model portfolios . isabelle

it’s been a little while since i’ve shot model portfolios…2 minutes into this session reminded me of how much i love shooting them. isabelle just signed with heyman talent here in cincinnati and these are her first set of images that will make up her online portfolio for clients to see. this is really important as her images need to convey a range of looks, emotions and feel. also, since these are her first set of photos, they also need to be ‘clean.’ what do i mean by that. somewhere in the initial discussions i have with either the model/talent themselves, or their moms, i talk about the importance of  how their images need to market them for ‘this/our’ market~cincinnati. the midwest. it’s tricky because most (young) models want to jump right into higher fashion looks, which is fabulous and trust me, i love styling and shooting those too, but the reality is that our ‘market’ is made up more of p&g, banks, hospitals, etc. not that we don’t have fashion, but the bread and butter of our market for working models and actors is much more mainstream and i know this too well myself, as i’ve been a working stylist in our market for 25 years. so as an art director, director, photographer, producer or client is quickly looking through the multitude of head shots and portfolios through the talent agencies online galleries, they don’t want to work too hard in ‘seeing’ that ‘talent’ in their spot, ad, representing their company or product, etc. so, it makes complete sense to give them what they are looking for and help market the model/actor so that they can get work. which, is, of course, the goal.  as models/actors start booking jobs, they will add those new images to their portfolios as well as continuously testing with photographers for updated looks/spreads. testings are the most fun. photographer+stylist+model=creative freedom. now that isabelle’s first set of photos are done, i’ve already started thinking of the next shoot with her because she also inspired me. it’s a two way street.  i, as an artist/photographer, am equally inspired by the person i am making images of. that happens when both people make a connection, have fun and push themselves. isabelle is undoubtedly beautiful, but it goes deeper than that. she was not only ready to go on the first click, but  she also never stopped giving. i was immediately struck by the variety of looks she could give…which is so much harder than it seams. it’s also one of the goals when i shoot these sessions, as they are short and need to be as diverse as possible in respects to poses, angles, looks, emotions. she took directions on a dime, took control when i asked her to, and experimented freely. that happens when there is trust…on both ends. thank you so much isabelle for such a fun and fulfilling little session yesterday. i look forward to our shoot for 513{eats} later on in the month…which, of course, will be anything but ‘safe’ and ‘clean.’

isabelle