LIVE/CREATE: Frances Glenn Photography—Capturing the Art of the Illusion

BY: COLIN MURPHY - SENIOR WRITER

"Our greatest reward is when one of these individuals will call us in tears and thank us for making them beaufiful. It's really a pleasure because it's something that people need to see; they need to see themselves that way."

    Pat Gouzien (right) and Kate O’Brien (left) of Saint Charles-based chíc Photography have made quite a stir over the past year with the debut of their Frances Glenn line. From the reigning Miss Gay Missouri to the recently crowned Miss Gay America, the duo has photographed a marquee of female impersonators much to the delight of their discriminating clientele.

    “The heterosexual community has the drag queen perception but they don’t have the female impersonation aspect down,” offered Gouzien. “They don’t understand what it involves—and we have taken a different spin on things in trying to present these individuals as who they really are, which are artists.”

    As a native of New Orleans, the world of sequins, painted faces and “hair jacked to Jesus” was old hat for Gouzien. But for O’Brien, who came out later in life and was at one time very involved in a conservative evangelical church, 2009 marked her first introduction to the illusionary arts.

    “It is extremely personally rewarding,” said O’Brien. “We love doing it and it’s so much fun having these entertainers come to our home and they love what they do.”

    Gouzien and O’Brien first met in 2000 through the Metropolitan Community Church choir. With a shared interest in photography, the partners in both business and life embraced the creative outlet and joined the St. Louis Camera Club. There, they took courses, began competing, and winning awards.

    It soon became clear that their calling was portraiture.

    “Concentrating on the human soul—the human person that you have in front of you,” explained Gouzien.

    To that end they began investigating the professional side of the business through Wedding and Portrait Photographers International and the Portrait Photographers Association, taking training courses through both of those organizations.

    After building their skills and purchasing equipment, Gouzien and O’Brien founded Women with Lenses in 2005 and began doing business as chíc Photography out of their home-based studio. The women quickly made a name for themselves producing portraiture under two tag lines: “Fine Art of Cherished Children and Posh Pets” and “Fine Art of Joyful Occasions.”

    Early last year their portfolio caught the eye of friend and hairdresser, Daniel Flier who is better known as Vanessa Vincent, Miss Gay Missouri 1982.

    "He asked if we would be interested in taking photos of female impersonators,” recalled O’Brien. “And we both thought about it and said—wow, wouldn’t that be fun!”

    After working with Flier at his Miss Gay Metropolitan pageant, Gouzien and O’Brien realized that it was an area where they could help the LGBT community. Accordingly, they founded their third line, Frances Glenn (a combination of their middle names), which would be devoted to the art form.

    Over the past year the duo has photographed many community events, including the Miss Gay Missouri pageant and the national Miss Gay America pageant, of which they were a First Tier Sponsor. Frances Glenn has offered over $10,000 in prize packages in way of professional portrait sessions and last month took the official portrait of Miss Gay America 2010, Co Co Montrese.

    As word of their work spreads, Gouzien and O’Brien continue to have entertainers come to their home for sittings. Such sessions can take up to 6-hours depending on wardrobe, wig and makeup changes. With two unique but complementary styles, the couple play off of each other’s strengths and are known for their attention to detail.

    “Male skin, whether you have a ton of makeup on or not, is still going to be male skin,” said Gouzien. “The way that we shoot female impersonators is a little bit different.”

    The way the entertainers are lit is one of the main differences—softer lighting is required. There is also a great deal of work done in post-processing from smoothing color and lines to even adding a sparkle or two.

    “We spend a lot of time on details,” concluded O’Brien. “We magnify and zoom and spend time fixing pores, blemishes, make up, stray hairs in the eye brows and wig lines—we spend a lot of time on wig lines.”

For more information check out the super hot website: www.francesglenn.com