Collaborative Photo Shoots
Posted on 11. Sep, 2009 by Terry Reinert in Photography
When I first got started in photography I remember how I didn’t want to collaborate with any other photographers. I had this huge misconception that sharing ideas and tips somehow took away from the artistic vision of the individual. When I started shooting with my buddy Vanelli and in recent times collaborated with other photographers at photo shoots and on photo walks. I have really come to love the interaction between photographers when we are out shooting. We trade ideas, discuss what we as individuals see in the scene before us, we learn from each other, and we all feed off the massive amounts of energy that is generated from interacting with each other.
Below I am going to post some images from recent collaborative photo shoots I have done with various photographers and talk a little about each shoot. It is my hope that sharing my experiences will give everyone some ideas on how best to conduct and interact on collaborative photo shoots with other photographers. I will also give some tips on good practices for collaborative photo shoots.
Tampa – August 28th, 2009
Photo copyright 2009 RC Concepcion. Used with permission.
On August 28th, 2009, I attended Scott Kelby‘s seminar Photoshop CS4 Down & Dirty Tricks in Orlando along with Vanelli, Jeff King, and Karl-Franz Marquez. Directly after that we went to Tampa for a martial arts seminar with Bill “Superfoot” Wallace where we met up with RC Concepcion, Matt Kloskowski, Randy Van Duinen, and Kathy Porupski. RC came up with a really cool idea for a shot of Superfoot and Vanelli was able to arrange schedules so that he could shoot it. I didn’t shoot at all during this one. In fact I was in the shot itself; I played the unconscious guy laying on the ground. But it was really cool to watch RC get everything set up and then tweak the lighting once everyone got in place. He only had a few minutes to get the shot since Superfoot was on a tight schedule and seeing RC guide everyone there to make everything come together in such a short time was amazing.
TIP #1: There can only be one Chief. Take turns with the other photographers on who is guiding the photo shoot at any given moment. That doesn’t mean sit in the corner quietly when it isn’t your turn to be Chief. Continue to give ideas and help the other photographer’s vision become a reality… but let the other person make the final decision.
TIP#2: When it is your turn to be Chief make sure to keep an open mind and open ears. You don’t have to take the other persons advice but you should definitely listen so that you can tweak your vision for the shoot to make it as best as possible.
Tampa – August 29th, 2009
F-to-B: Vanelli, Jeff King, Karl-Franz, unknown guy with binoculars
The next day we had plans of doing a sunrise shoot but we stayed up way too late hanging out to wake up that early. So we woke up a little after sunrise and went out to Safety Harbor so shoot a little. While there were five of us there shooting, we really didn’t collaborate that much. We just all went out own way and did our own thing. Were we wrong not to collaborate? Heck no! It is perfectly fine to do your own thing if that is what you want to do. Every now and then some comments and ideas were passed back and forth in passing but there was no major collaborative effort going on.
TIP #3: Just because other photographers are around doesn’t mean you have to collaborate. Feel free to pass on an idea or ask a question though. But never feel forced to collaborate.
Vanelli shopping for breakfast supplies. Sorry, couldn’t resist!
After shooting at Safety Harbor and eating a kick butt breakfast cooked by Vanelli (yes, he cooks too!) we picked up Brad Moore and drove out to Ybor City to have lunch and meet up with Kathy for a photo shoot after wards. Kathy had a photo shoot set up with a Mandy, a model from Tampa, and she invited all of us to come along. Every photographer there was shooting with Nikon gear except for me. While they were all sharing SB-800 flashes, I was stuck with my single on camera Canon speedlight since I didn’t have any of my other gear with me. At first I felt like the odd kid out who didn’t get picked to play kick ball with everyone else but that worked out perfect for me. I got to hang back a little and watch everyone interact with each other and with the model. I got to sit outside of the box and watch the ideas flow and the shoot evolve from an outside point of view. It was an amazing thing to see 6 photographers with very different backgrounds and talents all come together to create a shared vision.
L-to-R: Kathy, Karl-Franz, Mandy, RC, Brad
TIP #4: Just because another photographer shoots in a completely different style than you doesn’t mean that you cannot collaborate with them and learn from each other.
TIP #5: You can learn a lot just from hanging back and watching other photographers collaborate.
Norm, another one of Vanelli’s Black Belts, came along with us and he jumped into the frame for some photos after a little while. This is when the collaborative effort really kicked into full gear. It was also when I decided to jump into the fray and add my ideas to the group as well. Some of my ideas were incorporated into the shoot and some were dropped. Did I care that some of my ideas were not put into play? No way! It was a collaborative effort and everyone had ideas that were left out. It is just the nature of working with others.
L-to-R: Jeff, Kathy, RC, Brad (B), Norm (B), Karl-Franz, Mandy (B), Vanelli
TIP #6: Don’t be offended if people don’t like your ideas or if your ideas don’t get incorporated into the shoot. You can always try out your ideas later or at a different shoot. It’s just the nature of working with a group.
