Contentious Reality http://contentiousrealityphotography.com the photography of Katie Harper Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:52:55 +0000 en hourly 1 On Location: Guiliana at the Park http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/11/on-location-guiliana-at-the-park/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/11/on-location-guiliana-at-the-park/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:14:40 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=716 On Saturday, October 23rd, I had the pleasure of working with local model Guiliana Medeirios and local makeup artist/hairstylist Nellya Maksim.  Since the Fall foliage was in full bloom, we planned to take advantage of the great weather and scenery for an outdoor shoot with a soft, romantic feel.

Guiliana brought a gorgeous beaded gown in a warm shade of pale yellow, and we decided on makeup in shades of copper and orange to highlight the look.  Due to scheduling conflicts and last minute look changes, we decided to shoot at Szot Park in Chicopee rather than our originally planned location, as the park is only a 5 minute drive from the studio.  In retrospect, I’m glad we did, since the park turned out to be the ideal location.

Since I liked so many of the images in both black & white and color, I’ve included both versions below.

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/11/on-location-guiliana-at-the-park/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Olivia and the Dolls http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-olivia-and-the-dolls/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-olivia-and-the-dolls/#comments Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:09:35 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=713 One recent Sunday afternoon, I had the pleasure of working with Connecticut-based model Olivia Pierce.  We worked on a couple of different themes of a darker nature and included an assortment of vintage dolls in some of our concepts.  Hand in hand with the vintage attire and doll companions, I added an antique feel to several of the images in Photoshop.  We also worked on some setups incorporating high contrast lighting and shadow.

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-olivia-and-the-dolls/feed/ 0 On Location: At The Beach with Victor and Morgan http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/706/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/706/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 03:53:31 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=706 One Saturday afternoon in August, I had the pleasure of working with local models Victor and Morgan at a beach location not too far from my studio.  One would think that organizing a couples-style shoot with two models who had, in fact, never met would pose problems, however, Victor and Morgan are both creative professionals who quickly overcame any awkwardness and worked together to create a great chemistry in front of the camera.

Although I was hoping for that great late afternoon beach light, the overcast skies had another idea entirely;  we modified our concepts a bit to include more fashion themes and even a bit of darkness as a result.  I think everything worked out for the best, and I’m really happy with the way the photos turned out!

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/706/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Bike Shoot with Sarah Pandora http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-bike-shoot-with-sarah-pandora/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-bike-shoot-with-sarah-pandora/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:24:24 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=700 Recently, I had the opportunity to put together a team to shoot a concept that is quite different from my usual fare.  Armed with a borrowed Harley Davidson Sportster, local makeup artist Stephanie Costa and model Sarah Pandora, I set about to create something about as far from your typical girl-on-motorcycle shoot as possible.

Since the motorcycle, generously provided by my good friend Aaron, has a definite retro look to it, we styled the shoot around that. We shot at various spots in the parking lot of my studio, utilizing a very simple lighting setup consisting of two speedlights and two bounce umbrellas.

Also, if you’re interested in seeing how I work, be sure to check out the video Stephanie put together chronicling the shoot here:  Bike Shoot Video by Stephanie Costa

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-bike-shoot-with-sarah-pandora/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Victoria http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-victoria/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-victoria/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:47:36 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=689 Recently, I had the pleasure of working with Victoria Meredythe, a model new to the area.  We concentrated on beauty and classic portraiture.  Our aim was bold, colorful shots with lots of character, so we enlisted the help of makeup artist Tiffany Hall-Scarmana.

Victoria is a natural, and this is one of my favorite sets yet!

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-victoria/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Vanessa http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-vanessa/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-vanessa/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:53:44 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=694 One recent Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of working with local model Vanessa Destiny.  Though her specialty is generally swimwear and fashion, she and I came together to work primarily on beauty shots, with some shadowy themes added for good measure.  Rounding out the team was super creative Connecticut-based makeup artist Tiffany Hall-Scarmana.

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/09/at-the-studio-vanessa/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Kendra http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-kendra/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-kendra/#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:24:39 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=676 Recently, I had the pleasure of working with agency-signed local model Kendra Richards on some beauty shots.  Beauty work, by definition, focuses on the face and hair, and usually consists of clean  lighting, elaborate makeup and tighter crops, generally from the chest up.

