Working as a gaffer on a Slovenian beer campaign for a famous photographer, I was once again reminded how great artists make big things look simple. And although some of them don't pay too much attention to light positions and are not too specific about what they want, they still know what kind of general feeling they're after, and are very (and I mean very) confident and persistent in pursuing it.
Knowing exactly what will be done in post, he and his constant crew of PA's, producers, location managers, set designers, make up artists, wardrobe department and electricians make anything possible. In a brief moment, while he searches for the right position of the camera and the models, I'm able to glance the camera screen, and find the photos surprisingly ordinary. But of course, that is not his signature photo. It is only a step on the way to the finished shot. He is so persistend in finding the right camera angle, and model's face expression, that sometimes it can take up to four hours to make a satisfactory shot. And other times he's done in 15 minutes. Once he says ''we got it'' you know we do.
And when he shows me a selected photo, quickly retouched for the agency, it just looks marvelous. Not in the beautiful, fashion kind of way. I have the eye for those waaay in the beginning. I can spot the ''pretty'' photos already while the light is still being set.
But not this. This is a different kind of prettiness. It's the beauty of uglyness and let's-call-it provoked amateurism. It looks like an amateur photo, but catches all the right emotions, and spirit. It doesn't even bother too much about catching the logos of the product. Light is deliberately intrusive and unpleasant. It's purely raw and documentary. There is an aggressive appearance of unnatural colors on faces, clothes, background, you name it. Shooting is bald as they come.
This is not something one can learn. Maybe you can get close to it with practice, or by being inspired by other artists that do it so naturally. But to capture it fully, you have to have it within.
Knowing exactly what will be done in post, he and his constant crew of PA's, producers, location managers, set designers, make up artists, wardrobe department and electricians make anything possible. In a brief moment, while he searches for the right position of the camera and the models, I'm able to glance the camera screen, and find the photos surprisingly ordinary. But of course, that is not his signature photo. It is only a step on the way to the finished shot. He is so persistend in finding the right camera angle, and model's face expression, that sometimes it can take up to four hours to make a satisfactory shot. And other times he's done in 15 minutes. Once he says ''we got it'' you know we do.
And when he shows me a selected photo, quickly retouched for the agency, it just looks marvelous. Not in the beautiful, fashion kind of way. I have the eye for those waaay in the beginning. I can spot the ''pretty'' photos already while the light is still being set.
But not this. This is a different kind of prettiness. It's the beauty of uglyness and let's-call-it provoked amateurism. It looks like an amateur photo, but catches all the right emotions, and spirit. It doesn't even bother too much about catching the logos of the product. Light is deliberately intrusive and unpleasant. It's purely raw and documentary. There is an aggressive appearance of unnatural colors on faces, clothes, background, you name it. Shooting is bald as they come.
This is not something one can learn. Maybe you can get close to it with practice, or by being inspired by other artists that do it so naturally. But to capture it fully, you have to have it within.