Inside out. How do we shoot this? Her! Janet Mandell! Chicago. LA. NYC. Mother. Fashionista. Entrepreneur. Total badass! I’m scared. No sleep till Brooklyn! This has got to be good, no excuses!
One light? Two lights, one hard and the other soft. Wait we got a third so let’s use that. 50mm, 80mm or my new 28-70mm zoom? Squirm. Focus on the story. Stay moving. Talk. Shoot. Move. A hard and a soft from the side and rear, an arm’s length apart. That’s Mark’s wingspan, my last minute added collaborator. An awesome photog, he totally reads my mind.
No stands, we got to keep Janet moving. Insight: she’s probably not frequently behind the camera so possibly frozen in front. Yea, that’s it. She’s that girl. Bright, quick on her feet. Rockstar. Boss lady, captain, conductor, and director. Relax. This assignment is not easy but it is definitely fun. I am talking to myself. Hmmm.. Ouch. My new hip is electric stiff. Grouchy. High!
Duncan Dashney, my steady assist, charms my mind with warm and easy banter. My main light, Duncan’s on it. A designer, he reads me like a shadow, where wherever I point the camera he’s there not just pointing but projecting his heart, a transplant indeed. I got the best team. Usually, our publisher DC is on set but for Spring Break he’s in Miami with family. Miss him. DC keeps me on the ground. He likes natural. Real. Honest. No affect.
I’m learning always. Slow but steady. Latest insight: if I want movement, have as much light handheld as possible. When the subject sees their lights moving they melt. Freezing is difficult under a light in motion. Moving light frees our subject. Just like most breakthrough lessons I’m quickly removed from my certainty. She freezes. Insight works for a minute. Best insight ever; the freeze originates from me. Arrrgh!
Photos and fashion are tools. They bring me love and attention. I can hate them, I can avoid them but I cannot unsee them. Honestly my thinking is as artificial intelligence deepens and robot sentience grows fashion and real-life images will be the only thing hand-made left standing that remains original authentic and real. Long live ink, hungry humans and attractive garments!
XOXO
SHOOTING JANET
BY JAMES GUSTIN