KolektiView, to my surprise, isn't your typical photography service -- they're a unique, hands-on…read morecreative duo composed of Asia (photographer and makeup artist with extensive experience working with celebrity clients) and Ravel (shot director with a Hollywood screenwriting background). Initially, I came in expecting a half-hour session of "chin down, smile, sit up straight, awesome man, now make sure you spell my Venmo name with an extra 'k'." Instead, I ended up forming 2 new friendships, starring in the most fun, interactive shooting experience I've had to date, and receiving a collection of some of the most unique portraits I've ever seen of myself.
And, reflecting back, I can think of 3 reasons why it went down so well:
(1) Ravel and Asia are patient but pragmatic perfectionists. If anything's even slightly off, they will take their time to fix it -- without losing sight of the ultimate goal of the shoot. For instance, during my portrait session, I was worried that my outfit didn't match, color-wise, and that my hair and lips were a bit disheveled and chapped from the freezing February weather. But Asia was already several steps ahead: she brought a backup outfit which looked way better than the one I'd worn -- and without wasting any time -- she perfected my face with an improvised mix of her makeup tools and my own supplies. Ravel, similarly, improvised a beautiful pocket square for my suit (to achieve a big band jazz look) -- and, overall, made me feel like a movie star through the specific but varying cues he gave me for posing. (Mind you, I'm no model or actor!)
(2) Their multi-perspective approach to shooting. While Asia focuses more on the technical and aesthetic-oriented executions (lighting, color, etc), Ravel brings a secondary storytelling perspective and makes sure the right theme/message is conveyed in the shot. And although this approach gave rise to the occasional creative debate, the eventual compromise between the two perspectives allowed us to capture looks I would've never dreamed up of on my own -- or likely while working with a lone photographer.
(3) Their kindness and hospitality. Above all else, Ravel and Asia really take care of you. They did everything to make me feel relaxed and connected -- from playing music in the studio to match the theme of my shoot, to offering me drinks and snacks, to cracking jokes that threw me off-guard but led to more candid shots. From the beginning to the end, they simultaneously felt like expert professionals and close family friends.
Overall, I really can't recommend Kolektiview enough. So much that I ended up booking 2 consecutive shoots with them because of how incredibly fun and rewarding the first was.