I’ve always loved old dilapidated buildings. It does not matter to me if it’s in a city or out in the countryside. I love the raw feeling about them, the mystery of what happened to the site, why it has gotten to this condition and always how will it look as a backdrop/location for one of my fashion shoots. There is something deep inside me that draws me to them. Every time I drive past one I quickly try and figure out how would I get inside the building. I find something very sexy about old broken down buildings I don’t know why but I do.
Lesson #1: Find the Perfect Location, THEN Worry About Your Gear
Anyway, I had made contact with a local modeling agency, Yuli Models, and we agreed that I would use one of their models for a fashion shoot that I wanted to do. I was new to Tel Aviv and had no idea of the area, no access to a studio so I decided to take it on location. A studio was not the only part of the production that was missing, rental equipment was practically non-existent, I was like a fish out of water. Putting together a fashion shoot in New York City is so much easier but I was determined to do it.
Lesson #2 Trust Your Feelings to Find a Location
As I said I had no idea of the Tel Aviv area. I had never shot on location here. So I first set out looking for my location for this fashion shoot. I am not sure if I could really see it in my mind but rather feel it in my body. I was looking for something that I would only know once I saw it, the location would have to talk to me.
Lesson #3 Don’t Let Carrying Heavy Gear Affect Location Choice
Funny cause the location that I finally choose was a pain in the ass to get to. I had to carry all of my gear, all of the models cloths, the hair and make-up stuff and all through sand. It took 45 minutes of back and forth to the car to get everything to the location. Out of the sites that I scouted this had to be the hardest location to get to. I guess I did not want to make my life easy. I always take the hard way even when it comes to locations.
Lesson #4 Location Shooting Can Be Full of Surprises
I rented a few lights, a brand that I had never heard of and cannot even remember the name. Trust me when I tell you they were very cheap and did not sync with my camera. I was shooting digital and I guess it had something do to with the electronic charge that was causing a sync problem. Fortunately for me I had a little on-camera flash that would give me fill light and a large silk to defuse the hard sun light. It was a day full of surprises at every turn. As a professional photographer I have learned to keep my cool, solve the problem and get the shot.
The end result was that everyone was happy with the images, the model, the agency, hair and make-up and most importantly, me the photographer.
Your Turn!
What have you gone through to find the perfect location for your shoot?
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