Not A”muse”d
Since the first drop of paint dripped from a brush or the first spot of clay dried on a sculptor’s hand, the muse has been a part of our world. I am sure that some cave drawings can be found where the artist tended to use the same subject repeatedly because that subject provided inspiration.
What is a muse? A muse is the source of an artist’s inspiration. An artist often falls in love with their muse because they are so deeply moved by that subject. What I want to discuss is what part of the artist is deeply moved by a muse.
I have come across many photographers that seemingly fall head over heels for so many of the models that they work with. They gush about how the latest model is just so stunning and unbelievable. They are perfect in so many ways. “You just won’t believe how perfect.”
Really?
Most of the time that model is deeply moving a part of that photographer, but it is rarely the seat of creativity that is stimulated. A muse is not merely a source of physical arousal. A muse stirs within an artist something new and something far deeper than anything found in their trousers. A new world of images and visions flood the photographer’s creative heart when a muse is encountered. Muses are not something you run into often. I think THAT is the ultimate judge of whether you have found a muse. Do your images of that model make both you and others reevaluate your talent?
I can only name a few models that have honestly truly moved me to new heights of creativity. I can think of many models that had truly stunning beauty, but only a few that changed my talent simply by working with them. It isn’t easy to find a true muse. You tend to stumble into one and might not even recognize how special that subject is immediately. You might think, “Wow!” but you might not understand how your photography has changed right off the bat. It may take a second shoot where again you and others all see a marked, clear and obvious difference in your images. Your muse won’t just move you. Your muse will move others through your creativity.
I have been shooting for around twenty two years. If I were to count on my fingers the number of true muses that I have had in my life I would be left with one hand uncounted and a good part of the other hand also unused.
Long for a muse. They are special and they change your creative life. If you are familiar with my portfolio and can picture certain images, think about why those images come to mind. How many different models are there in those images?
It is clear to me that the most powerful creative tool you will ever have at your disposal is not a camera, a location or lighting. These things are all critical to great images. A true muse has no equal. When you do find that special muse you have found the reason that you shoot. You have come across inspiration and something that moves you into a new visual world. It can’t be faked, planned, manufactured or purchased. You can spend your life trying to emulate what you found in a particular muse and that is a wonderful part of photography, but when all is said and done value the special gift of a muse. Enjoy the new creative world where you can adventure. Nurture that relationship and glean from it every drop of creativity that you can.
Don’t think that falling for every model is the same thing. Aim higher. A muse is so much more.
Photographing Celebrities
In the 20 years I have been a photographer I have had the opportunity to work with several celebrities from the music and sports world. Whether it is a magazine cover or spread, an ad or promotional shot for the celebrity themselves, the experience is usually one that requires a great deal of patience.
Rule #1: Celebrities Are Just Normal People – Don’t be in awe and don’t be so star struck that you forget how to be a good photographer. Light falls on the face of a celebrity just like it does on anyone else. Shadows don’t dance differently based on number of Oscars, Emmys or Grammys. You still have a person in front of your camera and you need to capture a fantastic image for them.
Rule #2: Celebrities Are Not Just Normal People – Once you have a firm grasp on how must think about the person in front of your lens remember that they are actually a famous person. They are coddled and taken care of most of the day and will expect to be thought of and treated as royalty. They will probably show up late, give you mere minutes to capture an image that they expect to dazzle everyone that sees it.
Take your ego out of the equation when you shoot celebrities. Unless you are one of the top celebrity photographers in L.A. or New York you will need to check your pride at the door and just do the job at hand and reap the rewards later. You will not be treated as a great photographer. You will be treated as though you are lucky to be there, and the truth is that they may be right.
Sports stars are intriguing to shoot. They can be so confident and commanding in their sport, dominating other powerful athletes with consistency, but they are amazingly vulnerable on camera. This is not a comfortable situation for them. They may be able to tear down a backboard or throw an amazingly precise pass with a 300 lb. lineman bearing down on them, but they are not comfortable on camera many times. The studio is usually not their ideal field of play and photography is not their arena. If you put any powerful creature in a vulnerable position their actions can be unpredictable.
