i'm always a little tightly wound the night before a new freelance job. tuesday was no exception, which is a bit surprising since i've known matt mcmullen smith for over ten years (he's the partner of my cousin, josie). and i wasn't even to be the photographer on this shoot. i was just going to be the assistant.
but there were a lot of firsts involved: first time assisting a photographer, first time on a beauty shoot, first time working with matt...the stakes seemed as high as the payoff--so many things to learn, i was hoping that i'd learn by doing well, and not by "failing" on the job. (i think i did ok. definitely picked up a lot of valuable advice from matt.)
and the day was a wonderful reminder of all the things i love about photography:
that creating shots is both physical and creative; that, especially with lighting, there's an elegant addition and subtraction, but no single formula; that it's instinctive but demands thoughtfulness; that it can be wonderfully collaborative. oh, and that everyone loves a beautiful shot of themselves--or in the case of these makeup artists, their work.
***
i brought my g10 and took quick snapshots to share:
this was the first model we saw. she made a good latisse joke.
the palette...
head gear, but without the braces.
tim burton-esque
i love this autumnal theme
i would like to wear a flower in my hair...
drama, drama
DRAMA
i took these shots of matt's computer hoping you could better appreciate what he achieved with the lighting. my g10 automatically adjusted for the ambient light, but matt's shots have drama, depth and detail. he was very deliberate in lighting each model, according to each make-up artist's vision, to dazzling result. hopefully, he'll share them on his site soon...
the balancing act didn't quite come off, but i love this moment
