All You Have To Do Is Show Up

Being at the right place at the right time. I went to shoot an event at my church for my photojournalism class. At first it was kind of weird shooting since I saw everyone looking at me, probably wondering who is this guy with that big ass camera. After a while they forgot all about me. I was shooting as I carefully moved from one place to another. At times people were so deep in pray that I felt I had to stop shooting for a bit just to show some respect. I felt that it was very important to be respectful of the situation. The ultimate goal is for people to trust you. The most difficult part for me was that most of the communication took place non-verbally. By the end of the shoot I got this photograph of my father praying. To me this photograph is very honest and powerful. It is also personal to me because after all it is my father. I try to be careful because I know sometimes a personal attachment can blur my judgment. Anyways, I got a call the next day. They want to see my photographs. I found out that they were in need of a photographer and they are asking me to shoot more events like these in other churches. Its seems like a great opportunity. All it takes is some good timing, a little bit of luck, but more importantly all you have to do is show up.

Keep Shooting

If the situation is right you should keep shooting. This was shot right after my staged reality assignment. Just when I thought I was done, I found that the shoot turned into something else. Make sure you don't overwork your model unless you are doing it for a reason. It is important to be conscious about everything you do and say. So that you direct the shoot in the direction you want. Even when you think you are done, it can never hurt to get a couple more frames. Sometimes that can be the difference between having something good and something great. If the situation calls for it, just keep shooting.

Staged Reality

I had to shoot an assignment with the theme "staged reality". My interpretation of that was creating a moment or a situation that will make the viewer wonder what is going on. I wanted the viewer to wonder what she is thinking? What is she doing? Does she seem OK? I used colors to make the photograph visually interesting and bring color contrast to the image. I wanted to give the viewer visual clues for them to make their own interpretation. This is my staged reality.

Being Human

This is my first shoot at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The model for this shoot was a good friend of mine. I have shot her before, but honestly I wish I could shoot her more often. With her, there is so much left to explore. I'm still curious about the kind of work we can do together. Anyways the shoot went well. At first I was worried about the new studio, new strobes, new camera. I was using a lot of stuff I never used before. After I got over all that it was time to focus on my model. She performed great. Therefore my performance had to be at least as good as hers. I want these photographs to be about fashion. Focusing on the model in front of me. All I want to do is set the stage, give her the opportunity to blossom in front of the lens. Allow her the choice to be free. I want not only to show the model with her hair, make-up and clothes but also the human aspect of it. I want something about the photograph to remind people of the person that is in front of the camera. That reminder can be the sensuality or anything that has to do with being human. I think that is important.