Swimwear Campaign With Off Camera Flash
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010Yes that’s right. I shot this fashion swimwear campaign with just my Canon 580 EX II and a 5 foot tall reflector to fill in some shadows on the opposite side of the model. I went with this set up because it’s light weight and portable and that flash packs a punch ! With the tide coming in and my assistant and I getting splashed alot with water, having a heavy Profoto portable pack would have been cumbersome and just one big pain literally lol.
The model was a trooper ! Lisa Peake from L.A. Models did a terrific job as the cold and damp weather set in. At this point the photographer and first assistant need to work fast and work smart. There is no room for error. As I’m shooting I’m already thinking of my next shot, call it multitasking . The sun is going down so fast that if you are not sure of your equipment you will lose that shot and the model will get frustrated and that is when you have lost the momentum and you don’t want that to happen. Oh and let’s not forget the client standing right in back of you barking off suggestions and of course the client knows everything about photography ! Shooting a real fashion job is not as easy as it looks. We often look at the final photo and have no idea what was going on at the shoot, what kinds of pressure the photographer was faced with and how many different people and situations he or she had to deal with.
So just don’t forget about that. Being a successful fashion photographer takes MUCH more talent than pushing a shutter button and shooting a couple of photos of a pretty girl in a studio where it’s just you, the model and the make up artist. Learn the gear, take time to understand what your model is going through at the shoot, learn how to deal with pushy clients that won’t shut up and take it from there. You will be surprised at what you can achieve when you take the time to really learn what happens at a professional photo shoot.
