Woodsmoke Behind the Scenes

It's fantastic to finally be finished making my new book.  Creating a whole collection of men's patterns was an interesting challenge for me, and designing especially for men wasn't the only part of the book creation that provided a new experience for me.  I've always given over the task of organizing, styling and directing photo shoots to others.  For the city shoot, I actually did all of that myself for the first time.  I have to thank my amazing photographer, Kathy Cadigan, for holding my hand and encouraging me through the process.

Photo Copyright Jon Keto 2012

I arrived in Seattle a few days before the shoot and scouted locations.  I knew I wanted to work downtown to get an urban vibe, but wasn't sure where, so I wandered around with my camera taking pictures of all the spots I thought would work.  After looking at the photos, it turned out that my very first location was my favorite, and while I made notes of several others and had expected to move around a bit, we ended up doing the whole shoot in a fairly small area.  It was a courtyard with wide stairs, so we actually got a bunch of levels, views, and backgrounds from that one spot.

Styling on this shoot wasn't a huge responsibility since I wanted to keep it simple.  I asked the guys to wear neutral colors, and didn't have to worry about jewelry or makeup.  (Though I generally ask my models to wear minimal makeup anyway because I prefer a clean, basic look.)  Of course I fussed over everything anyway, and I did get caught in a few photos.

Photo Copyright Kathy Cadigan 2012

Photo Copyright Kathy Cadigan 2012

Photo Copyright Kathy Cadigan 2012

I'll be in Seattle this coming week for Madrona Fiber Arts.  If you're in Seattle, it's really worthwhile to head down to the events and marketplace.  Lots of them are free and you're sure to see some amazing yarn and knitting.  Follow me on Twitter for Madrona updates.