Our aim was creative, bold and unusual, and I think we accomplished that due to Kendra’s artistic posing and Tiffany Hall-Scarmana’s  makeup magic.

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-kendra/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Dark Imagery, Part II http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-ii/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-ii/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:17:12 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=661 Back in June, I decided to undertake a series of shoots all centering on darker concepts.  Working in and around the studio, I shot a variety of models in various scenarios; though the setups were diverse, the main unifying theme was darkness.

I’ve split the resultant images into two parts.  Here is part 2 starring Maggie, Allie and Karla.

Part I of this series is here: Dark Imagery, Part I

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-ii/feed/ 1 At The Studio: Dark Imagery, Part I http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-i/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-i/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:54:16 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=657 Back in June, I decided to undertake a series of shoots all centering on darker concepts.  Working in and around the studio, I shot a variety of models in various scenarios; though the setups were diverse, the main unifying theme was darkness.

I’ve split the resultant images into two parts.  Here is part 1 starring Jessica and Kim.

Part II of this series is here: Dark Imagery, Part II

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-dark-imagery-part-i/feed/ 1 At The Studio: Gloria http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-gloria/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-gloria/#comments Sat, 14 Aug 2010 17:38:07 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=682 Recently I had the pleasure to shoot with Gloria, a local model.  We concentrated on beauty work and classic portraiture, enlisting the makeup skills of Tiffany Hall-Scarmana.  Though she is new to modeling, Gloria’s natural beauty and creativity resulted in a great set of photos!

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-gloria/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Meet & Greet http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-meet-greet/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-meet-greet/#comments Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:19:24 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=617 On Saturday,  August 7th, Chris and I opened our studio doors for a meet & greet event.  Calling together friends, photographers, models, stylists and art lovers, our purpose was to bring people together from all over for the purpose of networking, socializing, sharing junkfood, and, of course, taking some photos!

These are mine from the meet & greet event.  Some may be NSFW-ish for mild bondage themes.  Enjoy!

If you’re interested in coming to a future event like this, follow me on Facebook for updates on the next one!

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/08/at-the-studio-meet-greet/feed/ 0 Live: J.K. Haze’s Album Release Party http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/live-j-k-hazes-album-release-party/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/live-j-k-hazes-album-release-party/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:48:02 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=568 This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of shooting the release party at the Tammany Hall Club in Worcester for J.K. Haze’s new album “Love Me, Hate Me, Feel Me”.  In addition to J.K. Haze and the rest of the Crookland Records crew, local artists Jack Frost, Deli, Kinda Dusty and Baige O’Bannon performed that night.  The party was awesome and I had a great time working with this incredible group of musicians once again.

The final edits from the show are below:

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/live-j-k-hazes-album-release-party/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Shiva Kitty http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/shiva-kitty-at-the-studio/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/shiva-kitty-at-the-studio/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:58:20 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=518 This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to work with an experienced local model who works under the name Shiva Kitty.  Our aim for the day was a combination of vintage fashion and darker looks.  As has become my custom, we worked both in the studio and around the building, and finally outside.

The finished photos are below:

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/shiva-kitty-at-the-studio/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Sam http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/sam-at-the-studio/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/sam-at-the-studio/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:58:30 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=514 On Saturday, June 5th, I had the pleasure of shooting with Sam, a local model.  We decided to work on a variety of things to build her portfolio, from  darker stuff to high fashion and head shots.  Working quickly since there was a storm approaching, we shot both inside and outside the studio and managed to cover a bunch of looks in record time.

The finished photos are below:

]]> http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/sam-at-the-studio/feed/ 0 At The Studio: Sue, Part II http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/sue-at-the-studio/ http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/2010/06/sue-at-the-studio/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 02:10:14 +0000 Katie http://contentiousrealityphotography.com/?p=507 On Saturday, June 5th I had the pleasure of working with Sue, a good friend and a model who I’ve shot many times before.  She came down to the studio around 11 AM, and we took advantage of the building’s virtual ghost town status on the weekends to work our way down the halls and into the basement and eventually outside.

The finished photos are below:

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