“Wake Me Up” | Kristine {Themed Session}

The second person to respond to my Sheboygan session offer was one of my coworkers, Kristine.

We decided to use a song to inspire the shoot and after some brainstorming, settled on “Wake Me Up” by Evanescence. It fit the dark, gritty mood that I was looking for. I’ve lately been inspired by Brooke Shaden. Her work is moving, but I lack her amazing post-production skills.

Beforehand, I knew that Kristine had a rather large tattoo on her back, but I didn’t want to ask her to bare her back because I thought it might be creepy (especially considering the fact that we work together). But, I was delighted when she mentioned it, along with her willingness to display it. (A carefully positioned tank top helped to ensure that we didn’t expose any more of her than necessary.)

Kristine did a great job working with my idea. In fact, during the shoot she said something about not wanting to smile too much to detract from the mood that I was going for. I told her: “Smile! I don’t want people to think I was torturing you.”

We wandered around downtown Sheboygan, returning to a building that I had photographed in the past. We checked the doors and gates to see if any had inadvertently been left unlocked. The inside of the empty building (at least what we could see while peeking through the broken windows) would have been perfect for a shoot of this nature.

How can you see into my eyes

Like open doors?

Leading you down into my core,

Where I've become so numb.

      

Unfortunately though, the building was secure. So, we traveled on.

Our final stop was one of my favorite beach spots along the shore of Lake Michigan. The rocky outcropping is rather desolate, the perfect location.

At one point, I asked Kristine to yell and get angry. She made ‘not-pretty’ faces – exactly what I was looking for. With this shoot, my focus wasn’t on flattering pictures. I wanted something real. Something that triggered a feeling of discomfort, of sorrow.

Again, Kristine did a phenomenal job making it appear that she is ‘baring it all.’ But, we kept things decent.

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems.

I've got to open my eyes to everything.

        

I've been living a lie. There's nothing inside

Bring me to life.

 

I’ve got to hand it to Kristine… I don’t think I would have been as accommodating considering the chilly weather and the fact that in the end, she was laying scantily clad on a very large, cold rock. But, she was a trooper. We warmed up later with something hot from Starbucks.

Kristine – thanks for sharing your creative ideas, unique philosophy and gorgeous back with me. It was a pleasure to photograph you.