Talking Chic

My First Photo Shoot

I’m not sure exactly what turned me on to a day of outdoor modeling. Maybe I was tired of hiding behind the computer. Maybe it was to prove my sister right—that I really am the “cool auntie” my niece would grow to love. Maybe it was to explore a new art concentration. Or maybe, as an avid “America’s Next Top Model” viewer, I just wanted to see what all the hype was about… was it really that difficult ?

One word: YES.

Truth is, out of about 80 photos, only 20 were to my liking. Whether I got my money’s worth, whether I didn’t, whether I ever actually use the shots for anything worthwhile, or whether I hold onto them for my trips-down-memory-lane at 90-years-old, I learned more than I can really say.

To sum it up though, my experience in exploring this thing that we all know as modeling is something no lady of fashion can ever truly understand, or judge for that matter, unless she throws herself into the shoes of a model, especially if you think you can look even more fierce than winner Caridee in a single shot. (Yeah, good luck with that!)

So just do it—let go of all your inhibitions, choose a photographer you are comfortable acting a fool in front of, and realize that you are also choosing to do more than just model.

Because modeling involves much more than just “posing” for the camera, here are a few tips to amateurs who are yet to afford the luxury of hiring your own help or have yet to reach the status to be hired on yourself:

You have no assistant; eat something first! O. K., so the morning arrives and you decide that the only hard-core way to feel like a model is to skip breakfast and feel skinnier that morning. But guess what? Smack in the middle of working, you feel panicky because you ALSO forget your morning coffee. So in wardrobe (stiletto boots and all), you run into a local Starbucks for a quick java, all the while feeling ridiculous for being dressed totally inappropriate for a college-town coffeeshop.

Sorry, honey, no makeup artist for you this time! Ain’t that the truth. You love the job you did on your face with your new M.A.C. makeup, and you remember to bring nearly all of it to location. However, because you want to feel free in front of the camera, you leave EVERYTHING in the car. So as you go back and forth to touch up your lips and quickly combat T-zone shininess with powder, you are taking up too much time and losing all concentration because you are focusing too much on the outer beauty versus letting your inner beauty come through.

Without a publicist, you gotta make your own calls! So if you are serious about taking good photos and you happen to have an awesome photographer who says she will shoot as long as you have the time…don’t screw it up by cutting it short because you were supposed to meet a girlfriend for lunch. Do yourself a favor and keep the day as open as possible for your first day of modeling. And honestly, you will need about an hour to relax, EAT, and calm down from the excitement and stress that made your Saturday an unforgettable December 16th. Without someone next to you who can make that cancellation call for you, this means interrupting the shoot again to go find your cell and become an annoyance to both your friend as well as the photographer.

… And so many more lessons learned from this experience. As a writer who understands the loneliness behind a creative profession, I actually got a taste of the solitude a model probably lives through in order to play dress up and fully transform into that character, allowing herself to become vulnerable and weak in front of the camera. All this while trying to create a masterpiece of raw emotion—whatever that emotion may be.

Overall, it was an indescribable feeling, seeing myself in my favorite pieces (Fortunately, I DIDN’T have a stylist for my first photo shoot).

Because when it comes down to it, all that is really left is the photo…or the article. It is merely a point in time when you realize that you accomplished something you truly believe in, and a point in time when you know that the real accomplishment is simply having the guts to put yourself out there.

Written by Elana Pruitt