In stead of giant flags I’ve used large umbrellas with a c stand and boom arm to hold it over the subject. The umbrella takes up very little room when packing for a location shoots. It works really well for single portraits when the sun is blasting. This shoot sounds tough and you have to think on your feet when your subject is sitting there watching you sweat
This is great writing Adam, it gave me the same sense of slight panic that I have experienced before as well. Some useful lessons and whilst the shot isn't terrible, I can see why you would not be happy with it. Enjoyed reading that and thinking about what I would have done in the situation. Perhaps got him to try the t-shirt of your assistant for one!
Hey Justin, mate you are spot on, I should have absolutely repurposed my assistant's shirt. I think a key takeaway that I should have emphasized more, is go large with a set and equipment, or go very small and simple. A middle ground with uncontrollable elements (like sun) can end in disaster.
Failure is the best teacher but damn it is harsh. Thank you for being vulnerable with this. It echoes so many similar times I have fucked myself by not insisting on proper conditions, and then been distracted by the technical mayhem to the point that the human space/connection suffers. Arrgh. I wonder, however, if you would have arrived at the shirtless pose in a controlled studio... or just would have been able to work around the shirt with lighting?
Hi Alan, I think I would have arrived at the shirtless pose in a studio, because the white shirt was never going to allow for the tone of of photo I was going for. But good point, and who knows.
It is comforting to hear that even a photographer as widely experienced as you, can still be caught out on a shoot. it's not really a mistake if you learn from it, just a hard lesson... 😁
Your honesty is something the world could use a bit more of too!
Thank you for sharing these experiences, both good, bad, and anything in between or beyond.
Hi Jason, I didn't have to explain this to the client because they liked the photos and published this one. Although I think it's important to set my own bar of success, and what ends up in a magazine is not that bar.
In stead of giant flags I’ve used large umbrellas with a c stand and boom arm to hold it over the subject. The umbrella takes up very little room when packing for a location shoots. It works really well for single portraits when the sun is blasting. This shoot sounds tough and you have to think on your feet when your subject is sitting there watching you sweat
Great tip Brad. A large umbrella would have been perfect.
This is great writing Adam, it gave me the same sense of slight panic that I have experienced before as well. Some useful lessons and whilst the shot isn't terrible, I can see why you would not be happy with it. Enjoyed reading that and thinking about what I would have done in the situation. Perhaps got him to try the t-shirt of your assistant for one!
Hey Justin, mate you are spot on, I should have absolutely repurposed my assistant's shirt. I think a key takeaway that I should have emphasized more, is go large with a set and equipment, or go very small and simple. A middle ground with uncontrollable elements (like sun) can end in disaster.
I felt panicked too! It’s that awful feeling of being pulled back into your calculating mind away from the creative flow. Eeeeeeeee 😬
Failure is the best teacher but damn it is harsh. Thank you for being vulnerable with this. It echoes so many similar times I have fucked myself by not insisting on proper conditions, and then been distracted by the technical mayhem to the point that the human space/connection suffers. Arrgh. I wonder, however, if you would have arrived at the shirtless pose in a controlled studio... or just would have been able to work around the shirt with lighting?
Hi Alan, I think I would have arrived at the shirtless pose in a studio, because the white shirt was never going to allow for the tone of of photo I was going for. But good point, and who knows.
It is comforting to hear that even a photographer as widely experienced as you, can still be caught out on a shoot. it's not really a mistake if you learn from it, just a hard lesson... 😁
Your honesty is something the world could use a bit more of too!
Thank you for sharing these experiences, both good, bad, and anything in between or beyond.
Adam, curious if you felt you had to explain this to the client?
Hi Jason, I didn't have to explain this to the client because they liked the photos and published this one. Although I think it's important to set my own bar of success, and what ends up in a magazine is not that bar.