Some may be surprisingly gracious, but that is rare. Shaquille O’Neil was actually fun to photograph. Julius Irving was hilarious and teased my makeup artist while we shot a magazine cover. These are exceptions, not the rule. Most celebrities just want out of there as quickly as possible. My shoot with Grammy winner Nelly lasted just a few minutes. The preparation for the shoot took all day. I can honestly say the he spent more time getting a haircut in my studio than he did in front of the camera, and I couldn’t even see any difference before or after the haircut.
Celebrity photography is entertaining and the rewards are certainly worth the challenges and headaches that come to pass.
Developing Your Personal Style
Have you ever looked at a photograph and immediately known who shot it? That photographer has a style so clear that it is unmistakable. Herb Ritts had a style so identifiable that it launched him from his still fashion work into music videos for artists as renowned as Michael Jackson at the peak of his career. David LaChapelle has a style like that.
There is no real way to define what a photographer’s style is. You can identify characteristics of an individual style, but I don’t think that I have ever heard any style completely defined. A style is as unique as a snowflake. Can you tell me how one snowflake is so radically different from another? It isn’t…yet it is.
The ultimate question is what is YOUR individual style? How do you develop it and refine it?
When I started shooting 20 years ago I used to look at my work and think it had no style. Sometimes black and white, sometimes color, sSometimes higher contrast and other times flat. No discernable style. At least that is what I thought. A few clients came to me and made comments that opened my eyes to what my style actually was. I like to shoot very clean images. I gravitate towards beauty crossed with both fashion and glamour.
While I struggled trying to decide what style I would settle on, one emerged on it’s own. Others could see it before me and the same will go for you. Your style will emerge. You DO have a style. You don’t need to adopt one. Just shoot and it will emerge. Don’t make the usual mistake of trying so hard to adopt a style that your lose what is uniquely you.
Look at photography books and magazines that show the kind of photography you like. Shoot images similar to what you like. Don’t be afraid to fill a folder with pages that you have torn out of magazines and keep it in your camera bag for inspiration when you shoot. You are not copying a shot that inspires you unless you are truly copying absolutely every element in the shot. Take a shot that you like and tweak it. Make it your own. Your style reveals itself.
Some people like black and white and shoot it almost exclusively. Some people have embraced the whole tattooed pinup model genre. Even within those types of shooting there are subtle, but clear differences from one photographer to another. Look at your images. What do you see that you genuinely like? What do you want to improve?
If you spend the bulk of the time looking deeply into your images and the images of others you will find elements that you like. There are poses, lighting techniques, colors, tones and shades, expressions that ring true to you. Experiment with those things and your style will emerge. You already have a style just allow it to come out by not giving up. Pick up that camera and fire away!
Taking Control of Your Set
It’s never easy doing something new. It’s never easy feeling confident when you aren’t completely positive about what you are doing. Such a situation has become a huge stumbling block to far too many good up-and-coming shooters; and, honestly, it highlights a skill that every photographer needs to master as much as any photographic technique. What’s the skill?–The ability to control your set.
On a typical photo shoot, there are a lot of different elements that come into play. Lighting, styling the set, posing the model, crew, staff clients and–oh, by the way–your equipment are only the tip of the iceberg. Personalities can often be the greatest obstacle to achieving a great results.
How many times has it happened? A model walks in the door looking pretty rough and immediately begins sharing her drama about her horrible boyfriend or how late she was up last night partying. How many times has a makeup artist slowed the process of a shoot by chatting away about the latest unrelated melodrama?
The most common mistake I see with many photographers is inaction. The fear of controlling your set is crippling. Photographers must understand this simple principle: the images created are your responsibility. You are accountable, and ultimately it is you who needs to control the outcome of a shoot.
