Amy Dunn, Houston Photographer Blog » fashion

Another Photo Added to Fashion Gallery

amydunn — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:44:12 +0000

Modeling Tip of the Day: Don’t be afraid to get dirty.

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Houston, TX 2010

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Hair/Makeup Artist: Sara Eudy
Model: Allyson

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L IS

Fashion Shoot with Zara

amydunn — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:27:59 +0000

New photos (finally) posted in the fashion section. You won’t want to miss these! Let me know what you think of my photoshoot with Asian model sensation–and possibly my new muse–Zara.

Cara Dulce Studios
Houston, TX 2010

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Hair/Makeup Artist: Sara Eudy
Assistant: Krystyn Lea
Model: Zara

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-70 mm

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Fashion Shoot at Historic Home in Galveston, TX

amydunn — Mon, 24 May 2010 05:10:20 +0000

I had access to one of the most beautiful homes in Texas this past weekend, an historic home in Galveston, Texas. This home withstood Hurricane Ike–impressive considering the damage done to that island. While the massive trees in front of this house completely disappeared after the natural disaster, a beautiful stained glass window and the overall structure maintained its natural state. Inside the cherry-wood interior, the house had all these elegant plush chairs, a one-of-a-kind fireplace, and rich, textured wallpaper. Who still uses wallpaper?! LOL

My mind raced at 100 miles an hour setting up shots. Everywhere I turned, I found new accent pieces and potential props. We had limited options in clothing, however, because the original stylist for the shoot could not make it last-minute. Instead of panicking, I pulled some pieces from my personal closet, and the model’s mother, Miss Sandra, contacted an up-and-coming designer named Clare Renee. This lady saved our shoot!

Let me take a moment and talk about the difference between a professional and a wanna-be: a professional always has a back-up plan. While we all could have easily cancelled the shoot when the original stylist could not make it, the team and I put on our thinking caps and decided to go forward with the shoot. I had some dresses in my own closet that matched the shooting concept: clean, simple, pretty. And just when I thought we would have to do a little shopping to supplement the shoot, the model and her mother secured clothing from Clare Renee. Even though Clare Renee could not be there at the actual shoot, she still allowed us to use her clothing. I have never met Clare Renee; I love that good karma and would do anything for her.

I have always wanted to shoot in a Victorian home and almost lost this opportunity. Huge thanks to everyone for helping to create a back-up plan and for pulling through last-minute. Because of the location, excellent assistance, and laid-back crew, I can say this was one of my favorite shoots in Texas. I look forward to finding more beautiful locations and working with pros.

Historic House in
Galveston, TX 2010

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon Slevec
Hair/Makeup artist: Tenya Du
Clothing designer: Clare Renee
Location scout: Sandra B.
Model: Jaimie

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 24-70 mm

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The Night I Retired from Modeling

amydunn — Wed, 05 May 2010 05:16:57 +0000

As a model, you oftentimes get opportunities to appear on television, movies, music videos and commercials. Here’s a fun music video I did with Taiwanese superstar, Landy Wen (溫嵐). We shot this in the middle of the night in a spooky warehouse somewhere on the outskirts of Taipei.

Videos, like fashion editorials, take a long time to shoot. Here, we waited nearly six hours before the director scheduled our scenes with Landy. Over the speakers, we could hear the catchy lyrics to “不吵不鬧,” and even though my Mandarin is a joke, by the time we shot our scene, I could lip sync like a pro. The choreographer shouted over the music, “辣! 辣! 辣!” That literally translates to “Spice!” and we certainly kicked up the heat. The director’s blocking placed me at the front with Landy, and I will divulge a little set secret: she had to dance on a raised platform because the models were so tall.

My cousin, Anson, found this video for me sometime last year. Six years had passed since the crew shot this video, and seeing it somehow made me sad. In 2002, I had reached the height of my modeling career. Since then, I have aged and gained so much weight–and I am so past my prime, it’s not even funny. I know very few people can relate to this, but the modeling world puts a lot of pressure on you. I feel shallow even admitting it. I felt invincible during this time, though, as I had finished my first year of law school, modeled for Vogue and Cosmopolitan, nailed a cosmetics campaign, landed a lingerie campaign, and pretty much conquered every goal I had set forth at the beginning of my modeling career.

