Lunchtime Photo Shoots!

Hallie

I'm always looking for a chance to shoot, so over the past couple of months I've been doing occasional "lunchtime photo shoots" with a few of Austin's local models. It give me, and the models, a great opportunity to create images for our portfolios and to practice shooting verious types of photos from simple portraits to fashion and editoral images. It's also a lot of fun and a chance to shoot with my photographer friend Alex Suarez.

I've had a few people ask how my lunchtime shoots work, so here's a quick rundown:

I find models to work with by simply post a "casting call" on a site called ModelMayhem asking for models to contact me if they're interested in doing a photo shoot in exchange for images. For example, here's a casting call I posted recently:

 

"I'm doing occasional one hour lunchtime photo shoots in downtown Austin. The weather is supposed to be great this week (in the 70's!), so I'm looking for a model who's available either Tues., Wed., or Thursday at noon for an hour. The shoots are laid back and a great opportunity to network, practice modeling/shooting/being-creative and to build up your portfolio (mine too). I can fit in one model this week, so if you're interested, send me the day(s) you're available (Tues-Wed., 12/22-12/24) and whether or not you can make it downtown at noon"

Models respond by sending me an e-mail, at which point we work out the actual date, time, and location of the shoot. I'm choosy when it comes to the model's I work with (having learned the hard way). I'm often looking for models who are also actors or dancers and who are obviously excided about the "lunchtime" idea. You can often tell how excited a model is by the "sound" in her reply, and you can tell a lot about a model's talent and style by looking at her portfolio.

On the day of the shoot I meet the model at a well known spot a few blocks from my office, sign a model release (very important!), and shoot for about an hour in a few spots I've previously scouted.

Some of the best spots in Austin are alleys, where the light is soft and the constrast of a beautiful model and a gungy location make for good photos. I always try to send the model images about a week after the shoot.

That's about all there is to it! If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me.