It's About the Subject

All shoots are about a ton of things but one thing I know is that it is not about me! It is always about who or what, the process and results. I never know what to expect at times and recently I was taken a back by a whole ton of emotion about the people who came in for this project. It was a grant for a healthcare provider and they hired me to capture family portraits of their patients in their community.

The families were nervous and unsure what to expect. They spoke only Spanish so I had to demonstrate in a physical way how I wanted them to interact with each other. In the end we had fun and they showed their loving selves towards one another. It was very moving to capture them and see the end results. I really felt touched and honored to be a part of their new family portrait which for most was their first time.

Keeping it Fun on a Shoot

Will my client be using this image; not a chance! This is me having fun on the set. I conspired with the models to tell my client that THIS was the end all and be all of shots and this would be “the one”. When the client showed up he looked at me oddly and said, “but this is a children’s table”. I said it’s okay trust me it’s going to be awesome. I snapped the photo and we all busted out laughing. I told him I was just teasing. We all ended up loving the photo. It helped lighten up the mood and everyone was relaxed.

No Sunlight- No Problem

Recently I had a complex business shoot that was broken out in two days. There was a ton of concern with the marketing team that we would be facing no sunlight and also a major storm that was expected to blow through. I did have to make a call to shift day 2 outdoor shoot to the day before because of the storm but ensured the team that shooting in outdoor natural light ( no sun ) is actually a good thing too.

For this particular project it was actually a benefit not dealing with the sun. At times especially in So Cal our sun is bright and can be harsh. We had success everywhere on the grounds not having to worry about shadows or harsh lines. So no sunlight, no problem!

Angles x Backgrounds

3 most important things to me when in a shoot: Light, Background and my Subject. Fair to add a 4th which is my angle or perspective. In fact for headshots the lower you go all the better. Especially company shots. If you are standing up while the subject is sitting down the result can be too much over towering them. Being eye level or even lower results in a stronger and more real connection the viewer see’s in the person. Additionally, it helps with better composition so that the background isn’t drowning out the person.

The background is always as important. In this case the Company manufactures textiles and sells fabrics. I felt it was a good idea to utilize their fabric swatches in their conference room which nicely ties into who they are what they do.

The goal in these types of shots is to have the viewer feel they want to know that person, trust that person and ultimately want to do business with them.

The Little Extras

I was asked to photograph the corporate team at the end of our shoot. Since their new building is still under a remodel I offered to place their company logo onto the wall behind the glass in post. They were so excited since their temporary space did not have any signage or branding anywhere. Sometimes it’s the little extra things I can do for a client which helps them and makes that lasting impression.