Keeping a reasonably professional environment does not make you a jerk. You are not the makeup artist’s therapist. You are not the model’s counselor. The MUA and model may want you to play a violin while they cry about life’s troubles; but you are a photographer, not a violinist. You are there to capture images with impact. Ultimately everyone is relying on you for those images. No client will say, “Oh, these images aren’t very good, but it’s ok. The model broke up with her boyfriend the night before. It’s not your fault.”
Furthermore, you are not on a set to entertain a model’s boyfriend or even her parents. I have personally run into several circumstances where a meddling mother was interjecting her own opinions while she watched a shoot. She started directing her daughter while on set. Because of this distraction, I had to ask the mother to leave the set. I was not being a jerk but, rather, was taking responsibility for doing my job. The mother’s intrusion was affecting the shoot.
The key to everything is not WHAT you do, but rather HOW you do it. First, I casually warned the mother in a light-hearted way. “All right, Mom! I can do a shoot with you later, but right now let me do my job.” That caution said with a smile and laugh is a great beginning. Next you say, “All right. I know this is fun, but I need you to let me do my job. I am the one looking through the camera. “ Then comes the final, more serious warning–“Mom, I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you get involved again.”
The same goes for boyfriends or whoever. Have you ever had a makeup artist become too opinionated on set? Just say, “Hey! You can always buy a camera and do this yourself, you know. You did a great job with the makeup. Let me do the same with the photography.” Said with a smile, these comments can solve a lot of problems.
Now, back to the model with the boyfriend drama…Just say to her, “I’ll be happy to listen after the shoot, but right now I need you to focus on what we are doing here.”
Taking immediate control of a set in a nice way does not mean that you are being harsh. It doesn’t mean that you don’t care or aren’t a nice person. It does mean that you are concerned about the images you are responsible for creating.
There is time for the personal stuff when the lights are shut down. Until then, focus on the task at hand.
Developing Your Style
Have you ever looked at a photograph and immediately known who shot it? That photographer has a style so clear that it is unmistakable. Herb Ritts had a style so identifiable that it launched him from his still fashion work into music videos for artists as renowned as Michael Jackson at the peak of his career. David LaChapelle has a style like that.
There is no real way to define what a photographer’s style is. You can identify characteristics of an individual style, but I don’t think that I have ever heard any style completely defined. A style is as unique as a snowflake. Can you tell me how one snowflake is so radically different from another? It isn’t…yet it is.
The ultimate question is what is YOUR individual style? How do you develop it and refine it?
When I started shooting 20 years ago I used to look at my work and think it had no style. Sometimes black and white, sometimes color, sSometimes higher contrast and other times flat. No discernable style. At least that is what I thought. A few clients came to me and made comments that opened my eyes to what my style actually was. I like to shoot very clean images. I gravitate towards beauty crossed with both fashion and glamour.
While I struggled trying to decide what style I would settle on, one emerged on it’s own. Others could see it before me and the same will go for you. Your style will emerge. You DO have a style. You don’t need to adopt one. Just shoot and it will emerge. Don’t make the usual mistake of trying so hard to adopt a style that your lose what is uniquely you.
Look at photography books and magazines that show the kind of photography you like. Shoot images similar to what you like. Don’t be afraid to fill a folder with pages that you have torn out of magazines and keep it in your camera bag for inspiration when you shoot. You are not copying a shot that inspires you unless you are truly copying absolutely every element in the shot. Take a shot that you like and tweak it. Make it your own. Your style reveals itself.
Some people like black and white and shoot it almost exclusively. Some people have embraced the whole tattooed pinup model genre. Even within those types of shooting there are subtle, but clear differences from one photographer to another. Look at your images. What do you see that you genuinely like? What do you want to improve?
If you spend the bulk of the time looking deeply into your images and the images of others you will find elements that you like. There are poses, lighting techniques, colors, tones and shades, expressions that ring true to you. Experiment with those things and your style will emerge. You already have a style just allow it to come out by not giving up. Pick up that camera and fire away!