stranger creator meetup 

model + stylist + Makeup: Ximena Mendez

creative directed and shot by maia feruzi

Monday dec 2nd 12:30pm

📍Cultural Center, Chicago IL

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

concept

This shoot was an entirely new and unique experience for me. Rather than a typical shoot with one model and one photographer this was a stranger creative meetup organized by an individual in the Chicago Girls Facebook group. @ximex24, a novice to modeling but experienced in photography pitched a creative outing for videographers, photographers, and models to come together and create. Her original vision involved flowy dresses in Lake Michigan. Unfortunately the temperature dropped to below zero before we were able to meet and that location had to be scrapped. Instead of canceling we all discussed and decided to go the nearby Cultural Center instead. Filled with history, sprawling mosaics and victorian architecture, the dark academia mood seemed like the best option for our new theme.

Models and photographers alike met up to shoot and pose for each other. Unfortunately for me my social battery was extremely low and I did not dress up, opting instead to just take photos as that’s what I’m most comfortable with. Due to the change of location and time a lot of the original group members could not make that day either so our group shrunk from about 12 to just 4 creators. The photos you’re seeing here are the photos I took of the event organizer, Ximena.

This shoot was all about trying new things and being open to others creative perspectives so I really played around with my editing style this time. I’ve been experimenting more and more with double exposure lately and I’m falling in love! I feel like it instantly elevates the storytelling aspect of my images and shifts the mood which I’m a huge fan of. There are sooo many ways to do black and white and I’m always torn between the soft and the grungy. Either way I think the removal of colors actually adds depth to images in ways bright hues and saturation cannot. As she was a novice model Ximena, was extremely open to direction and I had a lot of fun posing her in dramatic but interesting ways. The creative juices were flowing and I think we hit the nail on the dark academia head! This shoot is a memory that will stay with me for some time. There’s something intensely special about shared passions creating community, especially in adulthood a time where many find it hard to create and foster new friendships.