When you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Ok, so maybe that's an exaggerated account of a summary of the 1st shoot. But we really sort of left a lot to chance saying that we'll just figure it out during the shoot or that we'll work something out.


Things left to chance:

1. The Wig. Thank God it even had bangs, because when my friend described it she was saying it was more Britney Spears or some other blond pop star and that it wasn't the right kind of blond we needed. But we were desperate and what was important to us was that it was blond. I think I only got the wig from my friend a few days before the shoot.

2. The Clothes. Sure (we thought) we had quite a lot to choose from BUT they weren't looking the way we wanted them to. They didn't come out Gaga looking when we put them together except for a few. And yes, we know they are no where near Gaga's level of fashion; we were doing a more wearable look of Gaga's fashion. And oh, if you noticed, we weren't able to use the visor thing because it didn't cooperate with the wig. It made the wig flatter than it already is.


Things I learned during my 1st shoot:

1. You must be able to effectively communicate your vision to your model. This includes orienting them with what kind of mood you're going after, poses to match the vision, overall theme, and etc.

2. Not just because your model is gorgeous he/she can pull everything off. One must be able to see if the model will really fit in well with the theme. That is why in the real real world, proper/appropriate casting is VERY important (for movies, fashion shows, TV shows, etc.) . The cast can either make or break everything.

3. Clothes don't always fit the models the way you envisioned especially when they aren't theirs. Planning the clothes ahead is very important for photo shoots. A fitting prior to the shoot is ideal.

4. Organization is key. We had a hard time looking for stuff after everything got scattered. That so did not help with the situation.

5. Having a connection with your Model is very important. If you don't connect with your model, the chances of having the best shoot you could possibly have is slim. Learning to communicate and relate with them effectively is a must. Putting on the right music, breaking the ice, all part of the whole shebang in making great fashion photographs.

6. The way you picture things in your head doesn't always turn out as is.

7. PLANNING IS EVERYTHING. Well... almost everything.

8. I'm sure there's more, I just can't remember. Will blog them if I remember.


Downside of the 1st shoot:

1. Wig wasn't right. Had to make do with what we had = limited resources.

2. Only came across this video (Lady GaGa Poker Face Make-up tutorial by Michelle Phan) few days ago when I was watching a spoof of Poker Face. This could have helped with the overall look. The Internet (almost) does have everything! :P

3. Wasn't able to use the visor for the shoot. It made the wig look even more flat.

4. The shoot wasn't exactly the way I pictured it in my head.

5. As you can see, we were only able to do one look due to the lack of planning.

6. A lot more.



I know my first shoot wasn't very good. I know I could have done so much better. I'll charge it to experience. Maybe it was wrong model choice? wrong theme? wrong style? bad photography?

Looking on the BRIGHTER side of things,
it was nonetheless a LEARNING EXPERIENCE :)


Special thanks to:

• Pilar of thepilarness.blogspot.com for the wig
• Isa for bringing her clothes, shoes, and accessories and of course for modeling for me
• Meme (my bestest cousin in the world) for lending me some of her clothes and accessories for the shoot.
• Gyno for lending me some clothes and accessories as well for the shoot.
  

**
And a little explanation for the concept of the shoot:

Lady Gaga --> inspiration for the styling
coincidentally, she has a song entitled "Paparazzi"
which happens to be the aesthetic of Terry Richardson (who's style I love)
so I thought the marriage of the 2 would be perfect
but then again, maybe not?
what say you?
:)