Craigslist Shoot #4

I just got done with my fourth Craigslist "I'll shoot your photo for free" shoot and wanted to jot down some notes while it's still fresh. The shoot was with a girl wanting headshots for extras work at a local movie studio type place. The shoot was supposed to be at her house but once I arrived we had to change plans and come back to my house where I setup the studio in the living room.

• Flexibility is so huge in photography. I am not sure a single shoot has ever gone like I really planned. Today's shoot was no exception. Being flexible is good.


• Not sure I should be shooting women. I don't have a clue about makeup, hair etc. Honestly my wife saved me on the posing tonight.


• Still lacking in the posing department when people ask for direction. It's better than when I started but still not there yet.


• I really want to get out of the studio environment. Not only for a more well-rounded portfolio but it's not quite as much fun as being out and about.


• Today made me think even more that children's photography might be where I need to head. I relate well to them and it seems more of a natural fit.


• I sent out a little 10 question interview email to the girl and it definitely helped me understand a bit of who she was and what she wanted.


• Time to prepare is nice although not necessary. She emailed the questions back this morning and I didn't have time to really "plan" the shoot around the vintage theme she liked so much. It would have helped to have been able to research things so I had more to bring to the table.


• The process of actually shooting photos in a shoot is a progression with iterations from beginning to end with the end being a great shot. I see this in my web design work too but, for example. tonight we had a great vintage chair as a prop and did some tradition sitting in a chair and one thing led to another and in the end she was holding the chair in front of her face peaking through it and I think this is one of the best shots. I never would have thought of it without working with the chair in a more basic way and then progressing on from that. I suppose this occurence happens many times during a shoot (hopefully) and that the best photographers have gotten to a point where they might skip some of the iterations and be able to see past them to the good stuff.


• I don' t have much desire to shoot traditional portraiture. My favorite situations to shoot are people being spontaneous and interacting with their environment or props in off the wall ways.

Photos forthcoming.