Fashion & Beauty Photography Video

About the Video

This fashion editorial project is a mix of video & stills shot on an abandoned farm just outside of Milan, Italy. The normal challenge of any mixed media project is getting enough still images to choose from & then have enough time to also shoot video. The "Problem" with creating the still images is, I am creating a slice of life at 1/1000 of one second. So eyes can be shut, the mouth could look strange, the hands may not look pretty, the feet might be in transition etc.

On this "look" I shot a total of 115 images plus 5 video clips having a total of 1 minute 54 seconds run time. Some of the video was shot with the camera on a tripod, the others were shot using a Steadicam. Including the occasional pauses for hair and makeup corrections or the wardrobe stylist making adjustments, the total time on set, shooting stills & video, was 12 minutes. If you have ever been on a shoot where a Steadicam is being used, you know there is a fair amount of time "Trimming and re-trimming" the apparatus, even a mild breeze causes issues and now you have a situation where not just the talent is moving but also the photographer is moving.

In this case Samara relates, projects to the camera and moves so well it was easy to choose the images & video clips because there were so many great images to choose from, and I knew this just by watching her work through my cameras.

A lot of clients just do not get why a model is so important, they think they just need a pretty person (male or female) and that is it. Even within professional models there are exceptional models next to average models, just like lawyers, hairstylists, doctors and photographers. When I get a great model to work with, I spend less time on each look allowing the client to get a lot of great images to choose from as well as getting a lot of production in a day, or allowing my team and me to fully develop an idea and not to be concerned if we "Got the Shot".

If I had an "average" professional model, I may have had to shoot for an hour, or more, and still not get what I did with Samara in 15 minutes. This is the difference.

The model is from Brazil and is stunning. She did not speak very much English, so Steve talked to her in a mix of English, Italian and French. Italian & Portuguese are similar but some words translate better for a Portuguese speaking person using French. So if Samara did not understand what Steve was saying in English or Italian, Steve spoke French. Between 3 languages, and a few examples of Steve "modeling", he was able to get the concept across.

Thanks for looking!

Feel free to share, this is the shortcut link: stpvd.com/21/31

For Photographers

The Gear:
Canon camera, 320 ISO
Canon 85mm lens,
Canon 16-35mm zoom lens,
200mm f2 prime "L" lens,
Steadicam Merlin with a monitor.

The Lighting:
Sunbounce Pro reflector using the white side with a
Sunbounce Boomstick & Grip head holding the reflector up.

We are based in Atlanta, Georgia, New York City, USA & Milan, Italy, and serve the nation and travel worldwide for projects, both video and stills. On average we travel 175 days a year from all over the USA, 48 out of 50 states, to Singapore to Japan, Europe and the Middle East. We are normally in Europe 2 or 3 times a year, mostly Italy and Germany, shooting for clients there.

If you would like to use this image, or any of my images for mock or comp use, please just ask. There is never a charge for this service. Educational use is permitted without charge, unless published, but please ask first. All commercial use is available only with a limited copyright release prior to use from the copyright holder, Steve Thornton. Thanks for looking!