I’m the friend who takes photos. If people want photos for their clubs and special events, they’ll ask me to take them. If people need LinkedIn profile photos, they’ll ask me to take them. I’m honoured that they think of me. But hardly anybody approaches me with a creative idea they want to bring to life. It’s always me taking photos for other people; it’s never a collaboration. So I was really excited when Alex showed me an idea he had for his photos.
He’d been telling me how either 1) people say he looks like some dude from the k-drama Kill Me Heal Me, or 2) he says he looks like some dude from the k-drama Kill Me Heal Me, and sent me two screenshots to show me what he was talking about. I think it’s the glasses, jacket, and layered shirts.
I’ve never modeled a photo after another photo before. I would pull my phone with the screenshots up out of my pocket after every few shots to see if we were on the right track. There was probably a better method to approach this. Like having photographic memory. Or using the screenshots as guidelines and taking more creative liberties. But this is how we did it. Alex was very specific about modeling the shots after these photos. Darker! he said. Moodier! he said.
After we finished the k-drama-inspired shots, we decided to get some LinkedIn photos in as well, so that it felt like we had a productive afternoon instead of feeling like we were just messing around. Which we were. But like, creatively.
Whilst taking the LinkedIn photos, I got distracted by some plants and got Alex to model a silly shot for me.
This was an in-the-moment stroke of inspiration, but Alex provided a lot of the direction. Of course, I love working with someone who has a clear vision, but I foresee that I won’t always be working with someone like that, and there may be many occasions where I’ll have to do the majority of the directing. I mean, I am the creator after all. I guess it all depends whose project it is. How do you plan your photoshoots? Do you have a long conversation about it with your client/model? Or do you take the reigns and have your client/model provide only minor recommendations? Do you picture all the shots in your mind beforehand, and then set out to take just that? Or do you have a vague idea and then just go with the flow on the day? How much do you plan and how much do you make up?
I’d legit love to hear your experience and/or advice in the comments, as I’m off for another photoshoot this weekend!