17 shoots and 22,500 files later…

What a month! April flew by with shoots almost every day of my trip to Minnesota. Between scheduling, organising, location scouting, planning, emailing back-and-forth, and shooting, I met a ton of great people, got to see some familiar faces, and I now have thousands of files backed up onto my hard drives ready to be developed over the next few weeks. 

With so many shoots concentrated into such a short time, I learned a ton about how to manage people’s expectations, and what people want to know beforehand and hear on the day of the shoot. Adapting along the way, I now have a lot of new material for a “what to expect when we shoot together” post that I'll put together soon and will hopefully be helpful to others down the road. If we’ve shot together and you’re reading this, I’d love to get some feedback (what worked well and what would help in the future) either as a comment or in an email. I'm looking forward to reliving the shoots as I now begin going through all the photos. 

If you need me, I’ll be in front of my computer, earphones in, for the next few weeks.

A Brush With Death

Shooting with these two was the perfect way to end my time in Minnesota. The weather couldn’t have been better, and these fun-loving, bike-riding, adventure-seeking, bubble-blowing best friends were a blast to shoot with. They are unbelievably comfortable with each other, they know how to make each other smile, and they’re not afraid to be a little silly. Other than a couple of near-death experiences (a goose gone wild and a fiercely rambunctious puppy), the shoot went smoothly with some beautiful photos to show for it. My cheeks are still sore from smiling so much.

Fresh-Faced and Fancy

I shot with J, a theatre student, last time I was in Minnesota. We had a great outdoorsy shoot and ended up with some beautiful head shots she can use for future auditions. Since I last saw her, she has started her own makeup artistry business, and to kick things off, we thought we’d get some shots that she can use to showcase her skills. Not only did she do her own makeup for the shoot, she lined up two of her beautiful friends and did their makeup too! For the photo nerds out there, these weren't done in studio--they're natural light only, and we were shooting in a stairwell! (You can check out J's new Facebook page for beauty advice and tips. Looking forward to seeing the photos from the shoot on there when they’re done!)

City Girls

These two ladies are simply outrageous. They are bold, curious, lovely, and know what they want. On top of that, they’re selfie-taking machines (which I may have encouraged). Laughing with the wind in their hair, these two were no match for the grey and rainy city. Everyone who passed us walked away smiling from their infectious carefree attitude.

Early Morning Sunshine

I've never been a morning person. Not that I'm grumpy when I wake up, just that it takes me a little while to get out of the fog and get the wheels churning. Something that can really help clear the fog is when I have an early morning shoot and I know I'm going to be treated to a spectacular sunrise. This was not that kind of morning. I was up and on my bike at 6am this morning for a 7am shoot. There was no sun to speak of, and the clouds looked heavy with the promise of rain. I met T who, with his great smile and sense of humour, helped bring a little bit of sunshine back into the day.

Mixing It Up

I shot with E last time I was in Minnesota, getting beautiful late-summer shots in a park. To mix it up, she suggested getting some city shots this time, and then combining forces with others for a group shoot. Like any metropolis, in the thick of downtown Minneapolis, there’s a real concrete jungle feel, and from the perimeter of the city, a nice skyscraper skyline to take advantage of. E and I met downtown and shot for a while before realising we'd be late to meet the other two if we walked. So, like the trooper she is, E hopped onto the back of my bike with bags, camera gear, monopod and all, and I cycled back to where we were meeting the others. We received several smiles (and confused glances) along the way. We met up with J, who I had shot with the week before, and R who you may think you recognise from previous shoots, however this was my first time shooting with him (though he is the twin brother of S, who I’ve shot with a few times before). R, J, and E, having only met for the first time, got along great, and together we got some fun shots that make it look as though they’ve been friends for ages.

Girl Strong

As soon as she finishes her exams next month, M will be spending the next 8 months working as an actress in Florida. She’s a top notch athlete, coming from a basketball family, and playing lacrosse with the university who are off Nationals next month. Things got off to an uncertain start when a friend of M’s who was supposed to join us for the shoot was no where to be found. M adapted quickly, and ended up being on her own for most of the shoot, though a different friend of hers did “jump" in for a small part of it. Good luck at Nationals, M!

