Building my portfolio and TFP shoots - MPN

Recently I have been working on building my portfolio and stacking up on some fashion and portrait shoots, to say it has been a breeze would be a lie! Trying to find models to work with when you haven't got much to show can be tough, especially when you want some good models to begin with, you need good images to attract good models. When on a hunt for models I try and find some who are willing to collaborate with you for the purpose of their own portfolio. In the photography world, these kind of shoots would be called test shoots or TFP (trade for print), where the photographer and the model work with each other on a free exchange for prints (/photos). New models are usually really keen to work with photographers as they are looking for some decent shots to get paid work. However it's not always the case, and you will often get rejected a TFP shoot if the model (typically a more high demand one) is looking for an actual currency. As a new photographer, it's always a good idea to start building your portfolio by using people already in your circle, so maybe its time to ask your photogenic friend if they are looking for a new insta post.

Planning

Looking for models for my latest project was probably the most stressful part, especially in the circumstances we are in, choices are limited. That's where I done something I have never had to do before and that is to reach out! I posted on photography Facebook groups, instagram stories, and joined portfolio based websites like Purpleport. After some responses I started planning dates and making mood boards on Pinterest. During the planning stage I found myself scrolling endlessly on Pinterest for inspiration and ideas, I even downloaded an app that gives posing ideas (excessive I know). Working with people I have never shot before was a pretty daunting concept to me, especially when you've interchangeably shot the same 3 models, you start to doubt your ethics of shooting! So over-planning was certainly something I found myself doing. However you have to start somewhere and it is definitely a way of building your confidence as a photographer.

When I have eventually collected my images and built a vision, all things have to be considered to fit your situation. Makeup, styling, equipment and location. I had to build a budget and communicate with my models on which areas they were willing to compromise, because if you're planning to work with someone who doesn't live in the same area as you, you can't expect them to travel millions of miles for a TFP shoot, so aim for close range models.

Luckily a couple of my models ended up being local, so there was pretty much no budget to be considered, if I needed any extra equipment, I would simply borrow my university's. However there was an instance where some other models had to travel a bit further and had to stay at a hotel or didn't own a certain piece of clothing that I would favour for the shoot, so I would offer to pay for these extra things as curtsy, however that only applies because I reached out to them and not vice versa, the shoot itself was an unpaid affair.

Once I arranged some models, I considered expanding my team and adding a make up artist into the mix. Prior to this I had never used someone other than me or the model themselves to sort the makeup, but for the sake of working in a team and adding quality to the shoot, this was probably a good move-plus its a great way of networking and creating relationships! For this particular project I didn't use a makeup artist in all of my sessions, however that is personal to you and where you find necessary to add one. Styling wise, I would communicate with the models just before the shoot on what they should wear-one way I found helpful was sending them photos of what kind of style I was looking for, and let them find something similar in their own closets. For more outlandish requests I would purchase the items myself (I would only recommend doing this if its within your budget, buying items closer to the time would be wiser as you can always return the item after the shoot and get your money back!). If you have the item yourself then that's always a great way of saving money and your shoot! Planning with the makeup artist was similar, send them photos of what you're looking for and be descriptive with how you want the makeup to look, remember, you're collaborating, so opinions can also be welcome. Sometimes also depending on the shoot a hairstylist might be an appropriate addition, but if the hairstyles are somewhat simple, like it was in my case, we decided to do a bit of DIY. For my project I had to basically make do with what was available to me!

Ahead of the shoots I also had to make sure all my equipment was sorted. In this instance, I was using a flash gun, a reflector, lenses and duh, a camera! Also, please do not make the same mistake I did and forget to check the camera battery the night before the shoot, you will find yourself in a very sticky situation the next morning. Preparation is key!

Check list:

Models ✔️

Outfits✔️

Makeup artist✔️

Location✔️

Equipment✔️

The Shoot

The day of the shoot consists of agreeing on a time and location and making sure you're punctual. Sometimes when you haven't worked with the model before it's always a good idea to make conversation and create a rapport before jumping straight in, as skipping that can usually lead to some stiffness and a bit of an awkward interaction. When a makeup artist is involved, make sure you leave a good amount of time for the models to get glammed up and ready. Once all of that is considered, we're ready to go! When working with a team of people in your shoots, it's a good idea to involve them in your sessions (taking into account their availability of course) and allow them to stick around, most times makeup or hair needs to be fixed mid shoot, so to have them present gives you that helpful hand. Normally I am used to being a one woman show and doing everything myself, but when extra equipment like lighting, reflectors or props are involved, you might start thinking of getting an assistant to help you, and that's exactly what I done for one of my shoots. Of course with TFP shoots, things are normally pretty casual with arrangements, so maybe ask a friend who's got some free time to help you out on a shoot!

For this shoot in particular I mainly used natural light as it was a lovely sunny day and we were shooting on location, so often times the reflector offered a great deal of light and exposure to my images. Sometimes to experiment I would also whip out the flash gun!

Some other advantages of having an assistant is that you get some BTS shots! It is always cool seeing how things go behind the scenes of shoots, and then seeing the final product.

So what was the concept of the photos?

My aim was to create commercial styled images that you would see in fashion and editorial and magazines. I wanted them to have a classic/vintage aspect to them but still modern. Using more neutral tones in clothing, locations, and makeup, helped me achieve that timeless look that I was looking for. Maintaining a consistent style and colour palette throughout was important to me as I wanted my work to resemble my photographic personality as well as complement each eachother as one body of work. My inspiration for this shoot was generally what I would see published in Vogue magazines, Harper's Bazaar, and in luxury branding commercials. With this in mind, I still intended to make it my own.

During my shoots I usually have a backlog in my brain of poses to use, usually from previous photoshoots or from what I've seen on Pinterest. When working on a shoot, the best way to work with your models is to interact with them as much as possible! If they're experienced they'll normally be pretty intuitive with what to do, but if they're pretty new to modelling, the more direction the better. Don't think you're being too bossy or controlling, this is your shoot after all and trust me, they will much prefer you telling them what to do than giving them no direction whatsoever! But of course, be polite and professional while doing so. Also don't forget to reassure they're doing a good job, sometimes when you're concentrated on getting the shot it can be easy to forget to cheer them on, your model is also wondering if they're doing well.

With shooting images of this genre, you can't always get away with just taking some photos and be done with it. If you want it to be of best quality and to really resemble those clean fashion shots, post production and retouching is essential in that process. Enhancing the image with colour grading etc, but also small details like blemishes, clothing malfunctions, sometimes even litter in the background need to be thought on. Nothing like a good old frequency separation or dodge and burn on photoshop can't fix! Can't forget that clone tool either. It's a long process but worth it in the end when you have a high quality image.

Here are some final images from the mentioned shoots! I hope this blog was of assistance, until next time.