Fashion Test Shoot with Wallflower Model - Nyamjam
A while back I had a photo project for THAT PHOTO SCHOOL where our objective was to soften hard light; it was a cool way to incorporate lines, shadows, and shapes into photographs. Since then, I’ve been wanting to continue experimenting with that technique; which meant producing a new shoot. This time, instead of going over all the technical stuff, I’m gonna walk you through how we pulled this thing together. Here are a couple of our shots from the test!
From a lighting perspective, I knew I was going to cut shapes into cardboard to create interesting shadows against the backdrop. Then I thought it’d be cool to do an accessories shoot, where you could frame hand bags, or shoes inside of the shapes: circles, squares, triangles, etc… As an accessories brand, ALDO always has super cool photo campaigns, so that’s where I went looking for inspo.
I really liked these images, they’re bold, and pack a punch! You can tell they’re also using hard light, because of how crisp the shadows are. I then took these images, and built a PowerPoint to send to a few wardrobe stylists.
Here are the notes I included, to give collaborators a better idea of the concept:
Inspiration + Lighting - Drawing inspiration from past ALDO campaigns. Will be using hard light to create shadows. Test shoot will be more moody than the ALDO inspiration images. Use cardboard cut-out of shape to create geometric shadows
HMUA|Grooming - Fresh faced, and sleek
Wardrobe Stylist - Ideally, three key colors to build around, stylists’ choice
Model - Prefer unique features, not so much “girl/guy next door”
I then sent everything in an email, and hoped people would be interested.
I got a pretty quick response from the amazing Cordell, whom I’ve worked with in the past. Leading up to the shoot, he sent me pics of a BUNCH of pieces. Little did I know, he was ALSO pushing his own boundaries. He decided he wouldn’t rely too much on trendy pieces currently in stores, rather he’d see what he could do using mostly thrifted pieces.
**If you’re new to this, here’s a side note on how I’ve found collaborators. If you already know, feel free to forge ahead!
One of the stylists I’d emailed, I’d found on IG. That’s a tactic most people already use I’d think; but the other two stylists I emailed, were found through agencies and other stylists. When I first started trying to take my test shoots to a new level, I reached out to all the local agencies. Around DFW, we have Onset Management, Independent Artists, Campbell Agency, and more… One option is to send a note to the agency itself with your concept. They’ll send an email blast to their artists, and anyone interested will contact you. Option two is to email some of those stylists directly.
Sometimes you reach people that are established, aren’t actively building their portfolio, and/or already have a team! But in my experience, they’ve still been very kind, and have given me the contact info for other stylists or stylist assistants. I went through a lot of emails before finding a couple of go-to artists. You gotta put in the work, and don’t be discouraged. Reach out to all the people, and know that you’ll often get rejected, though they’re usually kind rejections.**
From there, I sent Wallflower model management my concept, my portfolio, and my top picks for models. Unfortunately, None of my initial requests were available for the shoot. :( But Wallflower then sent me a board of new faces, and our first pick from that board was available! Truly a lucky break, because Nyamjam was AMAZING!!!
Finally, there was makeup. I’ve worked with MUAs before, but I still haven’t really established an amazing connection with anyone in particular. (You can find HMUA in the same way I described finding a stylist.) I was going to ask our model to do her own makeup, but luckily Cordell has a friend that’s starting to dive deeper into this sort of thing and she agreed to come onto the project. She was great!
I’d say we didn’t get EXACTLY what I had in my head, but I’m still really happy with the work! I took the shadow shapes out of a couple sets to avoid getting too repetitive. Enjoy!
