The Geisha is born!

Natalie:
The Geisha idea comes to me
One day, out of the clear blue sky, I had this amazing image come to me of Aja being a Geisha (it almost rhymes, doesn’t it?) I saw her with these bright red lips (there is that color again). I even saw her mouth, almost as a focal point expressing Aja’s every emotion, just like a Geisha’s mouth would. I saw expressions ranging from a pout, to a very subtle and mysterious smile, to a mouth that is puckered. And I imagined Aja’s hair transformed from her usual color of red, long & straight to this jet black up in a bun Geisha style. I just couldn’t get this beautiful image out of my mind. It was intoxicating, exciting and inspiring. Aja has a way of imagining, like I do, and she was just as excited about this Geisha images of herself.

Fast forward nearly four years later
I still have this Geisha image in my mind since meeting Larry and Aja.
It was almost like a little Geisha had her own little apartment in my brain.
It was time for her to see the world, she had been indoors for too long.
She just needed an umbrella to block out the sun since it was Spring and Summer was around the corner. Besides those kimonos can get really hot and we don’t want her make up to run.

April, 2010. Larry and I have a work meeting at our local coffee shop and we begin talking about next self promotional photo shoot for aah!. I tell Larry all about this Geisha image that I have had living inside my mind for nearly four years. I tell Larry every little detail of my Geisha image. Larry listened, a characteristic of Larry’s that I always appreciate. Larry, just like Aja, has a way of imagining just like I do. He paused, when I was finally done talking, and he says “Sure. Sounds fun-let’s do it.”

The Geisha is born!
June 19, 2010

1:15 pm

130 pounds, 5 feet and 6 inches.

A fateful Summer day. Larry photographs Aja as our Geisha and she looks exactly as I imagined. Bright red lips , the most expressive lips you’ve ever seen. Her lips were exactly like a Geisha’s. Her hair was jet black in a bun (follow us on Facebook to vote on whether or not we dyed Aja’s hair black or if it was a wig) exactly like a Geisha’s.

Here’s a shout out to Katelyn Simkins for her amazing make up and here’s a shout out to Sylvia Huerta for helping me style and for sharing her amazing vision of the Geisha!

For all of you aah! Productions fans and supporters you can now enter Larry’s brain about what it was like for him shooting the Geisha that fateful summer day…

Larry:

On lighting:
I used the 5 foot umbrella and I pushed the light through the umbrella from the backside to help create and achieve even more softness. I wanted to use the big lighting. The Geisha image is subtle so you want the soft shadows so it’s not even noticeable.
The soft shadows also created the softness of the silk from the kimono.

On shooting Aja, our Geisha:
Aja achieved the softness. It was effortless shooting Aja. She was really good at her poses. She was so good at getting into character that she never looked like she was posing.

And so we meet

Natalie:

A Fateful Summer Night
You know that feeling when something special is about the happen?  Well, it was August, 2006.  Some friends were having an end of summer party (here’s a shout out to Chris & Jessica).  I remember meeting this intriguing young woman named Aja.

Immediately I thought of the orient of Asia.  Aja quickly confirmed her name is spelled A-J-A not A-S-I-A.  From the start, I found her fascinating (hence the intriguing).  She was not only beautiful but also immediately creative and open.  Two qualities that I am particularly fond of in a person.

And then I met Larry
As the party continued, I met Larry.  Formerly known as Larry George.
Within minutes of meeting Larry, I was fascinated by how down to earth, humble and approachable he was especially once I realized he was a professional photographer.
At the exact moment of meeting Larry, it was like “poof!”.  The light bulb was turned on but it felt like a stadium full of light bulbs.  I realized that this stay-at-home mom was ready to return to work.  Return to work and work with Larry.  I was a studio manager for a commercial photographer before meeting Larry and I fell in love with the industry and all of the creative opportunities it gave me to express myself as an artist.  The more Larry and I talked, the more we just clicked.  Our work relationship unfolded from there.

In the mean time
Aja and I began a friendship.  She loved to model and I loved casting models.  It was magic.  We spent our time dreaming up photo shoot ideas off of each other.  I wrote a short poem and the woman within the poem had bright red nail polish on her toes and she stood in green grass.  Aja and I started to talk about how beautiful this would be in a photograph.

Aja:

Tequila Made it So

It’s hard to believe it was that long ago, but after reading Natalie’s description of that summer night, I know it’s true.  August, 2006 was the insemination of what was to become the amazing company/team of aah! Productions.  I was new in town and didn’t know many people, but a dear friend from work invited me to her big summer bash (2^nd shout-out to Jessica and Chris!).

I circled the party meeting stranger after stranger, until I met Natalie.  She was so charming!  Beautiful, motherly and a kindred soul to be sure!  We talked about photography, modeling, art and beauty and I knew I had found a new Denver friend.

After a few more glasses of social lubricant I loosened up and got downright silly with my husband and our new friends.  Somehow, the redhead in me came out, and I started speaking with a Scottish accent.  I tell you, to this day, I cannot replicate a flawless Scottish accent without several shots of tequila.  What can I say? I’m into multiculturalism.

This is when I met Larry.

For some reason it didn’t occur to me to stop speaking in my new native tongue so I carried on as though I had just stepped out of ‘The Highlander’.  We talked about modeling, photography and the possibility of working together, all the while, poor Larry was convinced I just stepped off the plane from Edinburgh.

And that was it! In one night, 3 random strangers became fatefully, creatively intertwined and would come to form the creative powerhouse of aah! Productions some several years later.  The gestation period took some time, but now, from that night of kismet, creativity has finally arrived!

Larry:

It was a fun party with creative people, everyone was having a good time.  Chris and Jessica know how to throw a good party.  I have known Chris forever.  He worked with my friend, Dan.

I met Natalie and Aja that night.  We all just started talking.  I liked everything about Natalie and Aja.  They were both really nice, friendly and open.

I realized that I could work with Natalie, she was relaxed with herself.  I knew she was going to be good to work with.

I remember Aja’s red hair and I thought it was pretty.  I talked with Aja about photographing her because she has a unique look.