The Survival Guide to a Photoshoot: 3 Easy Steps
By: Samantha Laverick
Marketing Connoisseuse And Mermaid
When I Was Asked To Blog About What I Am Passionate About, I Felt Honoured And Excited To Share With You My Constant Love Affair With Fashion! I Have Been In Front Of The Camera For Over A Decade And Have Been Lucky Enough To Work With Many Talented Photographers, Designers And Make-Up Artists.
So Here Goes, I Have Decided To Write About My Experiences In The World Of Fashion And How I Learnt To Survive Photo Shoots And “Out Of The Box” Demands That Come With This Industry.
3 Easy Steps On How To “Survive” A Photo Shoot:
Be Charming And Polite. Seems Like Common Sense Right? Maybe So, But Some Models I Have Worked With Are Neither Of The Two, And Sadly If You Do Not Leave A Lasting Impression, You May Not Be Booked Again. I Have Always Been Told Attitude Is 80% Of The Job Completed, But In Fashion I Believe It Is Actually More. I Did A Campaign For A German Clothing Brand A Couple Of Years Ago And Another Model Fell Asleep During The Shoot, The Photographer Never Woke Her Up And Needless To Say, She Was Never Used Again. They Returned Every Summer For Three Years And Booked Me Every Time Just Because They Enjoyed Working With Me.
Focus On Yourself. When You Get On Set, Whether There Is A Difficult Stylist Or The Other Models Act Like You Are Infringing On Their “Turf”, It’s Irrelevant, Remember You Are An Amazing Perfectly Imperfect Model And This A Shoot, You Are Going To Kill It! Posture Is Everything And Absolutely No One Knows Your Angles Better Than You, So Practice, Practice, Practice! Practice In Front Of The Mirror And Commit To Those Poses. Communicate With The Photographer, This Way There Is A Fluid Relationship And I Guarantee You Will Get That Million Dollar Shot; Sometimes, I Like To Pretend That I Am Acting And Every Shoot Is An Opportunity To Recreate Myself. Go With Your Intuition And Remember The Camera Loves You!
Don’t Be A Princess. Ironically, A Couple Of Years Ago I Was Given The Opportunity To Be A Mermaid For A Day And I Thought Wow! This Is Going To Be Absolutely Amazing! The Photographer Made A Beautifully Hand Crafted Mermaid Tail, But Of Course There Was No Opening At The Bottom Of It To Enable Me To Walk, There Was Just This Beautiful Golden Tail…No Worries I Thought, I Will Just Put It On When We Get On Location And All Will Be Well. I Had The Most Amazing Seashells Super Glued To My Chest And Thought To Myself “This Is Really Going To Suck Later, But At Least I Look Amazing Now Right?” When We Arrived At The Beach It Was Almost Sunset, The Weather Made A Turn For The Worse When It Started To Drizzle But We Were Determined To Get The Perfect Shot; On Went My Tail And The Photographer And Make- Up Artist Shuffled Me Over To The Reef And Placed Me On Set-Which Happened To Be A Rock. Regardless, Of Rain, Incredibly Sharp Rocks Sticking Me Through The Tail And Trying To Pose Like A Stunning, Mystical Mermaid, We Got The Desired Shot And To Date It Is Still My Favourite Shoot!
So Dolls, I Hope You Go After Your Dreams And Never Let Anything Get In Your Way. Be Relentless, Be Passionate And Always, Always Be Constantly Hungry.
-Sam Xoxo
Connect With Samantha By E-Mail Or On Her Social Media Platforms.