A Polaroid sheet from a beauty and hair editorial we did yesterday, working title is marble androids, or maybe robo-statues. Hair was by Sarah Potempa and M.U. by Meredith Baraf, both at The Wall Group. More to come on this once the film is souped and dried.
Some snaps Covet’s creative director, Tara took whilst we shot her spring ‘08 line. It was hard not to feel a sadness there at Coney Island; neglect was apparent, and you could see that it’s long life was coming to an end. There was also a mood of bitterness, nostalgia and heartbreak amongst the proprietors, people who’ve lived and worked there their entire lives, and who were now watching the boardwalk fall into disrepair.
On another note: Tara did a great job on this season, some great pieces to photograph!
Location: Coney Island, NY.
Hair: Sarah Potempa w/ Wall Group.
Make-Up: Kehla.
Assistant: Aaron Modico.
And a big big thanks to J.T. at Cha Cha’s on the boardwalk for staging the shoot.
You have to love 690 Polaroid! The stuff is so old-school and far from accurate (by todays standards) it toes the line of nonsense as a proof, and it’s poetic for that very reason. But why spend $18 for a pack of the poetic? Well, I use it b/c it’s iso 100 (a default), b/c I’m used to it, and b/c it looks like shit compared to the film, which can be a good thing; if you’ve ever shot Fuji’roid you know it can be sexier than many a proof sheets - no doubt making for the occasional anticlimax.
Anyway, these are from the freshly wrapped Covet Fall 07 line. In my opinion this is some of the strongest work yet by Covet’s designer, Tara St. James. I can only imagine what she’s going to be pulling out of her bag of tricks in the seasons to come. About tricks from bags, I should give credit to Mr. Steve Steckly for showing me the tricks of one of the odder technical aspects of this shoot, geeky stuff.
Polaroid: Covet Fall 07, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
Polaroid: Covet Fall 07, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
Polaroid: Covet Fall 07, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
Oh, and I can’t not post this one, which Tara saw, then turned to me and said with stark sincerity, “you’re creepy looking.”
Polaroid: Covet Fall 07, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
The team:
Hair: Gregory.
M.U.: Munemi w/ See
Girl Model: Catie Parker w/ Elite NY
Boy Model: Marcus w/ Next NY
First Assist+Lighting Tech: Aaron Binaco
Location/Studio: Northside Bank in Williamsburg
Polaroids from a spring editorial. Keep your eyes on the newsstands, should hit’em in May.
polaroid: ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
polaroid: ©Graeme Mitchell, 2007
Details:
Styling: Anna Shimonis
M.U.: Meredith Baraf
Hair: Sarah Potempa
Model: Marissa w/ Elite
Location: Studio 814 (yes, a special thanks to Studio 814 who facilitated our every need.)
When shooting 4×5 it’s not uncommon for other photographers to inquire about the camera I use, b/c the camera itself is a bit uncommon, so I figured it was worth noting here. First a little background, when I originally set out to find a 4×5, I searched for some time trying to find one that suited my style of shooting fashion and portraits, both on location and in the studio. I wanted a camera that was tuff, small, quick to operate, but also with decent bellow draw and movements to spare on both standards. These criteria ruled out everything I knew of. Finally, I was informed about the Linhof Color.
A hidden gem, it’s been out of production for ages as far as I can tell, but it basically amounts to a Linhof Technika on a rail. It’s built like a tank, sexy, and I can fit it, a few lenses, and holders in a Domke bag.
As I side note, yeah, sure, for the most part a 67 RZ can cover almost everything, but for that extra 3%…well, a nice piece of sheet film can be something else.
photo: Covet Spring ‘07, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
If you’re shooting in NYC and need to rent a studio, consider Avedon’s old studio. It is neither particularly big, nor is the location fun, but neither of these qualms can possibly deter from that auspicious cyc.
