On Wed, Oct 30, 2013 at 5:13 PM, Paul Stenquist <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On Oct 30, 2013, at 4:37 PM, Mark Roberts <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Doug Brewer wrote:
>>
>>> On 10/30/13 10:25 AM, Alan C wrote:
>>>> Why do fashion photographers take so many shots then?
>>>>
>>>> Alan
>>>
>>> There is a difference between working a subject, or having a range of
>>> good shots in which you will find one that works best, and machine
>>> gunning with the hope that one will be passable.
>>>
>>> I frequently, when working with a subject, will over-shoot, looking for
>>> variations on shots already in the bag, or to work past what we have
>>> done before. I get a pile of good shots that way, but a smaller pile of
>>> special shots.
>>>
>>> It's true that you must take many photos before you can start getting
>>> good ones regularly. I believe HCB said it takes ten thousand. I think I
>>> took considerably more than that before I got where I am, and I'm not
>>> where I want to be yet.
>>
>> BTW: In the case of fashion photographers the answer to why they take
>> so many shots is often "because that's what the editors demand". Some
>> will totally decompensate if they don't have thousands of images, with
>> the slightest variation between any two, to choose from. If you're a
>> working pro you have to deliver what the client wants (unless you're
>> one of a handful of elites who can dictate to editors what you're
>> going to give them).
>>
>
> To that add that trying to get a model to strike that perfect pose with the
> perfect expression is extremely difficult. So you have them try different
> things and you keep snapping away. You simply can't get it in a reasonable
> number of shots with most models.
Yes, unlike many other kinds of shooting, portraits and models is one
of stepwise refinement. Start with a pose, shoot that, then direct
model to move in some way to improve on what you have. Shoot, repeat.
Stop when you feel you've exhausted that one or you're sure you got a
great one in there.
Numbers fans: from my last model shoot ("corsets"):
- 329 shots total taken during 4.5 hours (including 4 wardrobe and
makeup changes, lighting changes, props, etc.).
- 224 shots deemed technically okay.
- 71 shots deemed contenders for post-processing
- 23 shots rated strong; discussed with "clients" (model, my wife)
- 8 selected for retouching and delivered.
- 4 are what I myself consider to be good work.
So yeah, shoot lots. :-)
--
-bmw
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