I did this shoot a while ago, but I still wanted to share it on my blog. Sometime I go back to previous years’ folders on my hard drive to reflect on my work.
As a professional photographer, I always have to stay consistent with the quality of work I do and, moreover, evolve as I’m getting more experienced. Once in awhile, I’d compare my current self with me in the past (professionally speaking). It’s always a good sign to see how my work have changed and progressed, but at the same time it feels good to find great pictures I did a few years back and I still love them.
This lookbook shoot was one my first bigger commercial fashion photo shoots, so I remember I was preparing for it – getting some new equipment, looking through online photos for inspiration and designing the lighting setup.
You probably wouldn’t believe it, but it was shoot in my one bedroom apartment’s living room, while the models were changing in the bedroom, and hair and makeup was done literally in the kitchen. It just tells me there’s nothing impossible. And I still used 70-200 mm lens (mostly at 70-85 mm range), as I was squeezed in a hallway, trying to step as far away from the models, as I possibly could.
It was a great experience for me on learning how to take and edit pictures of the clothes and make it look good, how to pay attention to small details, how to understand the designer’s vision and translate it into directions to the models, how to lead the team of 7 creatives on set and make sure we’re getting the shots and not wasting precious time.
In the end, just wanted to say enormous THANK YOU to Dylan Thai, who put together the team, casted the models and made sure everybody showed up on time! You’re the best, as usual!
Team credits:
Makeup – Tamara with Tennille Makeup Artistry
Hair – Antonia Richardson
Fashion Designer – Kevin V Thai
Models: Dylan Thai, Shannon Long, Eric Coy, Kana Suzuki
Photography: Ksenia Pro Photography