Music to Shoot By

I'm on the road with clients for the next week, so you'll have to excuse this slouch of a post.

Curious what's on heavy rotation on the studio stereo while we're working?  Read on!

Posing: Megan & Adesuwa

If 75% of being a model is about having the look, then the remaining 25% is definitely about knowing what to do with it.

Posing is one of those things about modeling that doesn't come naturally in the least: it's a learned, practiced thing; like dancing or gymnastics, it's about understanding how your body moves and what the camera sees.  For models, that means lots of time in front of the mirror and lots of time in front of the camera.

As a photographer, when you work with a model who both has the look and knows how to use it...well, it's a dream.  Suddenly you understand what all of the fuss is about.  You're no longer working with a model, you're working with a Model.

The image at left is Megan from Muse NYC from a test shoot this week.  Click through for behind the scenes video and info!

Held Together by Chewing Gum and Paperclips

Image via the always-entertaining Photoshop Disasters blog (though this seems to be a "Lack-of-Photoshop Disaster").

Posted to make a point: much like the earlier post about makeup, people need to remember that fashion photography is artifice.  People aren't that perfect, clothes don't magically hug every curve of everyone other than you.

By the time we're done styling a model she can frequently only be shot from one angle...because the other is covered in clothespins and binder clips and tape.

Does the shirt pooch out a little bit over her tummy?  Clothespin it.  Waist is a little loose on those pants?  Safety pins in the waistband.  Model doesn't have quite the perfect cleavage in that tanktop?  Stick a couple of "chicken cutlets" in her bra (silicone pads that, well, put things where you want them).  And this is before the actual Photoshop, where models are routinely rearranged and rebuilt such that they don't even resemble themselves.

Remember, it's all about control...before you start snapping, look at what's in front of you and ask yourself, "is this what I want it to look like?"

Anna Webber makes some touch-ups on Sylvia before we shoot a commercial look.

Shooting an Editorial: Pre-Production

I've written about and posted to my Flickr stream plenty of technical info about my shoots, but what about the operational stuff?  The nitty-gritty planning and pre-production that has to happen before I get to pick up a camera and make pictures?

In this case, I've got a fashion editorial "spec submission" that I'm shooting later this week that I think makes a perfect case study.

Location Scouting

Let's get this one out right away: location scouting?  Not my favorite thing in the world, not at all.

I've got so much respect for the people who do it professionally.  Back when I worked in television I was always blown away when the scouts would pop open their location info binder and have first choices plus multiple backups for everything, multiple Polaroids of each location, contact info for the owners, maps to everything...and I had absolutely no interest in being the guy collecting all of that stuff.

But let's face it - being in the studio can get boring sometimes.  I love "happy accidents", and that kind of unexpected inspiration comes more readily when you're out in the world.  Sometimes you've got to take the shoot outside and give up a little of that control if you want the really cool stuff.  And that means finding places to take the shoot to.

KISS

Keep.  It.  Simple.  (Stupid.)

Listen, we all have our "look", our creative point of view, we all want to put our personal stamp on images and make them stand out from the crowd.  I get it.  But we become like kids let loose in the kitchen to make dessert: adding sprinkles, adding frosting, adding hot fudge, adding, adding, adding, adding.

What's wrong with a nice sugar cookie?

What's wrong with subtracting?

Bag of Tricks

I'm still recovering from the holiday festivities and travel, but I wanted to sit down and address something that comes up a lot in emails to me and that I address in my workshops.  The question goes something like:

"When you're lighting a shoot or setup, are you starting from scratch every time?"

And the answer is: yes and no.

Slideshow: Anna & Kaitlyn

On the tail end of the previous post, here's a little video slideshow of the complete shoot!  I find it really interesting seeing every frame I shot as a progression, not to mention seeing the variations and similarities I make in the moment.

Anatomy of a Shoot: Kaitlyn & Anna

This is an "anatomy of a shoot" post that I previously wrote up for Fred Miranda, but I thought it would make a great inaugural post for this blog as well. This dates back to October or so, so don't get confused by the seasonality of it!

I wanted to get a little bit of outdoor shooting done before it got too cold out, so I lined up a couple of models from Ford Models and Basic Model Management for a test shoot. I blocked out one model for the morning for the location work, then another for the afternoon so we could overlap the two on studio looks. We set an 8am call time at the studio so we could do initial hair/makeup and pre-sort the wardrobe, then hit the road out to Jones Beach on Long Island.

Continues after the jump!