Joyce Quizon, a set on Flickr. ©PTMTolibas2011
This is my first time doing a glamour photoshoot. I find it way different from shooting musicians for a multitude of reasons. Also, it got me thinking about taking photos so far.
First of all the model (the beautiful Joyce Quizon) is stationary, compared to performers who are continuously on the move on stage. Timing means everything for shooting concerts, and in the first few frames of shooting the model I felt the shadow of boredom creeping in.
So I took action before the creeping sets in. I initiated some small talk with Joyce, built some rapport, made some suggestions and directions on how she should pose or imagine the scene would be, basically creating an interaction created between performer and audience in a gig environment. My colleagues did the same, and I thought maybe this is the norm. I craved for some dynamism from the model, but at the same time she is required to hold a pose for a few minutes—no small feat, and yet a basic skill for their profession.
I hunt for the raw emotions from musical performances, and thus it is short of instinctive for me to look for the same, or at least some sort of analogue, in this setting. It was tough. Maybe it’s the result of watching too much ANTM that had me create this schema of how a female model should work. So I found interacting with the model while shooting a necessity, having to take my face out from behind the camera and connect with the subject both as an observer and—wow, I can’t seem to think of an appropriate term at the moment.
When I shoot musicians, I shoot not purely as a photographer (naks, I still can’t seem to bring myself to call myself that) but also as part of the audience, and that connection is between me, the crowd, and the performer for me makes for an engaging photo. A glamour shoot is a completely different animal, and I am still in the process of taming this beast. Funny thing is that this beast is in a more controlled environment compared to the other. For now I’m more comfortable in the safari than in the petting zoo (cut me some slack on the metaphors please), but we’ll see.
