Up & Down – The Travails of a Newcomer in Fashion Photography is Beyond Luck

After months of planning an editorial, one of my stylist has pulled out due to the lack of certainty over its publication. Today feels like failure because of this knock-back. Uncertainty abounds and perhaps I dumped my advancing career prematurely for something I never practiced beyond a hobby.

You see, she is an award winning stylist, published in magazines, has celebrity clientele and recently returned from a successful outing at the Cannes Film Festival. Collaborating with someone so advanced in the industry at an early stage in my career is rare. I get that. I’m told I should feel lucky to have bagged a high profile talent — except I do not believe in luck.

Luck is merely a fabricated belief system and to believe in it is to pessimistically agree a nebulous force has control over your life. True, our will is free to choose very little that is not already predetermined by past decisions. Our tastes, sexuality, choice of clothes, are all fed by our genes and environment. Attributing this to luck however, is to turn a blind eye to the chain of events and the gift of personal responsibility. 

The part that feels unfair? That’s when these choices are out of our control. 

To fail an exam is not bad luck; one simply fails because of poor study (or another extraneous event’s influence). The corollary is to have studied and state that passing the exam was due to luck.

The harder I practice, the luckier I get…

The optimist in me accepts determinism, that tomorrows events are in our hands today. Continuing with the analogy, the stylist agreed to work with me because they believed my talent was worth the investment (their words, not mine). A product of hours of work, commitment, learning and dedication. Luck just doesn't factor.

Sure, knock-backs feel like failure; positive affirmation feels like success. I have days on fashion shoots where I feel like Steven Meisel or Garry Winogrand after hours shooting street. And there are disappointments where I wonder if I had made the right choice. Neither are true measures of success or failure. A career in photography — collaborating with a variety of people — is an up and down struggle, and these should be no more than momentary reflections on one’s career progress

I have come to accept progress is not achieved in leaps and bounds, but rather piecemeal and at a snails pace, and is horribly grating for an impatient soul like me. Yet the last couple of months I have climbed a few rungs on the ladder, and when I reflect soberly on my work I can see the improvements, and thats where the real satisfaction lies. 

Just in these two minutes, THIS THE MOST I EVER BEEN INSPIRED! THANK YOU DENZEL! . . . "I am particularly proud and happy about the young FILMMAKERS, ACTORS, singers, WRITERS, PRODUCERS that are coming up behind my generation, in particular Barry Jenkins @bandrybarry, "Young people understand, this young man made 10, 15, 20 short films before he got the opportunity to make #Moonlight so never give up."


The Face Of Awkwardness: Or How I Stopped Hiding Behind Social Media & Learned To Love The Shoot

Professionalism. A nebulous concept. Meaning different things to different people. The variability of multiple factors make pinning the concept down tricky. Some equate it to mean insincerity, to others politeness, reverence, or disingenuousness. A tailored approach to fit the individual and situation, digital or otherwise, is a no brainer. 

Yet impatience — switch impatience for desperation — eats into the basic principle of just being nice. Desperate for my Instagram numbers to climb, I attended a class run by a self-styled social media guru, a mediocre photographer who shot art nudes in an East London flat. I felt convinced he had something to say by the sheer volume of followers he amassed weekly.

After three hours of unedifying oration, two bits of advice surfaced. Post regularly (fine) and follow en masse people that may like your style. And yes, my numbers did creep up. I was getting more hits, likes, follow back and shout outs than you can wave a stylus at, but the cynicism was too much to stomach. Mostly sycophantic comments bubbled up to my notification screen and arrived with its own agenda. The central conceit a cynical ploy to make yourself look good.

The ability to amass a following needn't be a bulldozer approach. And this is where professionalism comes in.

Since shooting fashion photography, courteous emails, reliability, competence and projecting my personality in a considered manner, have all helped me to build a contact list of industry professionals. It’s small, but growing, growing in the real world, and translating to my social media. Apply this to models and bookers to continue shooting fashion. After all, without bookers, you’ll struggle to find models. And without models, fashion becomes a dull, static experience.

