[FRAMED]

I am a week behind on the blog, but in case you haven't seen it, 3 talented local photographers including myself were featured in the season 2 premiere of Framed, a weekly web-based show all about photographers.   The episode was about a shoot-off between the photographers with 2 challenges aimed to highlight and expose our strengths and weaknesses.  Watch the episode below and take the jump to read more about my experience with Framed

The Framed Challenge had to be one of the most difficult shoots I've done on my photography journey.  Just as the video showed, we had no idea what our subjects, locations, or themes would be until we saw it with our own eyes.

CHALLENGE ONE:
We were given 45 minutes to come up with a theme, location, wardrobe, and style for our pre-selected model.  We were allowed to chose our models based on the order we arrived at the location-- I arrived last and didn't get to choose my model although I ended up with the one I wanted to work with anyway.  Phoebe was amazing and had a useful and positive attitude that made her easy to work with.
45 minutes... That's right. 45 minutes to choose an outfit, location, theme, get hair and makeup done, and shoot.
By the time hair/makeup were done and we walked 3 blocks to the location I chose to shoot at, we had 17 minutes to crank out some shots in the high, overhead, ugly, harsh, and quite evil sun!  I chose to dress Phoebe in solid colors as the brick wall I chose as a location had plenty of texture and if I were to put Phoebe in an outfit with designs, stripes, or textures, we would have lost her.  The building's open shade was less than 2 feet, giving barely enough room to get her out of the sun.  With the help of my assistant Chris, I quickly placed  a 2 light setup and begin to fire off frames when my radio trigger failed.  Luckily I had a spare that would only work with my Elinchrom lights, which allowing me to do only a one-light portrait.  Before I could catch my breath, time was up.

CHALLENGE 2:
We rushed off to the next challenge in similar fashion as the first-- which ever of us arrived first got first pick of models.  The only clues we were given was studio and chocolate.  I made the conscious decision not to race to the location as I felt that I could shoot whatever was given to me, regardless to whether I had first or last pick of the models and backdrop. And this did happen...

While Kelsey and Nichole chose the white cyc wall as their backdrops, as last pick I ended up with the classic "1980's muslin" backdrop that didn't even come all the way to the floor, making a full body portrait out of the question.  I had my work cut out for me as I struggled to come up with a concept using my models Kenzie and Adam while utilizing the required element of chocolate.

I shot from the hip and told them that since we are dealing with a simple chair and horrific background, they would need to convey raw emotion and try to draw the viewer in to them and not the back drop.  After the 30 minute time limit had elapsed, we head back to Q Clothing where the first challenge had taken place to edit our images.  We also only had a small amount of time to do this.
In all, I had a blast during my challenge on Framed.  It was great to share, educate, and learn a few things during the shoot.  A special thanks goes out to the entire Framed team at B Roll Productions.  I would also like to thank Kelsey and Nichole for providing such enthusiastic and fun competition. And not let's forget to mention the awesome team of Hair Stylists, Makeup Artists, and models that made our life easier.

Be sure to check out Framed's weekly lineup of content Monday- Saturdays.  Join me each Monday for Equip Tips!