Carly Fleming

I had a chance to be a photographer for my friend, and professional cellist, Carly Fleming. We first worked together for my “Love is Love” project last summer.

I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity than to work and spend time with Carly and her husband, my dear friend and one of my top supporters, Clint Fleming. The benefit of working with friends is that when they don’t live nearby, you have a place to crash for the night before work the next day! They only live about two hours away, but are in a beautiful part of Connecticut, close to the water.

Behind the Scenes

It was beautiful weather, but I always forget that being right on the water means a chance of more wind…and more sunburn opportunities. Even though it didn’t get any hotter than 80 degrees at the strongest point in the day, I still managed to get some color on the back of my neck. Better add sunscreen to my bag of tricks next time!

Location

We were able to set up our home base at a church Carly teaches cello classes out of, and use their facility for wardrobe changes and bathroom breaks. It was a stone’s throw away from the beach, where we shot our first few looks earlier in the day.

Another benefit of using the church as our base was access to their lovely garden out back. We took some lovely portraits under a blooming tree by the stone wall.  I also did my leg workout for the day at this point by climbing said tree to get some interesting angles, and proceeding to hold on with my lower body strength so I could use both hands to focus and stabilize my camera.

The last set was taken along a concrete wall and walkway on the beach. We shot some awesome “punk” inspired looks. Though I’ll admit, I’m a bit biased since Carly used some of the wardrobe I brought to create the look.

We wrapped up the shoot and grabbed some pizza and beer from a local eatery before heading home. It was a great experience for me as a photographer, especially learning what I need to work on. Even more wonderful was the chance to hear a friend do something she loves – play the cello. It was as if it was a part of her body. I would never have imagined I’d hear such beauty in person. It was fantastic to watch Carly play, and to see this side I never knew before, unveiled. Truly an honor to capture.

Credit where credit is due

Thank you to Sam for being my navigator, reflector stand, and companion for the weekend. Thank you, Clint, for taking some great behind the scenes of us mid-shoot. And a huge thank you to both of the Flemings for being such great hosts!