From Ghetto Trash To (Slightly Less Hood) Upscale Class

Wassup my frenemies. The king is back again for his weekly entertainment.  Sit back, take notes, for I am no longer sick and I'm in full health (minus my hourly allergy attacks and dry eyeball). 

Yesterday was quite the interesting day.  Amongst my group of friends is a young african american girl named Brianna.  She's pretty rowdy and ghetto, but we love her because she's full of energy and has a good sense of humor.  I feel that Brianna has model potential, but before she pursues it, she needs to drink more water and watch her weight a little bit. Despite minor obstacles, I chose to go with a friend and take her clothes shopping for a potential outfit to photograph her in.
 With my own two eyes, I am able to see the potential, but I wanted to make sure that it translated to camera.  Brianna has exaggerated and oddly shaped head and facial features, making it uncertain how well her face translates on camera.  We found a turtle neck dress at H&M that seemed like it could work so we paid for it, but you BEST BELIEVE that we returnin' that thang this week fo' a full refund.  Know that, Believe That, TRUST IN DAT! 

After getting the dress, we took her to a friends house to do some make up and before we knew it, it was freaking 10:30 PM.  Not an ideal time to start setting up lights and a background for a photoshoot.  But..When Brianna came out of the bathroom with her makeup and outfit on, I knew the hassle would be worth it in end. The shoot itself was a bit difficult, being that I lost the outward white diffuser to my softbox and tried using a bedsheet to soften the light instead.  Despite these issues, there were shots that I was happy about.  These pictures have some minor facial retouching (in terms of blemish removal and makeup restoration), as well as slight liquification to the waist-line.  I hope you enjoy the pictures and livin' the NYC life while I wallow here in Chicago, trying to collect money on the street.
-Elias