Lessons

Lesson Info

2:00 pm - Photographer as Team Director

On the set your director you have clients by you half house by you make up all there's a lot going on as you're shooting a job, the model is seeing everything but people around that they're right watching her our work but you're the director of everything and he shouldn't you do the world sees this image, but behind that there's all this other stuff it looks very intimate and cozy, but like we are here there's a lot behind the scenes going on and you have as for the photographer are responsible directing this set and making it feel a certain way so she feels comfortable in a situation put yourself in her situation and figure out what I feel comfortable like this if I was shooting if I was being shot, it helps to put yourself mentally in her place we're talking about howto models how to get better shots if you make her feel beautiful comfortable, you'll get better shots, hands down, make her feel good, great music having a drink of water or coffee or chocolate small piece makes you feel...

good don't ever say you're really gonna eat that you shouldn't be eating make them feel comfortable as you should make them feel comfortable talked them as you shoot it could be a cold studio and she's wearing a bathing suit, so in between breaks give her jacket aware commissioning outside and the weather is not great and you're shooting no skimpy clothing during your break when you're changing your car whatever make sure it's my walks over and puts a jacket around him to keep the war or brings her drinks that she and drink water you are the director everything that happens on the set as photographer is a reflection of you your crew hair makeup styles, the assistance they all reflect on you good or bad make them feel comfortable in every which way so here we're doing a quick louis shoot but I'm talking to her throughout the entire process yeah and as a model I don't want to have to ask because I'll feel that's unprofessional and by doing ok do you want more of this less of this rare that I should have to ask because I should already be getting feedback either through his commentary or his team or or I'll say bring your chin down or bring it up but if I'm doing this and you're not talking and it's not working for you let the girl know and why that's our tell her to move slower or ok start if you want the girl to be moving out of a post she's been in it too long letter now it's all about letting the model know what your expectation for that moment is of them also I think I'm beginning my career I made this mistake I was too shy to say something wasn't working so I keep shooting in my mind like this is not working and I didn't want to say it break out of that so it's better in time to take a break and just change the energy by taking her off set and changing her award role something's come back a brand new energy if you're shooting something and you're feeling in your head that it's not working no there's no rule that says you have to shoot this change it I had to learn that the hard way my my first time shooting shooting oprah my first time shooting her I was nervous I'm sure his big celebrity no icon and is it something about her hair that I didn't like but I'm a new photographer I'm shooting her and I'm thinking about photo stuff the lights, the background the problem like all that's great but in my mind I'm like the hair is off and I was too shot as they think about it so I'm like what the hair stuff is right there they see it built to go in and do it they didn't so way do the job and the hair was a problem and then re touch and make it perfect so I get hired by over again and this time when situation where oprah's hired me and we go we're shooting at this event that she's having and she's she is interviewing different celebrities so doing the brakes just oprah and I thing there then she brings that is by and shoot them for her but we had a lot of down time and on those brakes she talked to me and I'm still like a new photographer so the first break she says matthew on that last you why do you say a thing about the hair on my and I want to but he's too scared at the time so I've learned in every situation say how you feel don't be scared as an artist to say how you feel it is not working you are director stop the action and make corrections it makes you look better because you're in charge and you've seen everything around you stop it and correct it right in there is a new photographer sometimes you might feel like oh can I do this is ok absolutely there are no rules it's up to you to run the show and the team helps you run the show the team together each achieves mohr together with the model, the hair, the makeup, the palace, the manicurist together the team comes together makes the job work so as I'm shooting I'm taking breaks to give them all the time and doing those brakes if, like I can't go down to do whatever papers running into do this hair stuff is coming in to do whatever and then I think my camera again we're ready to go well, stop for a minute to give her a break also and then as I think the break and rushes in to do whatever cleanup the makeup make it just right and I actually like that when they rushed in and make it perfect, my sister's rushes in and takes a meter reading to make sure that the lights consistent so isn't taking break anybody's rushing in to do the hair to lipstick pick the meter reading they're all working on the separate parts to make sure that everything's working together that's the team working together I want to say anything the team knows zip russian make sure it's perfect that camera we start working again directing tips because as the targeting of directing the team not just the model but the entire team, I share my concept with the team, the model client lots of ready but my model, my hair makeup and my photo assistants know the concept for the shoot, so going to help me make it come together models left that we tell you when I get booked for a story or for an editorial for magazine I love before I arrived there's a mood board set already, I know what my expectation that moon board doesn't mean that you're exactly copying the images no it's a mood, so if we're shooting with you know, on the beach that day and you're sending a mood board off inspirational