I can imagine Avedon brooding around those halls alone, rife with anxiousness, looking at the board of dimly illuminated work prints riddled with his corrections…possibility and history weighing upon him…
You’ll often hear me refer to a team or crew, and obviously it’s a group of people I work with, but maybe I should point out how tantamount they are. A huge part to doing an effective fashion shoot is coordinating and communicating with your team to realize an idea. I’m talking about stylists, hair, make-up, models, assistants, techs, retouchers, set-designers, everyone. They’re all important and contribute to the outcome. If collaboration is not something you’re into, okay, but then you need to include a good producer in that list too. To burst all the photographer as artiste egos out there: releasing a shutter turns out to be a minor part of it all.
Every photographer is different, but I think there’s something to be said about a small team, say 6 people on set tops. Once you start to get more than that distractions are too naturally occurring (hence closed sets, or to send everyone away except the model when shooting). Sure, I long at hearing the tales of the intimate shoots of Helmut Newton with one assistant and a naked model, or of Penn shooting models who would have done all their own hair, m.u., and styling, but you can have a lot of fun with a good crew of people, and moreover, if you allow an open creative dialogue amongst the group amazing work can come about.
Anyway, this probably boring rambling came about when I found this picture in my temp folder:
photo: Sarah Potempa and I, Sarah’s Apt in Chelsea, Halloween 2006
It is me and my favorite hairstylist the world over, Sarah Potempa (w/ the wall group) on Halloween. She is always the #1 call for hair on my shoots. Give me her and Meredith Baraf (also w/ the wall group), and pow, it’s on. The problem is, when you’re as good as they are, you work ALL THE TIME, so it can make it tricky for them to be had.
This is a shot we all did together:
photo: model test in J. Mendel gown, photographer’s studio, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2005
I just visited LA for a week and shot two editorial specs with the stylist Kenny Wujek (older bro of Johnny Wujek, another stylist there). One day we shot in Johnny’s driveway in Hollywood: roll of white seamless, a case of bud light, and 80 weather (read: rad!).
photo: models on set, Hollywood CA, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
photo: outtake, Hollywood CA, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
photo: outtake, Hollywood CA, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
The other day we shoot around Kenny’s house, this overgrown, grungy dream on Hollywood and Highland. The whole place was a series of natural sets that couldn’t have been designed any better.
photo: outtake, Hollywood CA, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
photo: outtake, Hollywood CA, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
It was two totally different shoots that interested me equally. On white always fascinates me, b/c it’s a test of parring an image down to it’s fundamentals. On the other hand, a really great location is always a treat, but technically the images must coordinate with the location and yet cannot be allowed to become gimmick. It’s a conflict for me being attracted to and producing such seemingly different images, and I only hope that people can sense an underlying and consistent sensibility throughout.
Just dropped the final press files for the Covet Spring ‘07 look book. I usually wouldn’t mention or post a commercial job like this, but the designer, Tara, has become a good friend over the last 3 books we’ve shot together, and I wanted to giver her and her cool line a nod. It’s always a pleasure working with her. She fits right into the team’s vibe: super chill, fun, loves the good food & coffee on set, and understands what it means to do good work.
Photo: Covet Spring 07, Brooklyn NY, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
The crew met at call and had a quick morning pow-wow on what we were feeling, and then decided to approach the shoot with a vague “1950s couples” theme. If you’re not depending on a concept, sometimes it’s best to gather the elements with little intentions, and then let the shoot take on a life of its own and just roll with it. Not an uncommon approach with editorial, but it takes a cool commercial client to have that kind of faith.
Photo: Covet Spring 07, Brooklyn NY, ©Graeme Mitchell, 2006
Some candids:
Photo: model, ©Graeme Mitchell
Photo: client, Tara, under the dark cloth + old timer chilling, ©Graeme Mitchell
I’m excited for next Fall’s book. It’s the first time we’re going to the studio. I’ve already shot a test for it, and it’s going to be sexy sexy.
all rights reserved by Graeme Mitchell © 2008
