Email to Jac-Fashion Photographer

Hi Jac,
It's Leah Makin, don't know if you'll rember me student from Leeds on FD Photography?!
Well it was just q quick question for some advice really, were currently on the second studio practise project and I'm wanting to try something diffrent and exciting compared to what I usually do and go for like real fashion/editorial feel stuff.
I was just wondering if you had any tips or advice or anything that could help me, it's hard trying to look for an experianced ,odel from around her also find stylists and make-up artists.

Hope to hear from you,
Leah.



Hey Leah,

Nice to hear from you...how's things? Nice to know you're taking your fashion work to the next level. Doing fashion photography properly is hard work as sorting out the logistics way before designing the images is at least 50% of the work - when people go straight in the studio just to get it done - it really shows and looks average- don;t be worried about spending a lot of your time sorting things out. I am currently trying to source a futurustic metallic location for free - I've already spent a full day on it and got nowhere- be prepared to spend ages on net and making phonecalls and visting places. It's kind of like being on a film shoot and you are currently in charge of production (Mario Testino has his own production office - they spend all there time organising all the logistics and look of the shoot that he wants, until you're that good and have your own staff you MUST spend your own time doing this) - if you want to get the best ingredients it takes time and don't settle for something just because its available (like a studio) or a friend who is okay looking to be the model. There is a huge difference between a girl being pretty and a girl being a model and if you use a friend in a picture it will look amateur.
With models you need height and bone structure and the ability of them to perform.

The way I see it is a fashion image is made up of the following components

- models (professional)
- hair (professional)
- make-up (professional)

- location
- lighting
- posing/narrative

You have to get all the ingredients right - you want to make a special meal you get all the best ingredients. The one problem you have is you have no budget and this is a pain in the butt. This is not a problem though when I started out I wanted to
make my shoots as professional as poss and made things happen. You will be surprised if you ask for help you usually get it.

So here are some tips:

Firstly create an A4 jpeg or PDF which is a kind of a style board - when you start to contact people by email to get things for free this gives them an idea of your shoot and makes them more interested. As a rule don't just send emails with no extra info attached as its a waste of time. If you want things for free you need to put some work in. Its always best to go places in person if possible but some places you need to email and then follow up with phonecall. Its a 2 way thing though -I always offer the images for use in promotional material if they wish it - you would have to make sure the model agency knows this.

Models -
Contact agencies in leeds and manchester and ask if they have any models who are testing (testing is the terminology used when a model is new and they need shots and a photographer wantns to practice). You will need to create a pdf of images you
have already produced so that they can see your work and that they will trust you to take
decent images that they can use of the model. But beware - agencies usually want images that are editorial - if your shoot is really zany they won;t use them. Also
you should in the email say the kind of girl your looking for - be very speciific re height, eye colour, hair colour and length - they may not have it but its worth asking

Clothing
There are very few stylists in north of britain - there ares some listed on
manchester model agency website, you could ask the agency if they know anystylistswho want to do some test shoots. But I did the following in the past:-
go to unis with fashion design/hair and make up courses (huddersfield, manchester, leeds college of art at blenheim) -
put a poster up in appropriate depts with all the info about the style of the shoot, possible shoot date, location - as much as you can. ASK THEM TO EMAIL JPEGS OF THEIR OWN WORK. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SIMILAR AESTHETIC AND UNDERSTANDING. Then when you have your people you need to arrange a design meeting. Fashion photo shoots are about teamwork - whilst you have an idea about what you are trying to achieve you must listen to the other creatives inputs as they are working to be experts in their own fields.

- alternatively contact boutiques in places like harrogate and york and see if they would lend clothing in exchange for images, with these places go in person.


Location
Find location that you want and go in person - take info about shoot to give to them and ask if you can use the location. Suggest a date and time of arrival and departure. Again, have all of this written down for them - don;t be vague about anything - you will look more professional. In the past I have got expensive hotel suites, bars and a cinema to agree to a shoot so although at first it might be nerve wracking the worst thing they can say is no. Exploit your contacts - if you are
looking for a house with indoor pool email everyone you know about it and see if anyone has got a link. Talk to people about what you're looking for as people have ideas - trawl the internet.


