The Beast in The Woods. Also known as Aiko, one of my longtime collaborators. We've worked together on seven(!!!) shoots, and this one is one of my favorites. Not only because the photos have such a personality, but because of Aiko's creativity. She had constructed a pair of horns, to bring an otherwise standard photoshoot into the realm of fantasy. Now, I'm not a huge fan of fantasy, Lord of the Rings, Hobbit type stuff, but I love anything surreal. The juxtaposition of Aiko's horns in what would otherwise be a normal location shoot really cranked me up creatively, especially in the editing process.
A meal for the beast?
Our location was Washington Park Arboretum, a sprawling, tree filled park right on Lake Washington. It was a nice and warm July night, just hours before sunset. Summer's in Seattle, and that sun just keeps going, it feels like it's never going to set. The Arboretum is so dense that the sun was only able to get in through cracks in the canopy. This further added to the surreal feeling, that it was bright in all other places but deep in the woods. Little cracks of sunlight were trying hard to break through, filling the forest with sparks of light.
Painted by the sun.
We shot two looks, the lovely eggplant dress seen above, and a very pure white dress paired with a patterned shawl, which had almost a native feel, if that makes sense. Now, Aiko has a personality, so finding characters and posing inspirations to fulfill the outfits is as easy as putting them on. As I said at the top, we've worked together many many times in the past, so I don't have to do much in the way of direction when it comes to posing, I trust her and the poses that come to her. This is something I slowly learned about working with models, it's really just a matter of personality and experience. It's as much about the photographer becoming comfortable with the model, as it is the model being comfortable with the photographer.
Solar charging.
When I start planning a photoshoot, I like to create a mood board beforehand, something that can be shared with the model, makeup artist, art director, what-have-you. It's a useful tool to portray the possibilities of a shoot, inspirations to aspire to, and even specific looks or styles you'd like to incorporate into the shoot. I use Pinterest, since it's easy to search, you can create a specific board for what you're looking for, and you can easily share it, along with the individual pins. It's even collaborative, so you can take suggestions and work together to make a cool project!
A horned beast surveys the scene from the trees.
I'm not sure if I've mentioned this in past blogs, but one of my in-jokes when I'm on location shoots is that I'm going to somehow end up dead because of the location, that I'll be so focused on shooting that I'll trip and fall down a cliff, or that I'll step back into an oncoming car. Sure, it's pretty morbid, but it's just my humor. Like most potentially awkward situations, humor is great to break the tension, and I'll admit, working with models has the potential to get very awkward. That's why I really don't take myself too seriously when on shoots. I stay focused and serious while behind the camera and actually taking photos, but the other 40% of the shoot, the walking from one location to the next, the outfit changes, I would go absolutely crazy if I remained stoic and thoughtful.
If you acknowledge that photoshoots don't have to be serious stressful affairs, it helps you build a stronger foundation with all those involved, and helps everybody relax and work together to create the best art. Obviously, you won't always be able to work this way, so when you're first starting out and testing with models, keep this in mind. Don't forget, models are people too, and people work together best when they're laid back and chill, and comfortable.