Lessons

Lesson Info

Your Creative Team

Here, create team amazing things happen when we work together. So makeup artists having a skilled makeup artist is very important and very beneficial. Like I said, I've learned my lesson a few times, and I really want to make sure that when I'm working with makeup artist, um, they know what they're doing. They have tio because I can't, you know, luckily, I photoshopped things if I really have to fix the problem, but it's really important to have a good makeup artist on the team, your hair stylist. The same applies for this here is something that I find is extremely important. And if you you know, you could make or break the model's entire look by the hair, she could be pretty have good makeup. We just good if the hair is wrong. Hair is what finishes everything. So hair is very important. So in here only if you can't get a hair stylist, I find I have a hard time getting hair stylist. I end up doing a lot of the hair myself. I know not everyone could do here. I used to do here back in th...

e day, so I have luckily, khun do that when I need to do it, um, but if you can find a makeup artist who could do here, um that's good and if you can't, you know really try to get somebody to do it or make sure the model knows what they're doing or something because hair is is such a huge element it's just goes with the makeup it goes with the whole thing I just feel like hair is a topper for the whole look of what's going on, you know, even if it's just slicked back, you know, it has to be done right? So if you were not happy with your hair and makeup it's important? Like I said, to speak up until the artists to change it ah lot of times I talked to fellow photographers and like, yeah, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings and I'm like no, you can't like and I learned that lesson myself, I never would say nothing and I would not be happy with something and I would didn't even want to look at the photos after because I'm like, oh, why didn't I say anything? And I just had to really force myself to start speaking up. You don't have to be mean, but it's really important to speak up and just say, you know what? This is not the makeup we planned, I need youto, you know, fix that or change this and usually they're okay with it so it's important to do that wardrobe stylist or designers on your team so styles could be amazing to work with it makes your job a lot less stressful when shooting editorials bud uars glamour and so on not just this fashion thing but even with your own clients if you had a stylist around it helps a lot make sure that they will take your ideas and help like I said I'll keep saying this over and over rather than doing whatever they want I gave you guys an example earlier yeah so designers I love working with designers I have so many local girls back home and guys and we're always planning stuff together I love it so it's a win win situation I get beautiful clothing at no cost to me doesn't cost me a dime and they get up dated shots of their work and we have a mutual understanding they say o matic can I use is from our website er is okay if I use this for advertisement for the fashion weaker and I'm okay with it I don't care so it's it's just like a trade thing so I have developed friendships many styles and designers and it's important to keep those connections strong so if you like working with someone make sure you keep in touch with them on a regular basis I mean not you don't have to email them every day or anything but keep those connections that you've developed on dh pulled onto them because those are the people that bring you lead you down the path right um creative director when it's not the photographers we as photographers are usually two creative directors you're the ones that are playing many hats where the you know planners we are the director with the photographers were the editors were the you know, console er's therapists like whatever it is so we have to keep everyone a piece on the team and whatever when they're not getting along. So when it's not the photographer this this is not a common thing unless you're really working in high end fashion work or campaign so when it's um yeah, so if it's high end editorial or more of a high profile client they are there to direct the photography as well as making sure that the makeup models and so on are all staying on the right path and they're doing what they're supposed to um otherwise it's us and that's why I say always speak up and always say what you need from them if you don't have that person there too be the boss and the next one is agency represented models that's a big thing of part of your team I cannot stress how important it is to seek out good model's if not agency represented try to get some work experience and it takes direction well um I'll go more into details about models further into the discussion um but yeah, models that's a big one. So, um, next one is assistance always, although it's not something I normally have, it shoots I really actually don't have assistance a lot. I don't know I need to stop being a control freak and let someone kind of take over little things like that because it's really good to have that for the more detailed shoots that have a lot more work to them. Where is like lugging gear? And, you know, we need someone to hold the reflector and whatever it is having an assistant could help a lot. Normally the people who assist me, they're like up and coming photographers, they just want a shadow under me and they want to learn, and so I'll let them just tag along, and as long as they're helping and not hurting the situation, I'm good with it. So just try to