Roadside in Jersey...
It's a hot summer day and I am running errands with my friend Jane Belfry. Many of you know her as one of my favorite muses.
We had been working on a project at PNC the Amphitheater in New Jersey and were just leaving. There was a huge parking lot to navigate our way out of and we came across a dead end street. We looked at each other and knew this would be a perfect spot to shoot. We grabbed some gear and clothes we had in the car and got to work! As we walked along we realized that this area was where they kept the Christmas Decorations in a large shipping container and there were some along the outside. It was perfect location for a fun quick shoot. The whole thing lasted about 15 minutes. We knew there was a chance we would get busted by security so we hurried along and got what we could. As we drove off I think we both knew we had made some magic.
That is one of the best things about photography to me. It is always a collaboration, between your environment, the styling, the crew, the model, the sun, every part of the shoot comes together and creates a record of that moment.
You can always make something out of nothing if you try hard enough. There wasn't enough light deeper in the wooded area where they had the shipping container so we used the on camera flash. I love the harshness of the light. I always try to remember that my camera, the lenses, the lighting, are all just tools to solve problems and there are infinite ways to go about it.
How do you make magic? Would love to hear some of your stories about quick impromptu shoots...