The Art of Sophistication

Greetings Readers!



This blog post is all about The Art of Sophistication or should I say, the LOST art. Over the past almost 20 years, social media and the growing desire to outshine and impress followers has, led to the diminishing of class and maturity. In the grand scheme of things, self-respect seems to have lost it's value, modesty is out of trend and many that fall into the now 40-plus year old crowd is in constant competition for likes and attention with the 20-year olds. You can't tell the difference between the two age groups anymore. I can recall a time when 40-year olds thought it was important to teach life lessons to 20-year olds. They were a resource for sound advice, because they had "been there and done that". Now instead, the elder is taking tips from their younger counterparts and making every effort to do what they see the youngsters do. What happened to transcending the behaviors and actions of youth and becoming solid examples of real goals? Anyhow, I digress.

So what does it really mean to be "sophisticated"? 

Sophistication embodies an uncompromising level of elegance, grace and style, drizzled in endless cool confidence. Sophistication encompasses a relaxed state of mind. It is refinement. It is fulfillment. It is simplicity. It is intuition and perception. It is compassion. It is polite and charming. It is effortless, it is an entire mood. Sophistication at it's core is just a beautifully human experience.

Sophistication is mastered when you become keenly aware of your speech and conversation, your presentation, your perception and your interests. The sophisticated find it necessary to be elusive, always minding their business and their manners. They naturally shift the vibe of every room they walk into... they are intelligent, intimidating and inspiring. They come of age on schedule and they are accepting of a more tastefully sexy approach to life. 

This blog post features one of our FAVS, Asia! She is beautiful, super classy and enjoys the arts and all things glam. She has a crazy-sexy-cool vibe and she is just sophistication personified. Please enjoy these images from our concept shoot with her entitled, "The Art of Sophistication."

   
MUA: 
Tynita Lee
Booking Info:

MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeup_by_tynita


Concept Creator & Stylist: 
Angela Ponder


As always, thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.


Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela
The Creative Director

A Beautiful Oasis...

The beauty of nature is an awesome wonder with its lush gardens, watery landscapes and breathtaking views. So there is probably no wonder why the TEAM has an affinity for photographing subjects in or around water, and especially in a natural environment. Well, last summer we stumbled upon a hideaway that we knew we would one day like to use as a location for a concept shoot. We made a mental note of the location that day, and here we are one year later, FINALLY getting the opportunity to shoot there. It was an amazing backdrop to compliment our vision for an oasis-themed concept shoot!

As we began pulling together ideas at the start of 2017, I reached out to Shay, because I knew I could count on her adventurous spirit to help breathe life into what initially began as a glamorous session by the pool. I was super excited when she accepted! However, mid-stream (no pun) and in our true creative fashion, we changed it up and decided to move the session to the spot we found and favored last summer. She was totally ok with the last minute adjustment and it turned out to be absolutely perfect!

Here is just a glimpse of that beautiful day. Enjoy!

MUA: Tynita Lee
Booking Info:
MakeUpbyTynita@gmail.com
Makeup by Tynita on Schedulicity.com
Instagram: @makeupbytynita


Thank you SO much for visiting our blog. Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder.

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!
Angela
The Creative Director

Blue Lagoon Meets Melanin Magic!

Hi All!

Growing up, one of my favorite movies was The Blue Lagoon. Although, I was quite young when it was released, it was the first love story I was ever exposed to and it is still an endearing part of my childhood. This movie came to mind a few months ago, and I had the crazy idea to do a photographic remake, with a twist...we added a touch of melanin magic! So we invited Reggie (Mr. ADONIS 2016, view link here) and up and coming model, Simone to join us for a day trip on-location to a beautiful waterfall, to shoot a remix of the first love story I ever watched. Now let the adventures begin!

We had a pretty steep slope to travel to get down to the location where we would be shooting, and we KNEW we would have a hard hill to climb to get back out, but while we were there we would enjoy our time and make things happen. One of the many things I love about being a part of this husband and wife visionary team, is the magical moment when my husband is able to capture my vision at the exact angle. Actually, this happens pretty often. I realize sometimes the ideas I create in my mind are a bit of a stretch, but when it all comes together, it is so exciting to watch unfold. We just make a really great team!

Enjoy some of these fabulous pics from our day shoot and be sure to check out the "Behind the Scenes" link below!

 

Needless to say, the shoot turned out AMAZING! Yes, the elements were quite a challenge to overcome, but the beautiful ambiance and breathtaking natural backdrop made it all well worth it. We were even able to capture some behind the scenes footage of our day, from watching our glam squad leader, Tynita Lee (check out her Instagram page) transform Simone, to witnessing what really happens when the flash stops. 

(Catch a peek at some of the fun that happened behind the scenes... Just click HERE!)

Thank you so much for visiting our blog! Keep up with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder by visiting our website at PhotographybySeanPonder.com or on FaceBook at Facebook.com/PhotographybySeanPonder (Like our page!). You can also follow us on InstaGram at Instagram.com/PhotographybySeanPonder. We follow back! 

Until next time, Peace, Love and Light!

Angela

The Creative Director
  



PhotographybySeanPonder.com

The Night Shoot

Recently, we got another opportunity to work with model, Nicole, but this time around we decided on a night time concept shoot. We have been wanting to do a night shoot for a while now, but we couldn't decide if we wanted to move in the direction of a glamour or urban overall look. Nicole was able to give us a little bit of both looks all in one session!

The night of the shoot, the air was very crisp and windy, but despite the elements and a host of other challenges, we got it done. This first shot actually inspired the entire shoot and was the birthplace of the creative concept. I envisioned the look and called on a couple of models I knew could make this happen. Nicole accepted the call. She was a trooper throughout the cold wind and constant adjustments to the lighting. She definitely delivered!

These next two shots were taken inside of a moving elevator overlooking the city, and in my humble opinion, they came out absolutely stunning! Not easy, but definitely worth all of the effort and people traffic we had to contend with. Totally worth it!

For this shot, I was going for a more playful, flirty, urban look. Once again, Nicole step outside the box and gave me exactly what I was looking for with a fresh face, especially considering how late it was when we did the shoot. 

 
We ended the night shoot with some simple head shots. All in all, we had a great night of shooting! Looking forward to many more creative concept shoots for 2014. Stay tuned...there is DEFINITELY more on the way!

Thanks so much to each of you for taking time out to visit our blog! Keep up with what's happening next with the Team at Photography by Sean Ponder. "Like us" on Facebook or "Follow us" on InstaGram at PhotographybySeanPonder. Find more of our work and access all of our social networking sites on our website at www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com.

Until next time, be blessed and Happy Holidays!

Angela

The Creative Director

Visit us on the web!

www.PhotographybySeanPonder.com

www.behance.net/PhotosbySeanPonder