Information for Models - Test Shoots

As many know, along with my varied photography work, I'm also a member of Model Mayhem, a site that allows photographers, model, stylists, and others associated with the modeling industry to network together.  One of the things I do is help new models with their portfolios with free (trade for print) photo sessions.  Based upon a past situation where a model failed to show up to a shoot without providing any notice before, or any communication after, I felt compelled to set my thoughts down on virtual paper so that I have some points to live by.  Perhaps I'll avoid wasting my time or anybody else's time if I'm up front about why I do this and more importantly, give you, someone who might be interested in working with me, a better sense of who I am.  So here goes --

I'm in it...

For the love of creating great photographs
It saddens, even offends me, to see people suffer through sub-par photos, especially if they have paid good money for them.  I feel an urge to take people's pictures for free if I know I can do better (probably why I do TF* work).

Photography to me has to provide some artistry, or at least some visual appeal beyond the passive recording of an event.  I do believe that every moment of existence can be recorded in an engaging way, but work has to be done on the photographer's part to find the best image rather than being a simple recording machine -- he needs to work with the light, supplementing it as needed, moving himself around as needed, moving the subject around if needed, finding the best way to flatter the subject and tell a story.

Gear matters -- to a degree.  These days, camera gear is mostly irrelevant to the final image.  What has always mattered is having the gear to control and shape lighting; after all, photography is literally "drawing with light".  I've invested heavily, and will continue to do so, with location lighting gear and light modifiers to create the beautiful light that elevates one image from others.  Without good control of light you have nothing.  I also invest in the best cameras and lenses Nikon has to offer as there are fine subjective subtleties that are introduced by equipment and can be taken advantage of.  Good equipment works with you and doesn't get in your way.

Life is fleeting -- I want part of my legacy to be images that I capture in this lifetime.  I have lots of snapshots and video of the family so the time I take with an arranged shoot with a model is to really create something very special and I put in the effort.  You hopefully feel the same way.  I want you to be delighted with them.

To continually improve and learn
Pilots and racers would call this seat time.  Working with gear, understanding how things function, how light changes minute-by-minute, day-by-day, season-by-season -- these are things (usually) learned and refined through experience.  I continually invest in my skills through workshops and seminars and you benefit.

I push the envelope, and that means trying new ideas, however crazy, just to see what they do.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?  Hopefully amidst all of this we'll get some images that are keepers.

I love a challenge.  Nothing makes a challenge more fun than great people to work with, some tunes, and maybe food!

To meet like-minded individuals with similar drive and ideals
Spontaneity has its own charm and I do love putting together a same-day shoot and seeing what comes out of it!  Also, for the most part, photographers need fresh faces and ideas; models need fresh and diverse looks. I also like helping people.

On the other hand, I do feel long-term collaborations, where model and photographer work comfortably together, can be extremely fruitful and can deliver the extra element to images.  I hope to meet a photographic muse, with whom I can collaborate on ideas over a decently long period of time.  Some regular shoots (I probably can't do plan out and do more than a couple of shoots a month, probably) to work on some of the projects I've listed below, some deep discussions on style, constructive criticism on both ends, a meeting of minds, and all that good stuff.  What amazing fun that could be to work with someone in it for much the same reasons I am -- please do contact me if you're interested!

To have fun
Really, if there's no element of fun in it, I wouldn't be bothering.  I'm relaxed, respectful and loyal, but driven to succeed.  I try hard to build rapport with my subjects, too.  There's no point in being fake -- it's just too much work!  Having fun has the desired effect of making everybody relax, and relaxed people make better pictures.

I'm not in it...

To waste my time with flakes who don't show up
It costs me money to take the time off for TF* shoots, not to mention any other associated costs for gas, gear and studio rental.  It also costs me time with my family to prepare and pack my gear the night before.  I scout locations beforehand.  I spend hours post-processing to make you look good.  So even though I'm not being paid for a TF* shoot, I approach it just as professionally as if I were.  I ask you what you need for your portfolio and try to oblige as best as I can.  I work 'til I drop and get physically beat up working with a heavy pro camera and lenses, not to mention all the gear setup and teardown.  I wouldn't do it any other way.  I want you to succeed, too -- what greater satisfaction than helping someone get discovered on the basis of an image of mine?  Stuff happens, I totally understand, but if you waste my time by not showing up and do not have the courtesy to let me know or to reply to phone calls or emails after the fact I will likely not want to ever work with you again.  I would be too classy to make a big deal of this, so you can continue to wreak havoc on other photographers' time.  But keep in mind that Karma's a bitch.