get someone like I said, who is still learning and they usually will help it no cost there's no, I usually don't pay for an assistant. I assisted when I started and I I didn't get paid for it, but I learned so much from it I actually assisted wedding photographers because I just had to see how they were interacting and anyway, yeah, so team building, so bringing the right people together so I'm gonna go over places you can look for people to collaborate with okay model mayhem dot com I'm sure you all know that isthe oh okay so model mayhem dot com is not just models it is other photographers it is designers, set designers and his publications is makeup artists, hairstylists, creative directors there's even I think a music category I don't know there's just a bunch of there's a bunch of stuff in there you just goto model mayhem dot com and you narrow down your search by your location the person kind of person you're looking for on dh you can't even narrow it down to like race I think like skin color like if you're looking for african american model if you're looking for asian model whatever so model mayhem was great for me when I started it helped me a lot when I was looking for girls and designers to workwith that's where I that's the the folk I'm sorry the starting point of when I when I am got started facebook groups there are common groups on facebook with members within the industry it's a small community not as biggest model mayhem it's good to look for one in your area to help when seeking out a creative team so I know there's like what's that one called vancouver photographers thing and then in evanston there's like remington models and photographers and they all like every city should have one and it is a small town it's usually the closest city to you, so if you don't live in a big city, you can search one this easy you just going to facebook and type in photographer model and then your city and then we'll bring you a little just show up I'm sure you'll you'll find one so facebook groups are great for finding people to work with um ask other photographers fellow photographers use you have some good resources and most are kind most are kind and willing to share some don't want to but anyway, so yeah ask other photographers I'm very free when people message me if I have the time to answer and they came out like it was you whatever and I'll let them know like it's good to give that to give the help when when someone asks that always comes back right if you have a fan page twitter, instagram and so on social media you can post the status or tweet what you are looking for, people usually respond and give you some help searching a lot of times I'm looking for something very specific and I don't even know where to begin I don't always know where to look for something if it whatever it is and I will write something on my page and I'm like, hey, I need looking for whatever I don't know whatever it is and people will be like tagging other people and be like, contact this person she lovable block and it's it helps and it just gets the ball moving fast so social media posts are good so creative team costs this is the next part I'll go over here with cost wise sometimes there are costs so um I'm just gonna go a little bit about go over a little bit about that so creative team costs artists working for trade like I explained before, this is the most common and usually how I conduct my creative shoots I I'm not I don't I don't fork out a lot of funds I get what I need to get if I have to spend some money for it but otherwise if it's a creative uh it's a trade everyone's putting in their own their own value in there so I don't really pay for that. I think it's fair for everyone since we've all invested time and money somehow into their own craft like makeup has her makeup that she had to buy and I have my equipment and so on, right? Um makeup kit feeds so this is something that's I don't know maybe it's been around, but I've only ran into it in the last little while um some makeup artists require kit fee if you guys heard of this oh goodness anyways it's up to you if you want to pay this. My thing with this is that if it's a creative, everyone is putting in work like I said, and if that's the case, then us as photographers, we should be getting kid fetus because our kid fee is very expensive, right? And it's us at the end of the day who are there? You know, before the shoot during the shoot I have to shoot in like weeks and weeks after the shoot because we're still sitting there doing the work while everyone else is done and gone home. So what, this kit fee thing when you make a partner? Certainly rhonda but I just not with creatives know like, if it's a paid shoot, everyone gets paid if it's not no, I just think it's not fair and everyone is just working for free and it's kind of stay that way anyways, same for stylists in the end, it's the it's us again! Like I said, who are doing most of the work days or weeks later? We're still sorry go ahead of myself. Sometimes some of the slider was still editing images hours after weeks after and the whole feet thing like some sort, some stylist, they have this pulling fee they will I don't understand it because they're not they're not paying for the clothes they go and borrow the clothing but I don't know I don't understand the pulling fee thing but anyways it's just another thing that's out there and I've never paid for it so I don't this is usually arranged this is a model fee this is usually arranged by a model's agent and that's represented from the agency it's not for test shoot sometimes like in the bonus material I created a little pocket pulls and guide for people I had to