Walking into Salon Blush, a photography/make-up/beauty boutique nestled comfortably in the heart of Alanna Ralph’s, 32, hometown—Fishtown—I did not know what to expect. Actually, I lied just a little. Already a fan (stalker, would be a better term) of the mesmerizing photography of Ms. Ralph, I figured I would be in for a glamorous treat; as her salon was voted top 10 best Salon in Philadelphia two years in a row. And boy, was the word treat an understatement.
As I stepped into her salon, I was engulfed by vintage “glamourisity.” Pastels, antiques and accessories reminiscent of the fifties filled the area. Black and white photos of the most adored pinup herself, Ms. Marilyn Monroe, were perfectly lined up against the wall as bubblegum and wintergreen hair dryers were placed against a glittery background. Nail polishes of various assortments, make-up and tools were placed in front of big, beautiful and lovely mirrors.
Needless to say, I was in vintage heaven. And this was definitely the type of atmosphere that Ralph was shooting for.
With a warm handshake and a sweet smile, Ralph surpassed any and all of my expectations that I had of her. Confident, charismatic, and uber-stylish, Ralph is truly a jack of all trades. Specializing in informal and vintage hair styling; airbrush makeup; pinup and boudoir photography; travel weddings; pinup and spa parties; massage and skin care and more, Ralph has all and everything a client would ever need at her unique salon.
Giving credit to her mother for her ardor for vintage photography, Ralph explained how her love for her genre—portraiture vintage photography—came about.
“When I was younger, my mother was always watching black and white films like “Bye-Bye Birdie” and it was those things that influenced me”, she said. “I love the class, the curves and the antiques—I love everything vintage”, Ralph said charismatically with a smirk on her face.
But Ralph’s talents are not only limited to vintage. Her photography skills surpass pinups into a more personal realm; revealing a deeper and darker side of herself.
“I have three websites—one for the salon, one for pinups and one for my more personal work”, she explained. “The website, AlannaRalph.net, shows a more artistic and emotional side of me. It shows what I am feeling deep down and sometimes it is dark”, Ralph embellished. “But that is my artistic outlet and I love when people can relate to it,” she said.
As far as technicalities of photography are concerned, Ralph is always looking for the light. Preferring natural light and using low light, she, unlike some of her other “fancy” photographer friends, claims she does not need to buy expensive lights to shoot great photos.
“I use any and everything, even dollar store lights”, Ralph said. “I bought lights for $150 and some of my other friends have bought lights for thousands of dollars. You can look for the light anywhere—I also look for shadows and the eyes because the eyes always have something to say,” she said.
Along with her vintage mindset, Ralph takes pride in the fact that she does not use Photoshop for her alternative photography.
“Of course, for the pinups I have use to Photoshop but when it comes to my black and white photography, I do not use it and I am really proud of that”, Ralph said seriously. “I want to get back to using only burning, dodging and slight contrast. That shows skill and I have worked hard to obtain that”, she said.
Shooting hundreds of clients weekly all while combing various photographic elements such as high angles, low angles, portraits and more, Ralph claims that the message of her photography is more than just vintage glamour but also about female empowerment.
“I want women to feel beautiful about themselves and know that no matter what size or shape they are, they can come in and have a photo shoot”, Ralph said. “Most importantly, I want women to take care of their health. Even if it is an hour out of their day, women need to sit-down, relax, focus on [themselves] and take time to enjoy life.”
*Want to have your own vintage photo shoot? Visit www.SalonBlush.com or call (215) 634-1606 for more information*
Alanna Ralph is also having a great deal on Groupon! Check it out: http://www.groupon.com/deals/b…