Dr. Watson

A Creative Portrait Shoot in Charlotte, NC giving mega Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson Vibes

I knew I was going to like Jessica from the moment I met her a couple of years ago. When we first met, it was was under completely non-photo related circumstances. She had expressed some interest in learning the technical side of some audio production stuff that we were both a part of and I had the opportunity to hang out with her and learn some of those things.

And then I heard her sing! Mind. Blowing.

So we had already been somewhat connected when I saw her posting some modeling photos from a shoot she had recently done. I knew then that I’d love to shoot with her sometime and finally got the chance just a couple of weeks ago.

We didn’t actually go into the shoot with this idea, but as we were wrapping up the first set of photos, we felt a strong Sherlock and Dr. Watson vibe so we posed a few photos, like the one above, with Jessica in glasses and bending down as if she was looking for clues on the ground. The glasses and what feels like period clothing sets this photo off and, of course, the red dress absolutely shines.

Before we landed on the Dr. Watson vibes though, we were just having fun hanging out on the Greenway in Charlotte, playing with some backlit photos and trying to maximize the impact of the light hitting Jessica’s amazing hair! Lots of great photos came out of this set - like the one above - and even with the challenges of the backlit shots, I was pleased with the results. The Godox AD200 sitting just off frame helped a little.

When I first posted some of these on my instagram, I mentioned how they felt like these shots could have been out of a British field and stream magazine, reminiscent of the fox hunts. There’s something about this shot with Jessica kneeling to tie her boot that just feels so organic and real. It’s low-key one of my favorites of this whole set.

But, if I’m honest, I also love these kind of shots where we drop the Dr. Watson schtick and let Jessica’s spirit come through a little more. The contrast, in color and theme, between the dress and the boots gets me every time I look at this one.