Would I recognise my own work?

With my photography and even more so my dress sense I really have no style.

Marissa _PH1

Well one thing is that so much of what I do is born out out situation. Varied subjects came out of the fact that I needed to work with people who were willing to "take the risk" and shoot with me. I tend to shoot two hour sessions and move quickly. Esp on location shoots. I often pick improvised, candid moments over posed. And alot of chatter. I'm often looking for expression.

Afrofilmviewer

Two hours sessions are a great amount of time. I shoot for about the same timeframe as a model as well as photographer

Edited by MaristarOxley

MaristarOxley

Agree. I may do the odd longer shoot, but from a personal POV it's usually from models stating the shoot needs to be "worth their while" and I find that it's easy to run out of stream with these long periods. Resources is an issue too. But if you were to shoot someone famous, you wouldn't have the luxury of 4-8 hrs. So I've always worked with that in mind too.

Shoot length:

From my portfolio notes: "I normally shoot when the light is good, and there aren't too many people about - this means 3 hours after sunrise, and 3 hours before sunset. The middle of the day is for driving to interesting places, and for long picnic lunches. A typical shoot will last a day, so it is worth paying travel costs from some distance away."

Most often nowdays, I pick the model up from the station around 16.00, drive to the first location, start shooting around 17.00, shoot till sunset (about 4 hours); she stays overnight.
Start around dawn, shoot four hours, put her back on the train.

I get 8 hours (a day), she's only away from home for 1 night.

Seems to work.

Very rare for me to shoot more that ten minutes in one location - then drive on.
Less chance of getting caught; less chance of the model getting cold.

Afrofilmviewer

I would shoot all day, if I am getting energy from the photographer and he/she is making me comfortable and creative. It's so bloody important to connect with a model. It sometimes goes the other way re time and I've done extremely successful shoots in 30mins.

I keep it to two hours as a photographer, unless I'm with a model I love working with and who gives so much.

Huw

You're very organised.👌🏽 That helps the model feel like giving you all, in a session.

MaristarOxley

Connection:

So much is dependent on the prep.

Overall view here is often: "Too Busy to speak to photographers".

A lot can get lost.

Marissa _PH1 said

We all know our own images, but if we can look at our work objectively and from a removed perspective, can we describe our own style and uniqueness?

Edited by Marissa _PH1

IMHO it's only when you can look at one's own work objectively that you'll ever really improve and develop.

"Style" is tiger's back, most 'styles' are really mannerisms, especially if the same actions/LUTs/presets are simply applied to everything.  

Eclectic 
is probably how I'd best describe any style I have. 

Afrofilmviewer

I'd have to agree and disagree with the prep. That depends on the connection, the situation and a real understanding of each other.

One of my very favourite shoots ( as Maristaroxley, model) was a planned one in studio with me taking lots of wardrobe agreed by both of us. We started the shoot and they were good. BUT I saw the studio owner's trench coat and the photographer's brogues and that was it. We carried on the shoot for another few hours, doing all sorts of ideas...We didn't plan for that.

There's a video of Nick Knight doing something similar even though he obviously prepped with a huge team. He had the booked models, but the magic emerged for him when he just so happened to find a girl in the street and used her instead.

Edited by Marissa _PH1

Lightingman

Quote:

"IMHO it's only when you can look at one's own work objectively that you'll ever really improve and develop"

I agree. Maybe people are scared to do that? Taking yourself out of your work is also not easy to do.

Quote:

"Style" is tiger's back"

I have no idea what you mean

Edited by Marissa _PH1

Afrofilmviewer

Quote:

"Overall view here is often: "Too Busy to speak to photographers".

Is that in preparation of a shoot, or on the shoot?

Marissa _PH1 "That depends on the connection, the situation and a real understanding of each other."

For me it often starts in the messages and prep. Granted sometimes people get a spark and hit it off and gain connection upon meeting etc.

But personally, Ive been able to garner how shoots go based on prep. It's no surprise that my worse experience had a model make her self unavailable in the weeks leading up to the shoot, only to make a 180 on what we had confirmed.

Meanwhile my best shoots have been there's been an ability to bounce things off each other beforehand.

For me, my aim is to have decent rapport beforehand. It works more often than not.

MaristarOxley

"Overall view here is often: "Too Busy to speak to photographers".

Your quote:

"Is that in preparation of a shoot, or on the shoot?"

In preparation of a shoot.