Look Out World

In the final months of his university career, J is getting ready to take on the world by storm. His fearlessness comes out in his eagerness to work hard, but not taking himself too seriously. He can pull off some fantastic facial expressions (we ended up laughing so hard I had to stop shooting because I couldn't hold the camera still). J's a great sport on set and always willing to do another take to get an even better shot--a fun shoot with a fun guy. Look out, world.

Spring Has Arrived

I got to shoot with a really close family of three. They were great to work with, so comfortable with each other, and most importantly, they made each other smile. The wind wasn’t nearly as crazy as the last time I shot with S, and we had a wonderful sunset on the Mississippi River. It was the first day it really felt like spring. The sun was shining, the leaves budding on the trees, and you finally can be outside without a jacket on. Hopefully winter in Minnesota is officially over and it just gets better from here (no more freak flurries!). On a day like today, while shooting this loving family, it was hard not to feel good.

The Toothless Wonder

Last year, I shot S in the role of a businessman. Earlier this month, I shot him in the role of a significant other. This time, we put him in the role of a father and I think this one may have been the best yet! He’s a young actor with a mature look, so I imagine he gets cast in roles that are older than he is. If this shoot doesn’t show that he can be a family man, I don’t know what will! Six year old Q (who had lost a tooth at school earlier in the day), was an energiser bunny on set: dancing, hopping, climbing on logs, putting his hands in the cold river water, being distracted by every duck and dog that passed by. S was forced to match Q’s energy throughout the entire shoot and did so wonderfully. I bet they both slept well that night. You can read about the shoot from S's point of view on his website.

A Trendy Twosome

These two met while salsa dancing, and I gather that’s how they spend a lot of their time. They are very chic, and though they dressed up for the shoot, I like to imagine that’s how nicely styled they are all the time. I bet if you saw them dancing, it'd be hard to take your eyes off them! It took them a little while to relax in front of the camera, but once they did, we ended up getting some really sweet shots of the two of them.

My Sophomore Soulmate

Within the first 5 minutes of getting out my camera, I knew it was going to be a great shoot. Her studies focusing on musical theatre, E was very easy to direct and so comfortable in front of the camera. Normally during my first shoot with someone, I stay within the safe zone. I don’t ask people to do anything too strange or that might make them uncomfortable. There are not many people you meet that, only minutes after meeting, are willing to stand on a picnic table and lean over you, smiling wildly as you stand beneath them with a camera; or navigate their way into a dried up ditch filled with long grass and throw their hands back like they’re loving it. E is one of those people. Having that kind of immediate trust from someone is not only a huge form of flattery for me, but also lets us dive into the shoot, getting a ton of variety and some wonderfully free-spirited shots. I left the shoot feeling like I had a new friend. Her terrific smile, unruly curls, and overall awesome attitude left me smiling and energised long after the shoot.

Gouda Cheese

I had so much fun shooting with these two, who met a couple years ago at university. They showed up this morning ready to run, only to arrive in the midst of a crazy flurry--big, heavy, wet snowflakes. Change of plan: we decided to shoot indoors for a while to wait out the weather, figuring it was better than getting soaking wet and being cold and miserable for the rest of the shoot. Over the course of the shoot, the snow stopped, the clouds cleared, and the sun came out. These two are so charming, and the moment they look at each other, these big adorable cheesy smiles come out. Though the weather couldn't seem to make up its mind, when I can't help smiling from behind the camera, I know we're getting great shots.

Is That... Snow?!