I decided to retire from modeling the night of the 不吵不鬧 video. Perhaps this is why I feel a tinge of remorse when I see the video. Even though I get that pang of nostalgia, I do remember what a kick-ass time I had on that set and how much I enjoyed dancing. I still have no idea what she’s singing about, but I sure have fun trying to sing along.

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Keep Austin Weird

amydunn — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:10:55 +0000

Howdy! I’m in Austin, Texas this week (happy dance). The city has a motto, “Keep Austin Weird,” and I remember my first taste of that weirdness when I attended The University of Texas several years ago. Right around 6th Street, I saw a man walking around outside in a thong and high heels. I’d later know him as “Leslie,” the transvestite. He fell ill this week, and the city mourned the potential loss of their beloved icon by holding a vigil last night. That’s how weird this city is!

I wanted to channel some of Austin’s weirdness into a shoot, try something new, and dirty up my photos a little bit. In both shots, I set up three lights: (1) main light – beauty dish and grid; (2) kicker light with 30° grid and barn door; and (3) hair light with 40° grid with barn door. I wish I had an assistant for this shoot because the lighting needed constant tweaking. Despite the cool weather outside, I worked up a sweat! The bright sun poured in through the open windows, so I had to trick out the lighting to give a dark, glamorous, nighttime feel.

I met a talented artist named Hope Perkins of Hot Pink Pistol, and she had access to all this cool, weird stuff in her Austin home. I got to use some excellent props, and Catherine, the amazing stylist and Hope’s roommate, has a retail shop with a strong vintage feel, so I went with a vintage/Technicolor look in post. Remember the startling blue eyes in Breakfast at Tiffany’s? Or the poppy, saturated, contrasty colors in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Ahhh… I can’t say I have perfected the process because every photo needs a great deal of tweaking in Photoshop. I’m certainly having fun trying, though! Wouldn’t it be fun to recreate a modern-day Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe look with this Technicolor process? *drools*

After this shoot, I realized how much I loved shooting in Austin. I have no doubt I will visit again soon and incorporate some Austin quirkiness in future shoots.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Makeup artist: Carla
Wardrobe stylist: Catherine @ Foxy Vintage
Models: Rachel, Grace

Austin, TX 2009

Fashion Shoot with Model: Megan

amydunn — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:55:23 +0000

For the last six weeks, I have had something like writer’s block for photographers: I guess you can call it “photographer’s block.” I knew I did not want to shoot another photo with a seamless background, and I wanted to take advantage of shooting outdoors. I faced two issues with the latter:

1. Access
2. Bad weather

I do not mind the rain, but models generally do not like to shoot when sheets of rain soak them to the core. I primarily shoot people, so I needed some willing participants to go outside with me. As the weather cleared up, I overbooked myself and managed three photo shoots this weekend.

I did not have any concepts in mind other than the need to shoot with natural light only. After a successful commercial shoot with Marketa Belonoha on Saturday (can’t wait to share those), I tried my hand with natural lighting in fashion photography. Here, I simply diffused some sunlight and added a little pop into the eyes with a reflector. I then decided to go with muted tones in post as I have seen this trend in recent fashion photography.

The results surprised me, and even though I lacked some confidence this weekend, I am glad I went out there to take pictures. My best advice to you if you suffer from photographer’s block: just keep shooting!

New photos added to my fashion portfolio.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Makeup artist: Diana Manzanares
Hair stylist: Alison Smith
Clothing stylist: Dagmara Dziedzic
Model: Megan

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
New York City, 2009

Inspired by India

amydunn — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:53:48 +0000

I love the Matthew Williamson collection at H&M this season. His designs offer bright colors and loud patterns, and it immediately reminded me of India or the Maldives. I did some research on Matthew Williamson and discovered that he lived and worked in India; therefore, his work naturally reflects bold patterns from the Indian subcontinent and its surrounding countries. Check out the bangles!

How often is our own work inspired by the places we have visited? I lived in India for six months, and I certainly incorporate that experience into my photos. Photography is autobiographical, anyway, so the viewer gets to know more about me through the images I create. What does your photography reveal about you?

I searched high and low for this dress, but it is sold out worldwide. If anyone finds it by some
strange stroke of luck, could ‘ya grab one in a size 38-40/small for me? Thanks!