Starting Over
Freelance, Friendship, and Figuring it out in realtime
So here we are — two weeks in from a cold start. Two headshots, three scheduled shoots, two mood boards and one quarter life crisis later — against all odds I’m still good!
After talking with my freelancing friends, the future, though still daunting, no longer feels so far away. Patience has never been a virtue of mine, but neither has hesitation been part of my photographic process. My ability to create and compose a photographic project from beginning to end is proof of my growth and experience, so I will learn to be patient.
The biggest hurdle right now is building from the ground up. Going from assisting an internationally recognized travel photographer to venturing out on my own solo journey is more akin to learning how to walk again than it is to taking flight. Baby steps.
Thankfully, my time behind the camera (and even more behind the computer) has sharpened one crucial tool: mood boarding. A mood board is like a visual blueprint: part dreamscape, part production plan. I’ll be sharing two below.
for a multidisciplinary artist/clothing designer
for a tattoo artist
You can see some notes and marks on one and none on the other. Thats intentional: I always share my initial vision with collaborators and clients first. Then, we tweak together. After a round or two of notes, our visions tend to align and then we can start to lock in specifics like wardrobe, timing, location.
(Note: location is usually loosely agreed on during the first call or pitch)
After all of this is done, it’s time to prep the gear. That means coordinating lighting, modifiers, and accessories — and this is where my good friend and talented photographer/videographer Kevin comes in.
He and I sync up on the lighting setup and visual approach, ironing out everything ahead of time to keep production smooth and efficient. He’s the grease to my gears — without him, I’d be a headless chicken in a tar factory.
Kevin and some of his work
There are many photo techs keeping this industry running, and having been one myself I can say: they deserve more credit. We’ll get to that in another post.
Back to the mood board. It’s easy to compile a handful of cool images you like, send it off to the client and call it a day. Don’t do this. If you want to your work to feel personal while still serving a broader vision, don’t do this.
Clients don’t come to you for your ability to copy a Pinterest board, they come for your take. Whether it be for portraits, campaigns, branding, or editorials, your unique eye is the reason you’re in the room. And even if your vision deviates from theirs, that deviation is the value you bring.
I find that there are few moments where you’ll have full creative control. So take it.
Over the next few weeks I’ll be finishing up a few exciting projects both in the streets and in the studio. Be on the lookout for more and if anything in this post resonated, I’d love to hear what it was.
Keep shooting. Keep planning.
