» Outtake from the Arty Magazine shoot.
at the end of this shoot the models had been in the studio and in make-up for about 12 hours. It was a really demanding shoot- every position had been mapped out already, including where every foot, arm and strand of hair went, and we had to test each individuals lighting and position over and over again. All the girls were incredibly patient (well to my face anyways) and Bukki (the male model) was astounding, unable to talk due to wadded cottonwool in his cheeks and blood capsules up his nose for at least 5 hrs, but he just smiled enthusiastically every time we tested something with him- which reminds me I really should shoot with him again…..
So at the very end of a long shoot- where my mind had clearly escaped me- (I cant eat when I shoot, or apparently sleep before it) I asked if the girls wanted any portrait shots for their portfolio and this is their reactions and boy do i just love this. It was shot on Adams Olympus OM1- which just shows technology dont mean shit sometimes…..
Outtake after the bloodiest shoot yet at Garage Studios. Elin/Sophie/Sophie
Outtake after the bloodiest shoot yet-Sally Cut Throat
See they couldnt even be bothered to stand up…..
Anyway I am posting this as someone asked me how i get models to look so forlorn or bored, etc in my shoots and I gotta say that mostly its pretty genuine from them- I cant or dont do the crazy over-the-top-havin-the-time-of-my-life model kinda shoots, I love some of those pics, but its just not something I tend to do… plus i think that Richardson and some others have just nailed that so much that everything else looks wannabe. I think coming from a portrait background helps in this- plus I’m just not a very fun person to be around- you think I am jokin- but seriously even my cat dislikes me- and she loves everyone….
So in the last Saltdean editorial those expressions are pretty genuine- there was a lot of waiting and staring and more waiting, and then hit that hair trigger Bronica and we had it. This may seem obvious especially to a lot of other photographers out there- but someone asked so there it is…. Just waiting, in a cold decrepit changing room, with uncomfortable wooden bench, whilst a skinny photographer stares at you, whilst hissing at his two female assistants to stop pretending to piss standing up in a urinal- gives you this. Oh and a waist level viewfinder really really helps.