Behind the Scenes of My First Shoot
Three years ago, I knew I wanted to shoot with a model and creative team. At that point I had only been shooting portraits and a few engagement sessions with close friends. I knew fashion and editorial work was the direction I wanted to go with my photography but was scared to admit it. I was scared because it meant I'd have to coordinate and pull off a successful shoot. Testing was something I knew I'd love but also terrified me at the same time. [Cue every motivational quote about going outside your comfort zone.]
Knowing people would be watching me shoot made me freeze up, and not knowing if I'd be able to direct an entire team petrified me.
So this year, I gave myself 4 goals — one of them being to do a test shoot at least once a month. A test shoot is essentially when a model and the creative team (photographer, makeup artist, hair stylist and stylist) trade their services and time in order to grow their own portfolio.
I had tried to secure a model in January but wasn't able to make it happen in time. Again, fear got the best of me.
I finally decided to stop doubting myself and reached out to a local modeling agency to see if they had any new faces available.
Surprisingly, the agency offered 4 models to shoot with over the weekend. Unfortunately I could only work with two because it was freezing outside and I'd only booked the studio for a couple hours.
This gave me one week to plan, coordinate with my creative team, and finalize my concept. I wanted to tell the story of an Italian Girl who had come to the end of her vacation, missed her train and was waiting to head home.
This was inspired by the day my husband and I missed our flight out of Rome and ended up literally running through the airport (at times, in circles) because we were told to collect our bags which technically took us out of the airport...but I'm glad it happened because the day ended in a huge bowl of parmesan covered saffron risotto.
I was blessed with most amazing creatives who each went above and beyond to make the shoot incredible. Here's a preview of our Italian Girl shoot and a look behind the scenes from this weekend.
Looking forward to sharing the rest of this shoot with you soon!