I really enjoy working with Randall Gray. I had met him at a group shoot and the thing I love about group shoots is that you get to meet and work with many different people. It’s a bit like speed dating, but for photographers and models. You get the chance to see if you connect and get along so that you can progress to one-on-one shoots eventually.
I tend to choose to work with photographers that get my pictures back to me fairly quickly because it’s hard to work with photographers who don’t do this or who cause the process to become a big headache for both of you. It’s really important to me that you have a smooth flow between you and your photographer. And it’s especially important for the photographer because if they want to work with more models, they need to build this kind of relationship.
Be realistic though because photographers have a lot of work to do after the shoot. They need to upload them and ensure that they’re safely saved before any formatting of memory cards takes place. Then there is the time consuming task of retouching them and then ensure that they’re returned to the model. I find it best to work with photographers who work on this quickly, are good at knowing your best angles and are also able to connect with you and communicate clearly.
At that first group shoot we worked really well together and I thoroughly enjoyed that he asked me to try a lot of new position, because I love to try new stuff and feel challenged to expand my skills. When we arranged our one-on-one shoot we met up at this beautiful park and did a few different things. I had an outfit I really want to try, but after that I changed and we did a pin-up style shoot. We were very fortunate because there were some vintage cars in the park that day and we asked the owners if I could pose with the cars and they agreed and that was a lot of fun.
I was still working on my posing, so there are a few shots that I don’t like simply because I don’t like how my body was angled, but it was part of the learning process. This wasn’t your typical pin-up shoot, but we styled the outfit as best we could and we’ve already discussed doing a more traditional pin-up shoot soon.
He is such a fun photographer to work with and I especially love how he encourages me to try new things, from new poses to climbing trees, to more wardrobe changes. I can’t wait for our next shoot.
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