Svenler's Fashion & Commercial Photography Blog

A few weeks ago, I got a phone call just before lunch from the Montgomery County Education Administration (MCEA). They needed a photographer to shoot a portrait for one of their flyers the same afternoon and deliver the finished digital file just an hour later, which would give me half an hour for the shoot and half an hour for retouching. I was on the road and had my equipment nowhere near, but since my schedule was free for the afternoon, I quoted a rate and got the job. In addition, I made sure that I would be given credit on the flyer, which is an important aspect of marketing yourself in your community.

The shoot itself was of a teacher in a local middle school, so not really the controllable environment that we desire, but with a bit of improvisation, you can get great portraits just about anywhere. Since I was in a rush, I went home quickly, picked up my Nikon D200 with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8D, two strobes, a reflector, an umbrella, and a light stand. If you use a camera like the Nikon D200, D300s, D700, or several others, you can use your camera as a commander to fire your Nikon strobes, such as the SB-600 or the new SB-900, which is really helpful on location and when you are in a rush.

The first setup we were thinking about was the teacher’s classroom, but since the ceilings were very low and the room looked cluttered, I decided to do the shoot in a hallway that we had just passed and that looked very school-like without being obstructing. Whenever you are in such a situation, do not be afraid to speak your mind that the intended location will not work and suggest an alternative. Always remember that your shoot is your set and you are ultimately responsible for the outcome. Take initiative and take action to take control of your set.

Once we arrived at the location, the shoot itself was easy and straight forward. I did some light tests and tried to ease the model – a teacher who never modeled before for a photo shoot. If your subject is tense, ease them by telling a few jokes and taking a genuine interest in them. If they trust you and feel comfortable around you, your subjects will be much easier to work with and it only took me about 10 frames to get the picture I wanted.

Once the shoot was wrapped, I took a seat in the teachers lounge and began retouching the image while being on the phone with the designer to give her a status report and find out the requirements for the image file (size, resolution, color mode).

In the end, the time constraint was pretty stressful, but if you take control of your set and know what you are doing, you will be fine and your clients will appreciate your effort and your professionalism.

MCEA Shoot Lighting Setup

Original Final Image

MCEA Flyer

Plug
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