Notwithstanding the obvious creep-factor, a photographer can easily hide behind a camera. Reversed for the model, they are exposed in the scene set by the photographer. Through your lens the model will look you directly in the eye. I found this shocking at first. Ill prepared, I found my vocal cords constrict, dry up and refuse the passage of air for me to intonate audible directions. Persistence was key. 

I discovered that I felt out of my depth. Across the lens stood the model, behind me a supporting cast with vested interest in me snapping my shutter at the right moment; to frame the picture correctly; get my angles right. I felt the pressure to keep developing the rapport and hopefully not alienate anyone. 

The sound of silence was intolerable, causing a growing awkwardness with every missed opportunity to say, ‘move left a bit, try tilting your head up’. You can’t be crippled by it; silence reveals your beginner status. If you want to survive, you have to speak up. Besides, you have stuck yourself into an unfamiliar situation already, going a step further and speaking instruction will not expose you — it’s the opposite.

But there are other factors that can help.

I discovered that when cast correctly, the model better reflected the shoot’s concept, and with their movement and facial expressions, emoted like silent movie stars to tell the story. I realised their creativity is within these nuances, and is built on trust. You don't get that immediately, and if you do, that level of fearlessness is rare. 

Over time the model will open up, relax facial muscles, go bolder with their poses, and just occasionally reveal something completely intimate. Knock that with too much criticism, and you knock the trust and you lose the shoot.

I wanting to reach out, to break the awkwardness and silence, but you risk losing face and trust. Yet you cannot hide behind your social media in the real world, the need for social skills inevitably surfaces. Really, what I am telling you is to be nice, polite, not cynical, and the rest will follow. And yes, I did say the wrong things, and I did end up misplacing jokes, but like the first bunch of your photos, you need to get them out before you start to be good. 

In time, you will move with your model and create art together.


Transitioning — The Contrasting Aspects of Street and Fashion Photography

There appears to be a direct line between shooting people on the street and eventually shooting models from a catwalk. The transition of a street photographer into fashion photography is a well traversed path. 

Many of the classic shooters of street photography were later commissioned by such luminaries of the fashion world as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. William Klein and Saul Reiter are two of the big hitters to have succeeded in both fields, and they offer reassurance and inspiration to my ambitions.

Knowing I have gained transferable skills shooting street — that you photograph people is an obvious starting point — is useful, but the differences are remarkable. As a street photographer I aimed to be stealth and hidden from the crowd. Shoot and move. Look for the natural scene, not one contrived on moodboards. One or two frames per moment. If the subject has not clocked, then I would reframe for a few shots more. 

On the streets I am not a pretty sight. Between shots I snarl and grimace and wave my camera above my head. All the things I should not do to remain inconspicuous, but I feel the aggression to shoot people off guard. 

People have shouted at me and I have received all sorts of stares and dirty looks for pointing my camera at their direction. I feel hardened by the streets and have come to understand the tough nature of photography. The fashion industry too can be brutally honest. Rejection is high, but that is the nature of the beast. The idea is to produce images that wow, which is only possible through diligent rigour. 

Yet the joys of shooting street are unbound. Fashion photography has a level of satisfaction unmatchable when you get it right. It is full of contradictory beauty, controversy, an indisputable art form. Some may find it contrived; for me it is freedom to create and to soften my approach.

Street photography can take on multiple forms. Bill Cunningham, the celebrated photographer for the New York Times, pioneered street style as an off shoot. Photographing celebrities and the stylish New York public alike, the theme always was to capture the essence and emerging patterns on the streets of the great city. He did so with gentle charm and tenderness. 

http://billcunninghamnewyork.co.uk/ Before the internet and before the likes of fashion bloggers, there was Bill Cunningham, the street-fashion and society chronicler for The New York Times. After 50 years of cycling the streets of the Big Apple with his camera, snapping the great, the good and the stylish, Bill Cunningham is now in front of the lens in this loving and intimate portrait of a remarkable man and a chronicler of a city.

