Brandon Shoot

So I was supposed to shoot a pretty, 21-year-old woman Monday night. She's an aspiring model, and through the miracle of Facebook we met, settled on a plan and then, two hours before, when I'd rearranged my schedule to be available with my gear down in the West Bottoms, yeah. Got a message saying something had comeup, can we reschedule? Well, I wasn't happy about it but I was getting what I paid for, this was supposed to be a TFP shoot.

So rather than whine about it, I posted to the modeling group I met her with asking if anyone wanted to come play, I was all geared up and nobody to shoot. The Sirens group, you'd think, is women, so I was a little surprised when a male model was the one that piped up.

I realized my portfolio is light on men. Shot some of Greg Chaffee at a Sirens shoot a couple years back, but when I first saw him that day he had a camera in hand so he had to jump into shots a lot before I realized he was there to pose.

When I talked to my wife on the phone that evening, told her of the substitution, she was like, 'sorry you didn't get to shoot the pretty girl.' I was like, that's okay, this guy was approximately as pretty and way more experienced.

He'd obviously had some experience in front of the camera, he signed the release, checked his reflection in my car window and struck a pose. He was obviously aware of how he looks in front of the camera, was open to direction, had his own suggestions for shots he wanted to get, was basically all I could ask for as a photographer.

Some of my favorite shots from this shoot aren't here. Brandon asked if I'd sit on some shots he thinks he can get into a magazine. That's a feat, if he can do it I'll be thrilled to have something I shot actually make the printed page. In this day and age, selling still photos to fashion magazines is harder than selling sand to Saudi Arabia.

Bonus, I've got a yoga shoot lined up for next week, a model I've been Facebook friends with for a long time who keeps posting shots of her poses from her apartment. They're amazing but I keep thinking if not for those blinds and that lighting... So hopefully next Tuesday I get to document her extreme bendy-ness with some flattering backdrops. I'm stoked, the poses are really dramatic, what with being up on her hands and having her feet practically in the next room or one floor up.