photography exchange

model: sofia brinister

creative directed and shot by maia feruzi

wednesday january 15th noon

📍Chicago, il

shot on canon eos rebel t3i 18-24mm, 70-300mm

concept

This is only the second time I have done a photography exchange where I meet with another photographer and we both take photos of each other. This time I didn’t model as much as I did during my shoot with Aerin, and instead did the majority of the shooting. However, like with Aerin, I tried not to pose Sofia too much and mostly just concentrated on capturing her natural body language and emotions. It was my first time meeting Sofia and I was more focused on enjoying her company than I was taking photos. I did not care much about the outcome of these photos and that is precisely why they came out so good. The things I create while in a flow state almost always surprise me with their caliber.

These are honestly some of my favorite photos I’ve ever done and let me tell you why! For all my anxious imposter syndrome perfectionist folks you understand what it’s like to doubt yourself and your talents especially in a creative field where a lot of things are determined by personal preferences and even more so if you’re a self taught artist like me. Despite glowing reviews and pep talks from friends there are many days I question if my photography is actually good or not. Are any of my story’s and emotions coming across the way I want them to? Do I actually have the skills I claim to or am I once again just a master in the art of bs?

Doing this shoot helped to appease some of that anxiety for me. There was no fancy make up, no thought out and carefully framed styling, no pre planned sets and poses, no special equipment, just me, my camera, and the model. There was absolutely nothing that could make up for any lack of skill on my part with how the photos turn out. And these photos are amazing! I feel like I captured the cold of winter and the miserable chill that seeps into old bones and lonely hearts, as well as that precious ray of hope found in a stray beam of sunshine. The promise brought by light on the horizon, of good days to come. That may sound dramatic but in reality what I captured was the literal cold of the weather, the coldness between Sofia and I that presented as awkwardness brought on by meeting and working with a stranger for the first time. Ae the shoot progressed, I got to know Sofia more and she became more comfortable in her body awareness you can literally see us warming up to each other and inside. In other words the ray of hope I just mentioned. I feel like you’re watching the start of something lovely as you go through these photos. I may just be yapping but I’m very proud of myself for how these came out.