This one was a proud moment, fer sure.
I have been photographing for a long time. I started with it more seriously in 2008 and made it more of my full-time gig in 2014. I had been doing a lot of work up until then but never managed to get a cover commission or a really big advertising campaign, two things I very much wanted. In 2018 I made some big changes in my life and decided it was time to leave Chicago and move to NY finally. I had always wanted to live there and after a lot of soul searching decided it was finally time. I moved in late April of that year with very little plan of what to do other than pursue what I had already been pursuing. I will admit not the best idea. I would encourage anyone moving anywhere new to have some set routine in a way to start out. It’s very hard to build a network from scratch and I learned that the hard way in that city. It’s impossible to replicate the work network that years in a place will bring you as a freelancer.
However I had one ace up my sleeve with the dance community. I had photographed for a number of years for Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine all around the world. Essentially they knew that was deeply involved in dance and I could capture it in an authentic and beautiful way. They had been amazing to me from an early point by giving me opportunities and a lot of trust with direction. When I got to NY I scheduled a meeting with the creative director to check in and let him know I was in town. We had a great catch up and I let him know I was very interested in shooting a cover when it was appropriate, hint hint. I was trying to figure out the most polite way to say how thoroughly stoked about it I was and what a good job I would do. Its so hard to figure out the right tone of asking for what you want, essentially so much of it comes down to who you’re asking so knowing them well is the best option. But its always a tricky and slippery thing to go about doing. I walked away from that meeting feeling good but heard nothing for a while. A month or so later I get and email from the creative director letting me know that he may have a perfect subject for the cover and he would like me to shoot it. I was STOKED. One month into NY and I would be getting to do a cover? All uphill from here bro (definitely not true but I was certainly excited).
He was cryptic for quite some time about who the subject would be but we had a date and managed to lock it in for late June. In mid June he finally let me know it would be a young girl out of LA who was blowing up online with her unusual and fascinating movement, Emma Portner. I’ll babe honest I didnt know who she was at the time as I am someone more steeped in the classical ballet world than the LA scene. I looked her up and realized why they thought I was a good fit, she had all the contemporary and funk that I came from and a whole lot of soul. I got excited.
Planning for the shoot was tricky, I didnt have a great assisting community in NY yet and everyone seemed to be busy that day. I was freaking out. I had a studio lined up and all the gear rented but needed some helping hands. Super last minute and very fortunately my friend Michelle came through after she found out how in need I was.
Setting up for a shoot is always nerve wracking to me. I know how to get things gong on set, how to talk to people, what music to play, and what looks to go for. However all the gear beforehand is a pain, theres always something that breaks and theres always some tiny piece that you forgot thats essential to the whole thing coming together. I absolutely love shooting with strobes for the light they generate, and I absolutely hate shooting with any gear for all its points of failure. We showed up at 9 for a 10am shoot and set things up at the studio. The biggest hurdle we ran into was that the grey seamless I had purchased was lighter than I had anticipated and so I panicked and contemplated sending my assistant crosstown at 945 to get a new one. After speaking with the creative director we decided we would address that if we needed to later but he thought it would be fine essentially.
Emma showed up right on time and I set about trying to get a feel for her. As she sat in hair and makeup she was quiet but quite confident about how she wanted to look. This was a good sign, someone who can state what they do and dont want is generally a good collaborator as there is a little friction to play off of and some good problem solving that happens. We lucked out with an amazing stylist, James Veloria, who brought an absolute stellar assortment of options to choose from. As we began shooting and I had the PE hovering over my laptop I definitely felt the pressure, then Emma threw herself on the floor….. I knew this was going to be good. Anyone who’s that willing to go that extreme early on is a dream subject. She is an infinite well of creative poses and she will try anything to see how it looks. I think something like 15 minutes in I asked the PE if he was happy with the direction and the lighting and if he wanted to change anything. He sort of looked at me with a half smile and said these were absolutely perfect and he already had a half dozen shots for the cover. There is really no better way to start a shoot. The tension was off, we could play, and get really creative. I was very lucky in this respect. Ive had other covers since then not go so well but this one absolutely nailed it and I was so glad. All the stress and sweat beforehand were totally worth it and Im deeply grateful to the whole team for the experience. I still stress on every shoot small or big and I still struggle with getting work. But this one is one of the jewels in the stories of adventure and I am overjoyed with the images in my portfolio.