pay that model because um that was to be used force while I was part of like a when I did this little article up it was like a little you know bonus thing and that because it's included in this and because people might buy this course I have to pay them off so it's only fair right? So the model fee I had to explain to the agent I couldn't be sneaky about it because I could get in big trouble right so I'm like I need a model she has to be really good opposing I can I compare I can afford a few hours let me know what it costs she told me I paid paid the agent and then that's how that works so sometimes is a model fee but it's for um you know it's worth paying if you are new you can't get really good models that you want um on dh it's also, you know when you're doing stuff like this and you're doing it for for income, like if you're getting money out of it, it's only fair to be paying people for their work, so make the next thing is consider your value. So this is important. Make sure to set these boundaries from the start with your team stay firm with your expectations that had caught have confidence in your own work. So, um, don't let other people take over your chute? I see it happen a lot, you know, I'll be it's happened to me, and I'm just I'm going over all these things because it's things I've been through it and so, like, I've had a no one time, I was doing a shoot and I'm directing the model, and it was actually for a hair salon. We had a whole bunch of girls there, and there was this model behind me, telling my model what to dio she's like, no, turn it on turn that look this way and like in between my talking. She would be telling the model no turn around go no no no and I'm like oh my goodness so I didn't want to be mean it was like a job you know and I took my stylist decide that the girl that who had hired me for the salon shoot I said you need to talk to that girl or move around in the room because this is getting a little weird and yeah and the model was getting confused and she was just so you've got to speak up don't let people I've had another situation where I was shooting again outside and the makeup artist was like doing the same thing telling my model to do something else and I didn't like it so so if you guys you know what just don't let people do that because they will do it team responsibilities okay this is another one it's really important for me something that's uh you know when you're working with the creative team making sure everyone knows their roles and what is expected of them it's the same thing as I had mentioned before when you are planning on ah shoot this is a little different though this is the actual job so professionalism so I feel this is very important all member should behave with a professional attitude being relaxed and having fun is one thing but acting disrespectful, disgusting or other crude behaviors should not be tolerated at all this is another thing I here and I've been through it and I just will not put up with it at all I don't care if I've developed a relationship with this person, you know, on the team there cut off like that's it I will not let it keep I won't you know, let it keep going out give them a couple chances but then that's the end of that so professionalism is huge I don't care if it's a trade shoot or a paid shoot I don't care if it's just whatever it's just the people need to behave professionally and you know, like I said it's really important thing to make sure that they stay with that party nous being on time I can't stress this enough it's not okay for someone to show up an hour late otherwise they should have a really good reason for it so you know you've got your people sitting there waiting and hair roles in it like two hours later it's not okay and usually I won't work that person again because I can't I can't have that happening and reflects on us is the photographers right? It reflects on our judgments and everything else so respect being respectful of each other there are many differences between team members sometimes make sure that people keep that at the door when you are working together, especially in front of clients, so you know just like in a place of work, you know you might not get along with so and so, but in front of the client who's coming in, you have to know howto and sometimes people don't they don't I know that they don't understand it, so anytime that kind of thing happens, make sure and she don't really fast because it's not a good thing boundaries it's important that team members understand boundaries for example, an assistant say have an assistant and they're going around with their phone while I'm working in they're trying, they're supposed to be there helping me and they're going around showing my client there portfolio and showing the models and sitting there chatting it up while they're supposed to be working with me, so those are big no nos, so boundaries are important. This is another one encouragement, so as for us, like I said, we play therapist sometimes right at our shoot it's important, you should encourage and compliment others when you think they should hear it. It only motivates everybody to be better. So you if your models doing well, let her know like, oh, you're doing so good like show that you're excited because all it does is make them excited and I'll go more into the model thing later on your makeup artists if they've done a good job with makeup say, I really love this makeup like, thank you, my god, you know, I just get excited, because that all that just feeds people to just want to even give you more. You know, when you let them know how much you love, what they've done or what they're doing.