Another thing I noticed that I found to be really interesting is how Brad Moore was acting during the shoot. Here is a guy who worked for the master of small flashes and an absolutely killer photographer (Joe McNally). My guess is that lighting to Brad is like software engineering to me. At any time he could have jumped in and told everyone what they were doing wrong with the multitude of SB-800′s they were using and got the lighting hammered out in short order. But he didn’t. He just hung out at the back of the group and watched. He’d answer any questions people asked and gave advice when needed… but for the most part he just watched while everyone experimented and played. I thought it was awesome that even though he has the knowledge to take control and make it all happen, he assisted and let others have their moment.
TIP #7: Even if you know a better way of doing something don’t force it onto those your are collaborating with. Pass on your ideas and advice to the others but let them play and experiment because the very nature of experimenting and seeing the results will teach them a great deal. When it is your turn to guide the shoot, that is when you can set things up your way, explain to them what you are doing, and teach them even more.
TIP #8: On this same topic, always leave your ego behind when you are going into a collaborative effort. Ego is bad when working with others. Showing your ego off is a very good way to not get invited back!
Melbourne – September 4th, 2009
At the Scott Kelby seminar Vanelli and I met Joey Wright, a really cool photographer out of Orlando. We got to talking and decided that we should get together for a collaborative shoot someone soon. Once we got back to Melbourne we set up a shoot on September 4th with Stacia, a model in the area that is just getting her portfolio put together. Joey brought all of his gear to the shoot as did Vanelli and I so there was a large mix of Alien Bees, Hensels, various soft boxes, a beauty dish, and tons of other stuff. We applied the “chief” concept that I talked about above (although Vanelli called it “art director”)… Joey chose the outfit and lighting set up for the first set, I chose for the second, and Vanelli chose for the third. Whoever was chief for the set would get the lighting configured how they wanted it and then had 10 minutes to shoot what they wanted. Then the next person tweaked the lighting and shot for 10 minutes. Finally the last person did their tweaks and had 10 minutes of shooting. Once everyone shot with that outfit and lighting it was the next persons turn to choose the outfit and lighting set up.
Joey showing Stacia one of the shots he took.
This was a really cool way of handing the photo shoot for a few reasons; it gave everyone a chance to control what was going on so that we could all learn how the other person operates, it gave everyone a chance to use lighting gear they were not familiar with, and it gave everyone a chance to see what the other photographers were seeing when they looked at the scene. For example, Vanelli got to see how I shoot full body shots in regards to camera position and composition framing and I got to see how he frames up his portrait shots. The image below is one that I took of Stacia applying the lighting set up that Joey configured and the composition framing from Vanelli. Needless to say, this one shoot made me realize that I really need a good large beauty dish to attach to the Hensel strobes I use all the time.
One of my shots of Stacia from the first set of the shoot.
TIP #9: Use the lighting gear that other photographers bring to the shoot. Get their opinions on it, learn how they like to use it, and take a look at their results. You may find some new piece of gear that will take your photography another step in the direction you want to go.
TIP #10: Challenge each other in some way to help build new skills. We challenged each other during this shoot to get the shots we each wanted in under 10 minutes for each set. Ask any celebrity shooter and they will tell you that most of the time you only get a few minutes to get THE shot. Mix it up and have fun while building new skills.
Photo Walks
Nothing can be more collaborative than a photo walk done right. Photo walks can be more of a social event than an actual photography event and that is what makes it so perfect for collaboration with other photographers. You get to meet a lot of new people each of which have their own ideas and ways of seeing things through the camera and you’re at an event that promotes interaction! I’ve gone to many photo walks and led quite a few myself and I can tell you that no matter how good you are, you will still learn something from someone if you attend a photo walk with an open mind.
TIP #11: Talk to people, ask questions, stand next to them while they are shooting and look at the shots they are capturing. At the same time answer questions and show others what you are shooting. Let the ideas and knowledge flow.
If you happen to be going to Photoshop World 2009 in Las Vegas this month then you should attend the two photo walks that are planned. MY PHOTO WALK – ED’s PHOTO WALK
Conclusion
If you keep these 11 tips in mind regarding collaborative photo shoots then you should be in good shape to have a lot of fun at photo shoots and learn a great deal from others. If you have any other tips or thoughts about collaborative photo shoots, please leave them in a comment so that others can benefit from them as well!
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Rich Charpentier
14. Sep, 2009
I’ve found that some of my best photography comes about because of collaborating and interacting with my photo friends. I’m also so happy to share techniques and tips with anyone who asks.
Glad to see I’m not alone when it comes to shooting with others. One friend who has been shooting with me for months now told me recently that he normally stayed away from shooting with others, and he’s enjoying himself more now. Good stuff!
Check out Rich Charpentier´s last blog post….A trip to the Grand Escalante Staircase!!