I’m currently San Francisco this weekend to attend the Mobile Photography Conference with my fellow shutterbabe, Jody Frost.
I first met Jody Frost at an iPhoneography workshop in Santa Fe. She impressed me immediately. Her iPhone work was bold, sexy and embraced feminine sexuality in such an empowering, bold, and refreshing way yet somehow still manages to look like fine art. Jody is impossible not to notice. There’s the obvious– that she’s a smart, strong and beautiful woman with dancer’s legs and grace that exudes power and class. She speaks softly yet with authority. We bonded over our mutual love of Agent Provocateur, a saucy but spectacular British lingerie company.
Jody introduced me to iPhoneography and mobile photography groups online. She’s a Canon shooter as well, but definitely a mover and a shaker in the world of iPhoneography and mobile photography. She came up with the idea for creating (and curating) a group of women’s self-portraits shot and edited entirely on iDevices. Thus, the group Chixels (aka Girls Not On Film) was born. That community is strong, and one of the most fulfilling social media groups I’ve been involved with. It is very much a reflection is Jody herself. She is a badass photographer but she’s also a goddess, warrior, conqueror, artist, dancer, cheerleader and visionary.
When she gave me the opportunity to pose for her during my last trip to Northern California, I jumped at the chance. Like many photographers, I’m much more comfortable behind the lens. Jody put me at ease because she is also an excellent hostess. We discussed various ideas and she even came up with the genius idea of having putting a mannequin (since dubbed Shakira) in the shot. Jody’s background in dance serves her well in her studio, she can direct from behind the camera in a way I found both helpful and comforting. It was a fun shoot, surrounded by some of her most inspiring images. The pictures from her trip to Bali I adored particularly. She arranged for Tess, a great makeup artist and made sure she had good wine on hand to take the edge off.
We had fun at the shoot. Jody gives excellent direction with a lovely tone. I was struck by how she’s a master at digital but still shoots like a film shooter—she goes for quality over quantity. She knows when she’s got what she wants. I hope to learn from her in that regard—I always overshoot digitally and take up way too much time with the post-processing and editing.
2 Chicks Shooting: Jody and Me (photo by Christian Peacock)
The resulting images are nothing short of fantastic—the are fun, sexy, and different than anything I’ve ever done. I’m comfortable with Jody, so I had no problem experimenting and trying out new things. I can’t image anyone not wanting to be in front of Jody’s camera. If you’re in Northern California, you should book a sitting! Jody is a trip and great to know. I can’t to see what we come up with at tomorrow’s mobile photography conference. If you’re coming, please come and say hi to us.