kauai here i come... and my new project

i'm about to jet set off into the sunset (or sunrise really, early morning flight) to spend a delicious week in kauai. we're staying at a lovely place in poipu and i plan to soak up a ton of sun and eat and drink my fair share of fresh ahi and mai-tais. while i'm there i also will try some "real" shooting (i.e. photos in addition to the standard vacation pictures of cute dolphins and palm trees). my step brother and his girlfriend will hopefully be my generous models for some lovely portraits i have in mind.

and now to transition...

this kauai shooting is part of a new body or work: i am merging the styles of my "fashiony" work with my "polaroid" work. this means shooting portraits with the sensibility that i use to shoot my "something like home" project. i'm very excited about the concept and am scheduling a bunch of shooting when i get home. i'll even be shooting in la for a few days in early february!

i'm hoping to learn two things:
1. how to create beautiful elegant backgrounds out of any environment
2. how to make all of my portraiture feel slightly more real/personal without compromising my style

i plan to try to learn these things by:
1. shooting in uncomfortable locations, in places i've never seen, homes, motels, wherever
2. working without a crew (hair/makeup/styling) to maximize the character of whoever i'm photographing

i have some other ideas but i'll start with these. i have my fingers crossed for a great shoot in hawaii!