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Shoot The Centerfold One-on-One sessions are one of the fastest ways to learn photography and to get your images published. We do several different types of instruction based on each request assuming that it fits our guidelines and we can see a benefit for all those involved.

Some of the One-on-One sessions will result in publication and some simply remain private behind closed doors. Not everyone wants to achieve publishing but instead simply value the educational experience.

This specific blog post is to shed some light on what actually goes into a major shoot and its preparation. Not all the shoots are as large scale as this one. Some shoots are actually quite simple and less can certainly be more in those cases. But that does not hold true in this case and we wish to share the intricacy of this particular on-going One-on-One session with you so you have a better idea how some of the large scale shoots come together. Take it educationally and hopefully you can learn a thing or two.

Shoot The Centerfold attendees Joe Tejeda and Robert Ashby signed up for the STC One-on-One with one goal in their mind: let’s do something different, get publishing and raise some eye-brows in the industry. As Joe and Robert put it,

Let’s not just shoot something that will blend in with millions of other photos but instead create something so awesome that editors cannot wait to get their hands on it.”

Joe and Robert have followed the STC One-on-One sessions very closely for quite some time, patiently waiting for their special moment to step up to the plate. After a few pre-planning meetings, the goals started taking shape and the ideas began to flow. And what such a meeting means and who decides the direction and concept of the shoot, depended on what the objective of the shoot was and what we were trying to accomplish.

Since the goal is not to shoot a model for social media or just for a portfolio, but instead to reach the industry specialists in top-end fashion, commercial publishing and campaign opportunities, we came up with a mutual decision to produce a shoot based on what the industry would go for instead of going fishing with a premature plan or outcome. One key to success is to know what your possible clients may be looking for. Well, that’s a farfetched guess, since nobody really knows ahead of time what the editors need or want unless you have associated yourself with the industry people and editors ahead of time. This is one of STC’s specialties due to our long experience in the industry.

We want a sexy plane, a model to interact and then have a her ‘hanging on’ via a parachute – high fashion style. We also need an airport runway.We came up with several interesting concepts on how to rattle the editors and the industry. Not that we are re-inventing the wheel or anything, but perhaps we will make a better one by getting an entire airport runway, plane, parachute and a model that fits the bill. Not just any kind of a model, but a top model that adds the much needed sizzle to the entire pictorial.

We started looking for possible airplanes and the full chrome DC3 from the James Bond movie that had great appeal when they flew over the salt-fields and mountains in Chile. The DC3 was located in Punta Gorda, Florida and fairly inexpensive for a nice movie prop. At this point in the project, we have to answer a couple of questions: do we have the plane brought to us or should we fly to the location of the plane instead?

We have also purchased a parachute from eBay which is going to be used as a prop. It’s all about the little details, style and the color coordination.

At this point, we are still looking for the right model and have not been able to secure one that meets our strict qualifications as of yet. Until then, we are spinning the production-wheel in hopes of finding the right one. We have contacted all the top modeling agencies between Miami and New York. Plenty of candidates have been sent to us to select from and a few choices have been made but then lost due to their popularity and their insane booking schedules (not to mention their modeling fees).

At this point, many of you would be wondering if Model Mayhem would do the trick instead of getting a top-dollar model from an agency. When a shoot becomes as serious as this one, you also want to get a serious model that can support the cause and deliver the right looks that rule the industry. Not to mention, editors drool over name-brand value since it helps sell publications. Below are some model candidates that we have considered for the job. Our favorite model candidates so far have been Brazilian Victorian Secret top-model Daniela Braga and Gizele Oliveira.

 Daniela Braga – NEXT Model Management

 Gizele Oliveira – MC2 Model Management

With fingers crossed, we are now waiting to see which one of these beautiful candidates will accept our offer and is willing to fly to Miami for a shoot that we would like to believe will top the industry’s expectations and beyond. In reality, it means that we are actually competing with top fashion clients who also have their eyes on these models who get booked long in advance of any project along with 5-figure modeling fees.

As the search for the right model and the production continues to advance, we will update you and continue this blow-by-blow by letting you know how we are progressing with our One-on-One shoot preparation.

Until then, we leave you to evaluate other model candidate choices that were sent to us, in case we have missed something, and a comment from Maurice Jenkins who is a director of Miami International Airport.

Stay tuned, more coming soon.

Click the images to enlarge.

Maurice Jenkins – A director of Miami International Airport

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