Have you ever thought of doing a funky professional-quality photoshoot?

It's something I'd never given thought to, until I was given the opportunity to try it out thanks to Autumn English, a creative team that offers makeover and styling services. We were linked up by a common thread, which is that we would both be attending SoCal's first-ever 626 Night Market tomorrow in Pasadena. Since it was something I'd never thought to do before, I was a bit apprehensive but for the most part I was game to give it a go.

Overall, the experience was worth it, with many highs and fewer lows along the way:

The first step was to set a date for the actual makeover and shoot, which was initially a bit difficult to settle on since it seemed that their schedule was already pretty packed with appointments. They are a small team of three with two additional photographers who worked on the shoot. After corresponding numerous times through email, we were able to settle on a date and move on to the consultation.

Since I could not make it out for an in-person consultation in Torrance on a weekday, we decided to do it over the phone. There was some miscommunication in the call times, and I ended up emailing in my questionnaire, which included a list of questions like, "Are there any looks you’ve always wanted to try, but never have?" and, "If you could be anyone in the world besides yourself, who would you be? Why?". For the first, I responded that it would be cool to try something a bit edgier than my everyday look, and that I'd like to experiment with bold colors. For the second question, I couldn't really think of anyone, but maybe that's a good thing?

Afterwards, Dow-Ning Kou, one of the Autumn English sisters, contacted me to find out which of the two looks she had come up with for my shoot I liked better. The concept she came up with from my responses was "Sugar & Spice," and I totally loved it! One look was more "sugar," which was soft and feminine, with a lot of white. The other was bold and edgy, with bright colors. I decided to go with the bold and edgier look to go outside the box and dare myself to do something radically different. She asked if there was anything I didn't like, and I let her know that I'm not big on pearls (I know, I must be the only girl to ever say that, right?) but that I was game for almost anything else.

She also asked what my clothing sizes were, and I suggested I just take and send her my measurements. After a few days had passed since they said they would go shopping for the look, I asked if I could get a preview of the clothes. However, the looks weren't ready yet, they said, and it ended up being that I had no idea what I was actually going to look like until I arrived at an apartment near Torrance for the makeover.

This was the first time I met the team, and they were all really nice and laid-back. Makeup expert and Beyond Beauty blogger Gloria Yang was already there when I arrived, and she started on my makeup while Dow-Ning did my hair. Gloria did a great job of explaining the techniques she was using as she applied my makeup, and Dow-An got the clothes ready for the shoot. I had no idea what I was wearing or if it would fit (or if I would like it!) until moments before it was time to wear it!

They had 3 complete looks ready, including accessories and shoes. The first, I would have to say, was awesome because it consisted of pink pants with black lace overlay. Although I thought the tassled top would be fun, I wasn't sure it would be flattering to my figure, but it ended up coming together with the headpiece (which I was also a bit apprehensive of at first!).

After my hair was curled and pinned up, complete with the headband, and my makeup was done, we walked over to Southland Bar, the location for the shoot, where I met with Carissa Woo of Carissa Woo Photography and Tiffani Matsuura of Sun & Sparrow Photography. We waited for a bit while they set the lighting up near the couch area. I explained that this was my first time doing something like this, so I would love it if they would help me with some direction. They assured me they would.

Then, it was game time. Both photographers did a wonderful job of switching off in coaching me while the other snapped photos. The professional setup was a bit intimidating at first, but they encouraged me with positive feedback, telling me I had "natural movement." That gave me a little boost!

I eased into it more as the shoot went on, and by then we were ready to go back and change outfits, add a darker lip color, and change the hair and accessories. This time, they braided my hair to the side and had me wear a sequined minidress (which was a bit loose at the waist but cute, with a really low back), black leggings with lace accents, and custom-designed blue heels for the bar-area shoot. There were some blue and green "shots" which were actually water with food coloring, and a faux blue martini as well. This time I felt a bit more at ease.

Ater that, we were off to get ready for the third and edgiest look! Although I wasn't too crazy about the last outfit, I have to say that the makeup and hair was my favorite. Dow-Ning teased my hair to create crazy volume, and advised me to condition it well the next day since the teasing process is damaging to hair. They were good with helpful tips like these, and I also learned during the downtime that Autumn English was named after Dow-Ning and Dow-An's grandmother.

Gloria was ingeniously creative in giving me a two-tone gradient lip using a bright blue Studio Color Tattoo 24Hr Cream Gel Shadow by Maybelline paired with a dab of Golden Ticket by Lime Crime in the center of my lips. It was definitely a wild look, and we were ready to go despite the crazy cold wind outside.

We shot the last segment by a the window and pool table of the bar, and although it was slightly awkward to have wild hair and a bright blue-green lips while the occasional patron walked into the bar, it was a lot of fun to rock the edgy look. They wanted more wild and less smiles for this one, and although it's hard to get me to stop smiling I put my serious face on for the sake of the shoot. Except one of the better photos was still the one where they caught me at a moment where I thought they weren't shooting!

Lastly, I was offered makeup remover before changing and heading out, so as not to shock people in the street, I suspect! So despite some minor pitfalls along the way, the glam production truly was an awesome experience. I now feel like I can pull off a bolder look every once in a while with confidence, thanks to the Autumn English creative team, Beyond Beauty by Gloria, and photographers Carissa and Tiffani.

When it comes to style, we often tend to box ourselves in without knowing it, and they offered a fresh perspective, so I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to change things up and try something fun.

Autumn English will have a booth at 626 Night Market tomorrow, which is sure to be an epic event full of food, fun and shopping. The Night Market aims to showcase local businesses and entrepreneurs like Autumn English and many others.

626 Night Market details: Saturday, April 14, 2012 / 5pm - 11:30pm / N. Oakland Ave, between Colorado Boulevard and Union Street / Free admission.

If you are unable to make it to the first one, stay tuned for a recap of the event as well as updates on possible future night markets!

 

-You can reach reporter Tanaya Ghosh here or follow her on Twitter here.