Cool for the Summer

Date taken:  23rd of July, 2016

So I have this thing with doing "bonus shoots" or "mini shoots" inside of a main photoshoot. 

This is sometimes done because we have extra time before or after the main thing, or because some of the clothes or props didn't fit into the main theme but we still wanted to shoot them. 

In this case we met Aviv and Michelle for the "geek chic" photoshoot and I asked them to bring their own clothes, as far as they can find things that fit the theme. A lot of what they brought was right on point and still a lot was really beautiful but didn't fit with the theme. 

So we did a "pre-shoot" where we had the girls put on their definitely-not-geeky outfits and photographed them around the Weizmann Institute where we were setting up. 

Models: Aviv Cohen and Michelle Rabinkov | hair: Neta Hafif Shmulenson | makeup: Anet Nour

This also reminds me of some things I realized from previous shoots: if you are shooting outside on a clear day, you really need to find some shaded area to pass the time until golden hour, and even then, the light is rarely as good. So you sort of want to waste time until the magic starts. 

It is also a good opportunity to get warmed up. To let the models have a few minutes to loosen up and for me to check the equipment is working and get into the groove.

We did a few shots of them together and a few shots each model individually.

It turns out that in almost every shoot the few shots in the beginning are the least successful. The models usually are still a bit rigid, and I don't always find the right way to communicate what I want. After a few minutes we started getting good results. I think these came out really nice, even though I liked the "geek chic" theme more. 

There's also something to be said for not taking too much time before the real shoot. People get tired, especially if the shoot goes on without substantial breaks in between sets.

It is a balance between coming early enough to have time to warm up, to do bonus shoots and to have the time to take things slowly (this one is always hard for me), and coming late enough so that your models aren't too tired by the end of the shoot. 

I guess the more shoots we do, the better we find that balance.

Link to the full album on facebook...