Conducting a Photo Shoot

Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.
Leonard Bernstein

Comparing the task of a photographer to that of a conductor is the perfect analogy. I often feel when I am at a photo shoot that I am leading an orchestra. The makeup artist, the models, and the setting all make up the elements of the music. How it comes together to make beautiful music is up to me.

In a shoot there are always things don’t come together as smoothly as planned. The shoes don’t fit, the make up artist forgot a certain color lipstick and on and on. My job is to make everyone on the set especially the models, feel comfortable and handle last minute emergencies with ease.

The expertise behind taking the shot, the lighting camera angle and the like are only a small part of the job of a photographer. No matter what may be occurring outside of the photograph, my skills must take action to capture the moment in all its perfection and all its beauty.

The tool that I hold in my hand is no more than the avenue to a stunning piece of photography. Without my camera, my job is nothing at all. However, the camera does not hold the power to create a comfortable mood for human subjects or a serene, natural setting required of a successful photo shoot.

Nevertheless, no matter what tool is put to use, the technical aspects are just a part of my job. I must work the camera, not vice versa, a skill that is my own creation. Like a conductor, the photographer must orchestrate the pieces of the perfect shot a job I fully embrace and love.

Sense Clothing