Midweek post: the photo shoot

When I photograph by myself, I tend to find the experience unsettling and sometimes, upsetting. Monocular vision seems to intensify the way I see the world, especially the more disconcerting aspects of it.

Group photo shoots are a completely different story, though. Group photo shoots that involve a community of models, actors, assistants, scouts, and photographers (often all my friends) provided some of the most memorable and fun experiences of my life. Successful photo shoots, I’ve discovered, require a lot of unmentionable things, like trust between participants, patience, and good timing.

I am currently looking for actors (this is not a solicitation), locations, and stories to tell for an upcoming photography project. I do not wish to rush this process, so I am looking backward at some of my favorite shoots.

I always wanted to do a "behind the scenes" showcase of my thesis exhibition. For my thesis, Bringing To Light, I montaged several self-portraits in Photoshop. Some viewers asked how I created the images, as I do not have a twin. Well, below you will find some comparison shots that will illuminate how helpful my friends were for this project.

The top photographs are the final product. The bottom image is one unedited slide (out of two or three) that includes a comrade. My good friend Lindsay always came through to help. You can see in her hand a bulb shutter release in my "Pick Yourself Up Now" photo. Thanks Linds!

No one has noticed yet the barren tree branches in the background of the final version. This photo shoot was FREEZING. It took place in January. I had to recreate a childhood memory of summer and was on my second re-shoot. Acting, I say. Holding my hand is my friend Tracey, in a winter coat and boots. Patty was behind the camera.

Not so much an exact comparison but you can see my friend Patty sitting still while I take some test shots. Thanks Patty!

And then when everyone else was busy, I did a lot of shoots with my free standing mirror because it was close enough to a human. I love that mirror. I still have it.

This post is dedicated to my friend Patty, who always had the most fun with her photo shoots. Here she is, with Pedro.