How To Maximize Your Next Shoot
After the Fundraiser for Haiti I rushed to my house on the Westside to meet up with Beauty and Wellness photographer Dorit Thies. Hair and MakeUp artist Iris Moreau already was busy working on the model, (my daughter) Gina Chelette. Dorit is one of my coaching clients and I am thrilled to say that she has made quite the transformation since November when we first started working together. She has gone from doubting that photography will pay off in a big way to a pretty busy calendar filled with bookings. She’s added a very high profile client just last week and I am so proud of how she listens closely, absorbs and implements immediately what she hears. Still with her busy shooting schedule Dorit looks for opportunities to produce new work.
One of the things I recommend when you have to produce shoots for cheap or free is to make barter deals. Gina models for free as she needs the photos for her new website and Sed Cards. We agreed to sign a model release that allows Dorit to put the images from that shoot with her stock syndication. That way everyone gets something out of it and it is a great win-win situation all the way around.
Watch in this video how on a spectacular 75 degree Santa Monica beach day in February Dorit produces a number of great shots in one afternoon. Take a peek and see the makings of this simple and natural beauty and wellness shoot. One of the things that really sticks out about Dorit is how hands on she is. As a former professional hair and makeup artist (can you believe that I represented her in that capacity 20 years ago at my first job in the US?) she knows what she wants and what looks good. Dorit gives constant instructions to the model and reiterates how beautiful and fabulous her model is. Instead of reminding the assistant to focus she gently asks “does Gina have all the light that you can give her?” These are the details that you as the pro need to pay attention to, you want to keep it light and happy and upbeat all around. The more comfortable your team on your shoot is the more people will talk about how great you are.
Oh and before I forget, Dorit also took my favorite shoot, which is this great portrait of Gina and me. With that in hand how much do you think I’d like to help her and promote this great photographer further? Got all these pointers that I used throughout this blog entry? Make it work for everyone and give a little. It goes a long way.
