Hard Work & Hilarity



This picture is from a recent photoshoot for a kooky vintage/retro clothing shop in Brisbane called Lucia Good Gear. The low-budget shoot was done in a small room at the front of the shop with a crushed satin sheet as the backdrop, natural light and one off-camera flash.  Lucia, the owner, did the styling and the subjects were unprofessional models who are friends and customers of the shop.  'Twas an ocassion of much mirth and merriment, as well as hard work.

This post is about working with unprofessional models and the process of this shoot.



How We Did It

The low-budget shoot was done in a small room at the front of the shop with a crushed satin sheet as the backdrop, natural light and one off-camera flash.  Lucia, the owner, did the styling and the subjects were unprofessional models who are friends and customers of the shop. We scheduled two models per hour and they alternated between dressing with Lucia and shooting with me.

Why We did It

The purpose of the shoot was to create content for marketing, especially facebook marketing. The photographs also promote Lucia's skill as a stylist. We chose to brand the pictures with the shop logo, so when the picture is downloaded from facebook the origin of the picture is maintained.

The use of local models increases social media engagement with the local target markets - i.e. more 'likes', 'tags', 'shares' and comments, thus expanding audience. The photoshoot itself, as well as the pictures, help to engender a sense of community and inclusivity around the business. The use of  'normal people' as models also helps assert anti-mainstream commercialism  values. All of this reflects the sensibility of the owner Lucia, and it is the culture and personality she strives to build around her business.
 

Planning, Process & Attitude

We endeavoured to strike a balance between thoughtful preparation and leaving room for flexibility and creativity. As I get older, this seems to be the best way to do things. If one over-plans, one can miss the unexpected things that present themselves and the great things others bring to the party. It is stressful to attempt to be overly 'in control' and one can easily miss the fun of things. A controlling attitude also puts a great dampen on other peoples' talent, fun and creativity. [Excuse me while I think of a former  boss and poke myself in the eye with a biro.]

Having said all that, I prepare my equipment assiduously, and project managed the shoot likewise in the planning stage. Lucia spent many hours preparing the location and planning the costumery. We did all this so that we could avoid frustrations on the day and function good-naturedly.

 
Working With Non-Professional Models

In working with the models, to start with, the stylist tries to choose costumes that are somehow in-keeping with each individuals look and personality. For both the stylist and the photographer the most important thing is to be relaxed and make it fun. Working with the models is a balance between directing, and encouraging the models own ideas and creativity. I like to draw the models into humorous dialogue about their 'character', so that they forget themselves and fall into a state of play. This seems to generate the best results.

Together we got the job done and we all had a marvellous time. That's how life should be, wouldn't you say?


You may wish to read another post about the shoots and social media, check out the pictures on my website, see a slideshow with sexy music, or read the witty copy I wrote for some of the pictures.