Elements of the Photoshoot, Part I: The Photographer

This is the first part of a 3 part series I will be writing about elements of successful photoshoots. I decided to go in order of importance, and in my opinion, the MOST important element of a shoot is the photographer, or photog for short. Why is the photog such an important element, even more so than the location and the model? Its simple: without the photographer, the other two dont exist! No matter how inspiring your location is, no matter how perfect your model is, if you can not successfully capture and compose the vision of the shoot director into a medium that the world can process, then what a waste it all is! Not only is the actual photog important, but his or her equipment can make or break a great scene. The camera is obviously very important; to make successful shots consistently, key word being consistently, you will need an SLR or DSLR camera. Point and click cameras are never going to give you consistent results. The reason for that is because they are not made to handle the calculations and the lighting variances that a photographer will have to deal with shoot to shoot. They are indeed user-friendly; but with that user-friendliness you lose the variences that can turn a nice photo into a work of art. Also the quality of the image can never match up to a DSLR camera. Its like day and night! Beyond the camera, lighting is paramount to a good scene. If a point in the scene is either too light or too dark it could pull focus from the areas that need it. It controls how dull or vibrant colors are seen and interpreted as well. If a designer's clothes are involved, that vibrancy is especially critical. literally millions of dollars could be gained or lost from how an article of clothing is represented in a singular picture. And you thought the model's job was difficult! Lastly, composition is what seperates the men from the boys, sort of speak. How a photographer takes his shots, as in the angle, the area within the location itself, the points of focus, all of these things affect the way the picture is interpreted. For instance, setting the aperture on the camera can make a photo vary widely; you could go from focus on everything, to focus just on the modl, to focusing just on the background. All of those views change the purpose of the shot greatly. So in conclusion, as you are getting ready to choose your next photographer, REMEMBER that your choice could very well be the key to either flat shots and wasted money or power shots and success!

Iconic Style vs Fads

Style and Fads have some common similarities. For one, all style started off as a fad, or something that was popular for a time. The difference is style is eternal, while fads eventually fade away. Even as fashion changes, style continues to come back around. Things such as suspenders, fedoras, the fabric tweed, just to name a few, they have all come back around. Can you say that about bell bottoms or platform shoes though? Or polyester lol? (I make mention of these things not because they havent tried to come back around, b/c we know they have, but more so on how they are looked at in general since their heyday) Another aspect I notice about style is respect across generations. True style gets you noticed for the right reasons. Young and old alike love the appearance of a well dressed man; a sloppy appearance usually will get you the same disdainful glances whether young and old as well. This point rings me to what I think is the major faux pas of my generation: The sagging pants. This will NEVER be style! Instead for some odd reason its a fad that just will not seem to die. Even as the celebrities have FINALLY moved away from that nonsense, still in the inner cities you cant throw a rock without hitting somebody with their jeans around their thighs...and its so sad to see that lack of progression in my people. It was interesting to see designers try and implement that into their designs some years back, with the jeans with the underwear attached and about an inch above the actual jeans...we see that didnt last long. And hopefully the practice of sagging will die as well, and sooner rather than later!

A note on "models"

An interesting thought before I get into the "meat" of this note. So interesting the little things you can learn from watching professionals do what they do. For instance, its so interesting to see real models walk in the Dolce and Gabbana Fashion Shows or the other various designers' shows, then see the way "models" here walk. Its very different. I wonder why that is though? Do the actual ppl training models here to walk know what they are doing lol? Or is it a classic case of "the blind leading the blind"?...

I'll start with a point of reference. If you played basketball, would you model yourself after a guy who plays in the local pick up games, or would you model yourself after Kobe Bryant? To me, modeling is very similar to a sport like basketball, or even golf. Its not about talent as much as its about technique. Its very mechanical, instinctive. Kobe Bryant probably shoots a 1,000 jumpers any given day trying to perfect his shot. He knows where he needs to be and in what position he needs to be to be excellent at any time. Tiger Woods practices 8.5 hours everyday and spends another 3.5 hours on fitness related activities for a grand total of 12 hours everyday devoted to his profession. Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods are the best in the world at what they do. A lot of that is very much talent related. I can guarantee you this though: beyond the talent lies a technique that is unparalleled. And that is what rises them above the good mark and into greatness. And you can always tell the guys that dont practice well, that are all talent and no technique. They dont last long. They are streaky, unreliable. They have attitude problems, etc etc etc... So how does this correlate to modeling?

Modeling, like basketball or golf, requires a tremendous commitment and requires technique. It also requires a lot of study to become great. Beyond the fact that Kobe physically practices for hours a day, he also watches hours of film, not only on opponents, but of himself, and what he needs to improve on. A model, in a similar sense, should not only work on his/her walks and poses in a physical sense but they must study themselves and study those who are successful, learn what they do, take elements from their "game" and apply it to themselves. Naomi Campbell is one of a kind. Don't try to walk exactly like Naomi does. Instead take elements from her walk, and those of other models and put it together to define your own success, thereby making your own destiny. Commit yourrself to your craft. Dont just practice when you know the show is a week away; dont start working on poses a day before a photoshoot. Among other things, learn the business. Learn how you are suppose to act on go-sees, learn how to present yourself when in front of clients are even on a day to day basis. Learn how to seperate yourself from the mass of "wannabes" and become an outstanding example. Another very important point: Learn to say NO.

When it comes to shows and photoshoots and such, a lot of models, because they desire to make it so badly, get into a bad habit of accepting everything that comes there way. Some people will tell you that "All exposure is good exposure". That's wrong. It's also why being with an agency is still essential when it comes to representing yourself properly. Some fashion shows are simply done in bad taste. Some are cheap, others are just lacking any guidance and are thrown together at the last moment, many times creating a disapointment to those in the audience. Its very easy for an otherwise good model to leave a bad taste in people's mouths by the way they are portrayed as they walk the runway. Everything, from styling, to the manner in which they walk, can bring a negative vibe upon the model themselves. The same holds true for photoshoots. If a photographer asks you to do things you dont feel are right or tasteful in a shoot, its time to leave! Some pictures can do a lot more harm than good. The safe bet is to allow an agency to groom you and to choose what is and isnt acceptable. It will save you spinnin your wheels in the future.

Want to know another difference between your Kobe Bryants and Tiger Woods of the modeling industry and your average "pick up models"? They GET PAID! The "average" supermodel makes between $40 and $50...........MILLION a year. $40,000,000 to $50,000,000 in case you missed that. Even middle-rung models command upwards of $100,000 a year. Most real models make in one day what a teacher makes in 6 months. So its understandable to desire that kind of luxury. However, if you're not willing to work for it, you will always have only the desire. I'm tired of seeing talent wasted. I'm tired of these attitudes of "local models" who feel as if they are destined to be great, but won't put in the time and the work necessary to truly be even good? Lets step it up models!

"You hold your own destiny in your grasps."

Make the most of it.