Lighting
Find images of lighting you wish to emulate or achieve and practice the set up with a mate in studio before the shoot. Time goes so fast when you have a crew of people and 4 hours at a location - you need to know what shots you want to get and where the lighting is going etc - there is not much time to messs about.

Narrative/posing
Again have this worked out beforehand, then on location you have a starting point.
If something is not working out on the day and it just looks rubbish - from my experience do something different (take 15 minutes on your own or ask a confident to sit with you - tell everyone to have a break and figure out an alternative). Don;t persist if what was on paper does not work with the model. In that case improvise. I usually tyoe up details of the character that the model is supposed to be playing so that she has somthing tangible and a definite direction. When the model arrives make sure you introduce yourself first of all as the photographer and introduce her to the crew. Once she has gone into hair and make -up have a chat with her about the character and give her the piece of paper.

On the shoot have a time schedule e.g 9-9.45 make-up, 9.45 -10.30 hair etc, Whilsthair and make up are being done chat with the stylist designer again to confirmflowof outfits 10.30 -12.30 shoot first 3 set ups 12.30 -1.. lunch etc. Stick this on a wall and try and get everyone to stick to it. Everyone will expect you to lead the events of the day so be prepared to be in control but calm.

I hope this is useful - it is really hard work getting stuff in place but when it is your pictures will look a thousand times better.
Good luck and let me know how it goes.
ps look at www.whoistesting.com it is a london based portal where test shoots are
more organised. If oyu want to go into fashion photography believe me it is very hard in the north. London is the only really place to do it properly in uk

cheers Jac
Jacqueline Callaghan
Email: info@jacquelinecallaghan.co.uk
Website: www.jacquelinecallaghan.co.uk



Hey, i'm good thanks.
WOW!
Well that was allot to take in all at once! Ha.
Well there is some really great advice there and really happy you spent time helping me with this, I know feel even more worried. (Joking)
Well as for location at the moment it does have to be teh studio because it a studio module.

So far this is the model I have contacted and she seems interedted:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/member.php?id=482768

If i'd have had being more orginaside I could have time to look for more models fromvarious places, I'm not sure whther I'm stuck on doing fashion photography because Iknow London is the place to be for this, it's just somthing I really would like totry out.
This is more the work I do:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brokenhatredphotography/

My portrait stuff is more conceptual.

The poster idea for up at blenhiem is a good idea though, think I might give that a crack.
There's a couple of shots on this blog of some inspriration of line i'd like to dofor the project.

http://leahmakin-portfolio.blogspot.com/2007/11/videos.html

Leah



Hey Leah,

Glad it was a bit useful. I had a look at the model - she has a good look - one thing which struck me though is that on nearly every shot she has exactly the same expression on each shot (aside from when she snarls on a couple) and is almost always looking into the camera.
When a model does this what comes through in each shot is their personality - which is usually not what you want. They treat the shoot more like a portrait of themselves and their prettiness. I sound really harsh but its the truth - for her to be more professional she needs to engage with the role. Tell her politiely that the shoot your aiming for is editorial quality and she needs to be a blank canvas and be able to be the character you wish her to be. Show her pictures and
inspiration you have. If she is finding it hard a tip is to create poses in which
she does not look into the lens.

Also check with Maria whether the 'studio' model means you could go onto location and take the elinchroms with you. It sthe same scenario as a studio but can take you to the next level of dealing with an indoor location

Your personal work looks really interesting. Enjoy
Jac

Yer that's a good point, I know what u mean by vacant look though, sometimes you get that and models still give a pout, lol.
Well Jo said today that it was possible to do Location, but i've got booked into studio now.
So should be all good, some really great advice that you given and it's much apprciated!

If I get chance I will try and remeber I will send a link to the final photos.
Thanks again Jac.

Leah.