As I continue life drawing sessions on my days off, and doing more photo shoots, I get to think about how both disciplines intertwine and complement one another. I know I shouldn't be surprised because they're both visual interpretations, but as it happens sometimes, it isn't until you slow down to smell the flower, you don't get to observe its beautiful texture. with life drawing, I have learned that the first 15 minutes worth of short poses are essential to help you get my brained pumped up. Developing that eye/brain coordination is essential to help me view the intricate building blocks that create a figure. When it comes to portrait photography, I can see that the same principle of warm up sketches can be compared to setting up the camera, light modifiers and test-fire well before the person arrives you're working with arrives on set, simply because by doing that, I realize I get to push all technical aspects aside, allowing me to focus on getting “the” shot.

Here’s one of my favorite sketches from a recent life drawing session after completing the warmups sequence. Especial thanks go to my artistic mentor Eddie Nino for his ongoing support and a sample from my most recent photo shoot I had with model/actress Chelsea Renaldi whom I had a wonderful time working with. That picture was taken on our first sequence after I had thoroughly adjusted the settings and test-fire to get the exposure just right.