Behind the Scenes with Sherry Hagerman

by Skip Cohen

​Now and then an image comes along with a story so detailed and compelling it deserves to be shared. The images and the video in this post are by Sherry Hagerman of Allusion Photography.  She’s a perfect example of what I love most about our industry – the friendships.

I met Sherry when she came to the first Skip’s Summer School in 2009. She attended every one after that, through 2013. She’s a passionate artist with an unstoppable quest for pushing the limits of her creativity. From classes to online education to virtually anytime she can learn something new, she rarely if ever slows down. Over the years Sherry and her husband Jeremy have become great friends and the four of us are always squeezing in dinner together at a convention some place on the planet.

We caught up to Sherry this week here in Florida and spent a couple of days hanging out with her. Good friends have a habit of asking each other a simple question, “What’s new?”  Well, watch the video below, and you’ll see how Sherry answered me.

It’s not just the images from her “dark art” side that are remarkable but a few other aspects of this project I want to point out.

1. The core of Sherry’s business is wedding photography. She’s one of the very best in the Chicago area and gets accolades from The Knot every year. She’s gotten best of the Knot for at least nine years in a row. Sherry loves projects that push her creative boundaries and allow her to work her magic in front of the camera without any restrictions.
2. If you’re going to tackle any special project you’ve got to have a vision and then a drive that protects your investment of time. Sherry never does anything halfway, and you’ll see the proof of this as she drags her crew, props, and her gear through a swamp that goes well into the night.
3. You have to understand the craft to capture stunning images. Sherry kept the technology relatively simple regarding the technical process. Because she’s spent a good portion of her life learning the rules of photography, she could also break them whenever the result added to the power of the image.
4. Great images and projects are sometimes a family affair. You’ll see her husband Jeremy in the swamp along with both their sons. The whole family got involved in working hard to create these images and turn “The Evil Queen” into reality.
5. Sherry wasn’t paid to create this image. Canon asked her to test drive one of their cameras, and she agreed.  Again, this is Sherry’s “giving-back” gene that always kicks in when somebody asks for her help.

Oops – almost forgot the biggest reason to share these images and the behind the scenes video here – this entire process redefines the meaning of passion. I know it’s a word, so many of you think is abused when we talk about artists we respect, but there isn’t a better word. And, as you watch the video keep in mind the hours this crew spent working to create some amazing images!

Sheila and I couldn’t be more proud to consider Sherry and Jeremy good friends. Like I said in the beginning, it’s one of the best traits of being in this industry – the friendships that come out of everyone’s love for the craft!