 

Shooting fashion I must to be vocal and to interact fully with my subject. Without this interaction, everything is static, and you risk losing the model’s engagement. Dancing with the model means I have a high shot count, counting upwards of twenty frames per pose. I don't shout to myself or the model, I don't ignore them immediately after catching their photograph, or ignore their attention on me — fuck off, I've got the shot already. 

No, I am much gentler than this with a model. The trick is to capture emotion and being aggressive is not conducive to the emotions I want to capture in a shoot. 

I trained my eye for hours staring at buildings, counting windows for symmetry or finding the correct composition within an uneven cityscape. I have wondered all sorts of locations and have an ongoing list of places to take models, without ever needing a studio. Shooting people, I know when they are comfortable or inhibited, and know how to capture people with their guard down. The years I practiced shooting street photography I believe will see me in good stead.


How Pushing Through My Comfort Zone At London Fashion Week Led Me to Shooting Fashion Photography

Admitting to oneself one’s true desire can be tinged with fear. For me, fashion photography was such a desire that I could no longer ignore. 

A little over a year ago, I was compelled to shoot at London Fashion Week. The urge grew irrefutably stronger throughout the day, and despite having no fashion photography or street stye experience, I headed to Soho.

Half the fun of fashion week takes place off the catwalk, and we were there at LFW AW16 checking out all the biggest street style trends. The bomber jacket ruled the roads in terms of outerwear. From cool khaki to hot pink, wear it oversized and cover with badges or patches for a unique edge.

The winter sun unusually gleaming that February afternoon, I entered Brewer Street knowing I needed to engage with my subject. A departure from the silence of street photography, I was comforted knowing the fashionable like to be photographed. Still, the need to ask, “may I take your photo?” was daunting. After several hours a rhythm developed as I shot models, stylists, bloggers and blaggers. I felt uplifted. 

Ramario Chevoy was the second person I shot that afternoon.

Back then, my life had arrived at an unimaginable juncture. I questioned my existence daily. The choices I made, the brevity and the supposed preciousness of life were all contradicted by my mode of living; funded by a career I did not implicitly chose; a consequence of a failed medical degree undertaken with hubris.

Eventually, I could not lie to myself that I was happy. My depression relapsed. I was unable to care for myself. My family less so. Every aspect of my life had to go on hold. All except photography. Photography provided a lifeline.

A change was necessary, but really I was snapping my shutter in the dark. I would go on day long shoots. Wandering the streets of London without food or water. Sharpening my eye for street photography sustained me. I would leave my wife by herself to look after our new born daughter, while I searched for a voice to express.

Shooting buildings quickly became banal. Alone with my camera over the cold winter months, what emerged was the compulsion to shoot people and candid portraiture. I learned to be a ghost and silently I drifted through crowds looking for human interactions to photograph. To capture and collect with only my thoughts as a guide.

I would be shocked and jolted by a subject clocking my intensions. Occasional shouts and challenges would come my way, and eventually, I developed a tougher exterior to these criticism. Really though, I was met with positivity, and at worst, indifference. I learnt to exist as a street photographer, a part of my life worth cultivating illuminated and with each photo a greater path cleared.

131 Likes, 1 Comments - Mehmet (@flyingpadre) on Instagram: "Street style at London Fashion Week."

Attending LFW suddenly became an irrefutably logical progression. I came home and immediately edited my pictures and began posting on my Instagram feed. I tagged Ramario into the picture and he responded positively.

I suggested meeting up for a shoot the next day, and to my surprise, he agreed. Completely complementary, Ramario encouraged me to make more of my secret dream. 

Months later, as I began to recover my life, I started to reimagine what my future would look like. I readopted long ago abandoned ideas; I began writing again. The voice I use today, years before was dismissed in favour of a medical pipe dream. I wrote with abandon and enrolled onto a journalism masters. 

Since that day, I have photographed Ramario at LFW whenever we have been present together. And with a growing portfolio, the fantasy of shooting fashion photography is slowly becoming a reality. 

Ramario Chevoy is a dancer and an agency represented model at VauHaus.