Comments (0) Getting Schooled
Last night was a rough one…
I was incredibly excited to come back to my class at ICP after a week of being away — that’s because I was looking forward to seeing the six-page fashion spreads I assigned them a couple of weeks ago. They’ve done fashion spreads before, but this time, I made it more challenging. I wanted them to work as a team with another photographer — and create an exciting vision that showed both of the photographer’s strengths and interests.
Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. While some of the spreads were visually exciting, most didn’t have any consistency from shot to shot. They didn’t tell a story, and didn’t show a theme. It was as if the teams split up, the photographers shot their own images, and then tried to stick their different photos into a series. It just didn’t work.
It’s unfortunate how photography can be so ego-driven. But people need to realize they can learn from one another — where through collaboration, it’s possible to create a better product at the end of the day.
But thankfully, there were some students that produced some really outstanding work. Here’s a shot by Diego Ferreira Mello for his assignment on creating a ‘controversial ad’ for the web. I love it!
The high point of the evening last night was having Carlos Souza come visit my class. Carlos gave a charismatic and enlightening talk (he’s amazing!) about his work at Valentino, and the qualities of a successful fashion photographer. He talked about everything from his work with celebrities (always say ‘yes’) to his perspective on retouching photos (we have the technology, why not use it?). Perhaps the best takeaway was a conversation about the importance of a photographer being personable — and how the fashion greats, from Mario Testino to Steven Meisel, easily communicate with models and make them feel comfortable. He also spoke of the power of collaboration — and the importance of being flexible and accommodating with your team — as a way to ultimately produce an amazing product.
Thank you, Carlos, for your time and enthusiasm! It was much appreciated!
Themocracy