I think most artists (and I cringe while typing that word) have a muse. (The only reason I used the word “artists” is because I think people skilled in many different media have a muse or muses, not just photographers; but the word when personally associated makes me feel unworthy and uncomfortable.) Anyway, moving right along…I am fortunate enough to have three muses. Is that even possible? I think so. I have a close friend whom I photographed quite regularly for about ten years until babies and life got in the way; I love her and I have a feeling we’ll find our way back to working together again. My next muse was and still is my daughter; even though she rarely agrees to a photo shoot these days. On the occasion that she does, it’s so incredibly fulfilling and the images are treasures. And then I met Jovanna. We’ve photographed together five times in the past couple of years and I really, really think it’s something special. I don’t know if it’s a connection that always happens from the start with every person though. In our photographer/subject relationship, I think the more we work together the more amazing it becomes.
If you’ve followed BANG Images at all over the last couple of years, you’ve certainly seen photos of Jovanna. She’s always up for an adventure and she makes me feel adventurous. It’s kinda neat how that works. She believes one thing about me and because of that I believe it too; and our experiences prove that notion. She encourages me to be creative. I suppose that’s what muses do. In addition to the incredible connection, they also encourage us to try harder-to push the envelope and be as extraordinary as possible.
Our last session was probably one of the most exciting. My father-in-law has quite a bit of land in the country and he’s the one responsible for managing it. One way he does that is by having controlled burns to clear out the brush, weeds, etc. to keep it from becoming too overgrown. My husband encouraged me to find someone to photograph. (He’s such an awesome voice of support.) I quite seriously called Jovanna around 9:00 the night before and asked if she wanted to hop in the car with me the next morning, drive two hours to get there, chase fire with me while being photographed, and drive two hours back. And in true Jovanna fashion, she replied with an emphatic yes! I love the photos so much that I’ve submitted them to a well-known photography magazine. Fingers crossed! If nothing else, we had an incredible experience and the images are some of our best together yet.
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