Day 2617

Today was busy. A local fashion designer was introducing his new clothing line and we photographed the designer and a model wearing various items from the line while walking or holding a dog or cat. I think the photo shoot went smoothly and everyone seemed happy, but I'd forgotten that it often takes longer to do hair and makeup than it does to take the photos. While the models were getting ready, I amused myself by feeding the photo dogs cheese. All dogs seem to love cheese.

When I left the pre-light check on Friday, I told everyone I could find not to move anything. I must have missed telling the night janitor, because he straightened the room up, unplugging everything and moving the carefully placed lights. I tried to remember where everything was on Friday and I think I came pretty close. It was actually a good thing that it took a while to do the model's hair because I ended up having to recreate the lighting setup. There was even enough time to play around with operating the camera by remote control. This was the first time I tried this on a job and it actually worked pretty well. You can wander around the set and snap pictures using an app on your iPhone. By using the app to monitor and control the camera I was able to get closer to the pets and keep an eye on their expressions. I kind of liked working this way and I'm sure I'll use the app again.

I used to do a lot of fashion photography, but it's been a while. The last time I spent much time thinking about fashion, today's model wasn't even born yet. A lot has changed over the years, but even more hasn't. Success still depends on a good make-up artist, nice soft lighting, and the ability to work fast. Most of the good photos occur near the beginning of the shoot, before everyone gets tired. When you get tired, it shows. There is often one good photo right at the end of the shoot too. Sometimes this final photo is accidental good luck, but it allows everyone to say "we got it" so they can pack up and go home.

It was a luxury not to have to bring my lights today. Instead of spending hours loading the car with heavy equipment, I just showed up with my camera. If I was younger, I would have made an effort to get some work from the fashion designer. He was a nice guy and if his line is successful, he will be using a lot of photographers in the future. I don't think I have the time for this sort of thing anymore, unfortunately. If Janet hadn't been able to spend the day watching the dogs, I wouldn't have been able to do this. When I was a fashion photographer for a large studio many years ago, we worked very long hours.

Today was kind of a trip down memory lane. It was a simple shoot as these things go, but all the elements were there. There were hair stylists and makeup artists. There was a craft service table with lots of tasty things to nibble on. There were lots of clothes on racks and many costume changes. Hard to believe I used to do this everyday.

Tomorrow, everything will be back to normal. Dash has a trip to the vet scheduled. I need to get my February invoices out. I'm already looking forward to my strawberry and banana smoothie.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day