bathing suits or pictures that are kind of you're trying to come together with the mood that you want that as a model that's given me a chance to kind of get into an ak after smoke, and I know what to expect. It just makes it easier, I think, to everyone to be on the same page because I'm coming in, and now I know and I've studied matthew style that's important for the model to study, to study the style of each photographer I've studied to style. I know what he's wanting, I know the direction we're going that day it's going toe make me a better prepared model, and I'm going to be able to give more of what you know matthew hired me for wanted me for that day give direction and show them they'll help you bring your comes show intel showem tell him and they will help you bring your image to life it's much easier that way, and your whole team feels like eighteen working together it's not just being like, oh, my photographer and this is my way or the highway it's you having a team effort, everybody always creatives coming together to work as one unit it's a big difference and show you a passion for your concept sure, your passion as you shoot so she can feel it and the whole room can feel your passion behind you being a photographer they know that you were meant to be a photographer because you love what you do let them feel that so here I am gonna shoot I have my sketches upon the wall, my producers right beside me when I'm telling the models while other inherit make up about the idea the concept for the day. So while I get the hair and makeup done whether having breakfast, I'm telling everybody about the concept what we're doing so the whole team can get together and make it happen. I love having visuals she has talked about the mood board it's so important for me as a photographer it's like a referred to my to my visuals as I shoot support for the model so she could get in the mood is important for the hand make us they could go back and check on the style that they're doing that it all fits together if I tell her like, oh yeah, we'll be shooting on a beach and I want to be sexy in my mind I see sexy and her mind she's totally different so it's great have visuals to help tell the story, so I'll use everything from using a tear sheet of a magazine to have a sketches made tio having a color, but what? I used everything to give the visuals to the team to everybody so we're all the same page and by doing this makes you have better pictures and they all want to hire you, mohr and you make more money and you're happier and you're living the life that you dream about having share your vision and your dreams come true you have visuals not your sketches by have visuals of the mood that I want it's ok, ok guys, I want this feeling socially pictures of that feeling I could say I want a happy but headed for them could be like, oh, uh, they could be oh, I want to show them what I want I want to tell them show them and then the whole my visuals that touch thing again sight sound touch they hear it, they see it, they can touch it and I use them as I shoot for the entire crew to get the idea. So here we all were about to shoot I had them on the doors of the mosque and refers to them as we're shooting they like his chute and get the shot I want the idea walks they have the visuals in their mind with all the same page the visuals help all the time get that smile and say oh, I want you happy as she's close to you but I shall I say want happy and I showed the visual then I get in the movie then they get it it helps left and right remember this your visuals are your guide you have to follow them directly you don't have to like say ok, but my sketch looks like this and my my my my mood board looks like this you have to follow this exactly know its inspiration it's inspiration for the team and that's boring for the model you know, I've had I had an experience where the photographer had a vision that art director had a vision, they had a mood board set and she wanted me to copy exact pose from this campaign I felt kind of like, why am I here? I'm not able to move freely do my job to as an artist um because modeling isn't our and you'll notice top models get pay top dollars because they move differently than a new girl starting out where they express things in their face that the new girl's just aren't there yet. So, you know, for me as a model, I also don't want someone to come in and if I'm have a chemistry with the photographer, have someone else come in well, maybe if you just do this when really I was maybe already going to do that in some form or another but definitely not wanting to copy other people's work or other models poses but just an inspiration not you want to copy something you want to be inspired by a big difference because your inspiration better then what you're trying to copy be open to interpretation where the things change when I was working on the shot of the the model the butterfly drone on her face at first my concert was to turn her entire face into a butterfly and my team helped me see the vision of just the I'm being about a fly it's much stronger that way than what I had at first in my mind and has punished a shoot we are all a very creative field we are blessed you to make a living doing this have fun doing it because everybody can't do this and make a living this is a great great career as a photographer to make a living doing what you love is the best thing in the world have fun doing it have fun I love shooting and ideas where I can have fun and create something and then it goes on a magazine in the world season but what I really love is the process of making it out of the creative process this is the result of that's the result that people see I love the process of making it happen I love the process being with her and watching the hair and makeup and seeing my whole team worked to make one image come alive, come alive. All this stuff is a team effort. It's, a lot of work, that's, a lot of fun. So I'm sure you guys this for reason, you'll find out later on. So my sketches, I have all your sketches. But then the most really got into the story, and this stuff happens on his own, and I love that it's much stronger than my concepts. In my mind, I set the tone by showing a direction. Then things happen, and you get better stuff.