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Years ago when I was doing my first book, Sepia Dreams I interviewed Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Dawes. During the interview she explained as a young kid she used her dad's shaving cream to put the following phrase on her bathroom mirror.
T = Together
E = Each
A = Achieves
M = More
The same holds true for professional photographers. You can't do it alone. All my shoots require tons of pre-production. My crew consists of agents, personal assistant, photo assistants, interns, set builders, scouts, etc. The following shoot is one example of the work that goes into making what seems like a simple job come together. This shoot was for my good client, Jenny Craig with Queen Latifah. We normally shoot the ad's on the same day as the TV commercial which makes for a very interesting and long day. Both crews have to share her and often the TV spots determine the location.
This particular shoot I had to shoot in the backyard of the house where TV was filming. The problem was I could get Dana, (Queen Latifah) at any time during the day or evening, but I had to keep my lighting consistent. We decided to build an outdoor studio which is much harder than it sounds, trust me. First we had to build a floor, and then the studio set on top of it.
At the end of the day my entire crew was exhausted but no one wanted to go home because the energy was so great on the set. All the hard work before the job paid off. We had the right music, the perfect crew and great clients and subject. Dana, was amazing as always and this day I even photographed her with her mother and aunt. I'll have to send her a few images for Christmas!
Camera: Hasselblad H2
Back: P30 Plus
Lighting gear: Profoto Packs
Main Light: Tiny Para 220 umbrella :-)
Music: MJS Queen Latifah mix
Assistants: Gary and Robert
Personal Assistant: Dushyanthi,
Interns: Hiromi, Ramona, Fredrick
Agent: LVA Represents NYC 347 599-0492
8 comments:
Thank you for so generously sharing your knowledge and experiences! Mera posted about you on her blog and I had to come and check you out. ;)
It's really interesting to read!
Hi Matthew!
Mera was right...you are always smiling! She highly recommended your blog so therefore I am getting ready to dive in for some great reading. Thanks for sharing.
Kelli-Chicago
wow. So very cool! I ran across your blog through Me Ra's blog. You are so inspiring! I'm just a photography newbie, hoping to get started soon. People like you and your great work really is encouraging! Rock on!
Wow, that's quite the set up. A bit more than I usually travel with! Fun to see the behind the scenes shots. Keep 'em coming.
Sara
www.smapix.com
Well Said A great Leader deserves a great team!!
All the best for your Italy Exhibit!!
Marie Lyssa
www.marielyssa.com
Hi Matthew!
I'm a huge admirer since I read about you in Professional Photographer mag and again seeing you work on ANTM. I shot right over here when Me Ra said you had a blog! Can't wait learn more about how you approach your assignments!
"You can't do it alone."
This is what really struck a cord with me, because often times I get so frustrated when I'm not shooting as often as I'd like, or getting the kinds of shots I want. Most of the time it's just me and my camera. However, I've recently started working with a great make-up artist which I find makes a huge difference in my beauty photos. So, yes, you gave the perfect acronym!
Thank you for sharing!
oh man your blog is the icing on the cake..
your team looks phenom..
you are the greatest
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