated and orange! Whatever they’re using as a preset, they do not have darker skin in mind. So many of my frustrations are tied to the fact that people honestly DON’T KNOW. I want to try to alleviate that lack of information with education.
Thus, Light + Melanin was born! This is my SOUL project, and I am so excited about it. From lighting and photo presets, to inclusivity in marketing and avoiding tokenism, this workshop addresses ALL OF IT.
To demonstrate the concepts behind Light + Melanin, I arranged three photo sessions with VERY different lighting situations, ideal for teaching photographers to shoot and edit darker skin tones.
I want to teach students to learn and conquer light, and understand how crucial it is for capturing melanin skin. Obviously there have not been any big weddings happening this year, so this felt like a good time to showcase what we can do with a micro elopement or a small wedding.
Anisett and Jason are so much fun to photograph. Just look at these two!! Their love shines through in any setting.
One of the best things about this mini elopement session was how much variation we could get within the same venue. From shooting Anisett’s gorg boho gown against the romantic black and white floral wallpaper, to artistic shots of the bride and groom surrounded by vibrant, translucent colorfields… hard to believe that we shot all of this within one venue.
We set up the most glorious rainbow backdrop for the bride and groom, complete with velvet chairs and boho rugs down the aisle. Like… give me ALL THE COLOR. I love that we went full maximalist rainbow wedding vibes for this mini elopement. So unexpected, and literally made my colorfully magic dreams come true with this setup. and I could NOT have done it without the dopest team on the whole damn planet. Looking back at this session makes my artsy heart so full.
Photographers: did you miss out on the in-person Light + Melanin workshop? I’ve got you covered. The online Light + Melanin video workshop covers 20 lessons about photographing and editing diverse skin, perfect for photographers who want to thoughtfully address diversity and tokenism in your portfolio.
Stay tuned for part two of this shoot, where we go from full color glory to love in black and white.
Vendors
Anisett wore a Rue de Seine gown that paired perfectly with the maximalist vibe of the black and white floral wallpaper. The Lesser Bear ribbon on Anisett’s bouquet is so extra — just look at all that GOLD popping against Jason’s bright white Asos tux.
That bold, rainbow hued backdrop? NBD, just the team at Wild Heart Events working their colorful magic. Can’t forget the rentals from Folklore, and table decor from Catalog Atelier. The florals are a dreamy collab between floral powerhouses A.H.R. Florals and Best Bud Floral. And have you ever seen anything like that colorful terrazzo-inspired cake from Nicole Bakes Cakes?
We held this photoshoot at Flora, a beautifully bougie wedding venue in the Gaslamp District of San Diego. The space is elegant, but still enough of a blank slate for us to get artsy with the visuals. Stay tuned for part two of this photoshoot, which has a totally different vibe.