After seeing heavy rain predicted for today's shoot, I emailed S asking if she wanted to move the shoot indoors or shoot in the rain anyway. There's not much more I could ask for than having someone who has never met me say that shooting in the rain sounded "super cool". And then, shivering and standing in the rain-turned-snow, be totally willing to "do that one more time" to get the shot. The snow was an unexpected surprise, but the running shots we got from it are pretty awesome. Dedication, drive, and commitment shine through whenever you're doing something in unfavourable conditions. S has been dancing her whole life. I'm so used to putting a concept to my images, and having them "make sense", so it was tough for me to throw that mindset out the window and say "sure! Let's have you leap over that group of people in a hall." Or "yeah, why not have you standing in the stairwell doing the vertical splits?". And of course: "dancing in the snow? Sure, who doesn't dance in the snow?!". But you know what, concepts aside, the shots look pretty darn cool, and definitely show off the skills of this talented girl.

Patient Pianist

Today's shoot was with a very patient composer. I say patient, because we ended up spending a lot of time patiently waiting for other students to pass by before carrying on shooting, or patiently waiting for her friend and professor to join us for the last part of the shoot. But I'm happy we waited because we ended up getting some really nice shots. I was spoiled to hear more beautiful music while I was shooting. Even though English isn't her first language, I can tell that Y has a great sense of humour. (From personal experience, I know that the nuance of humour is the toughest part of a learning a language--it was one of the last things I picked up when I was living in France some years ago.) Every now and again during the shoot I would see a little bit of sassiness come out; it was so nice to get a bit of that on camera.

The Off-Season

A few weeks ago, I visited the town of Harrison Hot Springs for the first time. Though we walked by the source of the hot springs (steamy, bubbly, and the distinct rotten egg smell of sulphur), we didn't actually spend time soaking in the hot springs (reserved to resort guests, or accessed at the public pool). Instead, we took advantage of the warming spring weather, and went on several walks and hikes around the town. The Harrison Grind (longer, but not even close to the sweat you'll work up at the Grouse Grind), the Hick's Lake trail, the Spirit trail (with mask adorned trees, sculpted by a local artist), and the Whippoorwill Point trail were some of the ones we explored. I had never been to Harrison before, and know it's a summer haven for many. Though the town wasn't as dead as I was expecting it to be, it was still nice to be there before the hoards of summer-goers arrive.

Take the Stage

Earlier today, I met with a lovely pianist who's in the final year of her PhD. For our shoot, she organised access to a concert hall on campus and we had the entire place to ourselves for an hour which made for some pretty unique shots. I felt spoiled: not only did I get to listen to her play in the theatre, but I got to listen to her play again near the end of the shoot when we stopped at another piano in a different building on campus. The second piano was in a lobby filled with students sitting in chairs on their laptops, reading books, or staring at their cellphones. It's great because no one seems to mind when someone is playing the piano, though that might have something to do with the fact that all the people I heard playing there play at a high level... you certainly won't hear Chopsticks.

City Girl

After five years in South Africa, who would have imagined that I would be in downtown Minneapolis my first time shooting a beautiful woman in traditional African clothes?! What was neat was that M is also a photographer/videographer so we got to talk about the differences about being on either end of the camera. She also brought her younger sister along who was a great stylist and assistant. It was incredibly nice to have an extra set of hands on set, especially when we ended up fighting against the cold wind on a rooftop. With a great smile and a great attitude, M was a pleasure to shoot with, and we moved swiftly through different scenes resulting in a lot of variation from the short time we spent together. I'm looking forward to reliving the shoot when I go through the rest of the photos.

First Shoot Back

With its bare trees and colourless lawns, I hardly recognise the place. The trees were lush and full of autumn colours last time I was here. I missed the whole of winter, and though you can feel that spring is around the corner (it was 22°C [72°F] yesterday!), the telltale signs of spring have yet to arrive.

I had a blast shooting L and S yesterday. They were both so relaxed, which makes a shoot a lot of fun. I shot with S last time I was in town: he's an actor who is looking to diversify his portfolio so agents can see him in different roles. We did a business shoot last time getting some great images, and since then, S said he's been cast in nothing but businessman roles! We thought we'd take a different approach this time, shooting him in the role of a significant other, and then later this month, in the role of a father. S and L aren't actually a couple, though a passerby stopped them to say congratulations while we were shooting. I guess that means they were really pulling it off, what do you think?