To have my images irresponsibly used
While I'm fairly open to the use of my images (probably since I'm not dead set on monetizing them), I do consider them my intellectual property (my children, in a way).  Therefore I really would like to know where they are used, to be asked permission for them to be used in ways that might not have been specified on a contract, and to have proper credit where possible.  I'm probably way too lenient on this and probably need to tighten this up.  In reality, just ask and I'll probably say yes because you were nice enough to actually let me know what you were doing with an image.  A signed model releases are a must with me, like with any photographer -- mine is totally standard -- and you get the hires, processed images for self-promotion, of course.

On Style

I consider my style to be flexible.  In some ways I'm currently reinventing and discovering my style.  Photographers I have learned from personally and/or greatly admire include: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Joe McNally, Elliot Erwitt, Annie Liebowitz, Marcus Bell, Jeff Ascough, Cliff Mautner, Mario Testino, Rolando Gomez, Jim Lewchuk, and many others.  They come from a great many approaches: wedding, fashion, photojournalism, portrait, and glamour.  Some only use available light while some are masters at complex artificial lighting setups.  Some work on the fly with what they're given, others work deliberately in a studio, tweaking every single detail.  Some are deadly serious, others add some humour into their images.

If I were to try to attribute some keywords around my work and approach, I'd say Real, Emotive, Simple, Timeless, Beautiful -- those are certainly goals, and by no means do I think I achieve all of them regularly, or each one to the level I'd like!

Real in the sense that things look right, not fake.  I enjoy the purity of available light shooting but I have no issues with duplicating or creating a lighting situation that feels real. 

Real in the sense that some aspect of the subject filters through the various layer of clothing, make-up, acting, etc. 

Real meaning that the a good image needs to come out of the camera.  Additional post-processing work will still need to be done, but should only be to enhance what it already present, and not to introduce a missing element.  If it wasn't captured, good luck fixing it in post.

Real in the sense that there are no guarantees I'll stick to this list if I want to break the rules.  :)

Emotive.  A picture should have some impact on the viewer, be it a recollection of one's wedding day emotions after the fact, a dramatic sexy shot of a model, or ghostly light on a landscape.  This isn't heavy emotional stuff -- sometimes it's whimsical, lust-filled, funny, whatever suits.

Simple.  Distilling down an image into its core elements.  Nothing missing, but nothing extra that doesn't contribute to the picture in some way.

Timeless.  In a world of short attention spans, fleeting fashion, hairstyles, technology, timeless is an adjective that is hard to attach, but timeless photography has always dealt with universal human emotions and ignored the shiny photographic trend of the day.  Even fashion photography has its timeless images.  But I'd be foolish to ignore commercialism and business realities in photography -- the customer makes the rules!

Of course, the implied goal is Beauty!  The overriding goal is always to make you look your absolute best through the combination of light, equipment, posing, location, make-up, etc.  The beauty is always there; it just needs to be surfaced, the positives accentuated, and any negatives downplayed or hidden.

Projects

My current goal is to incorporate glamour and more elaborate lighting setups to complement my existing spontaneous/candid/moody work.  Elaborate meaning planning out a shoot in more detail beforehand, multiple lighting setups, working on location on a street, working with a make-up artist, that sort of thing.  A great example of this would be Joe McNally's work.

Some subject areas I'd like to do:
- Sports / leisure: something fun and sexy (maybe combined with glamour)
- Motorsports (do you look good in a helmet and racing suit?)
- Wedding / Bridal: to add to my wedding skills
- Dark: nighttime, available light, gritty, edgy
- Improv: hit the streets and improvise
- Energy / motion: creative use of blur or motion in a shot
- "New" Glamour: sexy, sensual, seductive, in a classy way
- Killer headshots: structure the lighting, make-up, etc. just to get that perfect shot
- Photo essays on specific topics, with or without accompanying copy

If You've Read This Far...

You either have lots of free time to read, and therefore to model, or you agree with my thoughts -- so I'd like to hear from you either way!  :)

- Martin