Medium Cool

Sometimes the best things happen when you don't plan them. Setting up a shoot, any shoot is always a tight rope walk of coordination and sometimes things just happen. The unexplainable comes to visit. In the case of this shoot, it was the wardrobe that didn't show up! The original plan for this shoot was to be fashion. I'd been talking to the wardrobe stylist for about two weeks prior, going over looks and other details. Come day of the shoot, I have a model, hair stylist and make up artist... but no wardrobe stylist! This was, disappointing. I'm pretty understanding about things, I understand that accidents, mishaps, relatives and other acts of the divine can occur and keep someone from being on time. But at least let me know! After about an hour and numerous calls I figured that my stylist was going to be MIA today. Mr Murphy strikes! My usual fall back in these cases is to just shoot open head and shoulders beauty shot. It's pretty basic, standard stuff. But really I wanted this shoot the be something more. Not knowing what to do and having a having Danielle and Nicole staring at me looking for a stroke of genius... I had one! An inspiration came to me to call the person who I should have called in the first place... Butch Johnson! I'd worked with Butch Johnson once before. Well, actually twice. Except the first time we were to shoot, the model didn't show up. So no shoot. Not an auspicious start. But something just said "call him" so I did figuring that the way my luck was going, he wouldn't be around. Well, if luck taketh away, it also giveth and Butch was there, and then it seemed, he was here. With two large trunks full of stuff! It was Santa Claus in blue jeans! It was Christmas as far as I was concerned and Santa was delivering. Now, you might think, okay, so he got his wardrobe guy, what's the big deal? Well, in this case, a lot. Butch showing up like he did transformed our shoot. I had a wonderful make up artist and hair stylist in Danielle Sampieri, a fantastic model, Nicole Erber (Wilhelmina) but one thing I've learned is that styling, especially good styling really makes a huge difference in the pictures. It lends a completeness and narrative that adds an enormous amount of interest, and also raises the level of the work for all of us, Danielle, Nicole and myself. To me this is some of the best work I've ever done and I could not have done this with any other group other than Danielle, Nicole and Butch. Maybe this was the shoot we were meant to have after all. Funny how Mr Murphy works sometimes.
Happy Holidays.