Getting the Shot in Any Situation

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With Larsen & Talbert
1

Thursday, June 17, 2010

CAREER TIMELINE

Assis/ng
:

Michael:
Mark
Seliger,
MaHhew
Rolston,

Annie
Liebovitz,
George
Holz,
Andrew

High
School:

MacPherson,
Andrew
Eccles,
Firooz
Play
to
strengths:

Michael
&
Tracy
meet

in
Salt

Zahedi
Have
Twins
(!):

Lake
City.
He
is
the
yearbook
Michael
deals
more
with
technical.

Tracy
begins
Mothering
Sabba@cal.

photographer,
she
is
the
Tracy
with
rela@onal.
Tracy:
Andrew
Southam,
Grey
Crawford,
Looking
forward
to
her
return.
newspaper
photographer
Firooz
Zahedi

1 9 8 1 -8 5 1985-89 1 9 9 1 -1 9 9 7 1997 1997-present 2000-present 2005

College:
Clients:

Michael
-‐
Pomona
College,
Marry
&
Form
“Larsen&Talbert”:
TV
Guide,
InStyle,
People,
Venice,

English
Lit
BA
US,
Good
Housekeeping,
SELF,

Tracy
-‐
University
of
Utah,
Tracy
is
geOng
jobs,
Michael
is
Parade,
Marie
Clare,
BOP,
Jump,
Fox,

Business
Marke@ng
BS assis@ng.
Pool
resources
and
form
ABC,
Disney,
Warner
Bros
TV
partnership.

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SHOOTING CELEBRITY PORTRAITS

Challenges
• Time
• Space & logistics: Make it easy on subject - shoot anywhere
• Subject/publicist (they want to look great) and client (they want interesting images)
• Budgets: Dwindling. Clients want more for less

Responses
• Flexibility: Walk into a situation and make it work fast
• Always keep in mind the client’s needs
• Stay positive, be prepared, keep it simple
• Utilize and constantly build resources to bring to your client and work
• ALWAYS make women look beautiful. NEVER let unretouched (HR) images leave
the office
• Frontal lighting and our friend “Fill”

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THE ASSIGNMENT

1. Beautiful workout images of fitness guru Jillian
Michaels for Self Magazine

2. Decent budget and time allowance. Needs to be
beach location with blue sky, light has to be big and
soft. Need production friendly location.

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PLANNING THE SHOOT

Model considerations: Jillian’s eyes are sensitive to light
Scouting the location: Found a house in Malibu.
Environmental constraints: Sun and wind significant issues to contend with. Need to
overpower the sun to create blue sky.

Must haves:
• Blue sky mandatory
• Clean horizon, water and sky
• Soft light needed
• Lots of strobe power needed
• Location needed to be styling and production friendly
• Had stylist and fitness editor fly in from NY, Hair, Make-up, styling assistants, producer,
production assistant, caterers, location manager, 3 assistants, video guy, Jillian,
publicist and manager.

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SET UP #1: GEAR
• Canon 5D Mark II
• Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens
• 100 ISO 1/180th f/11
• 12x12 silk on frame overhead
• 12x12 silk on frame in front of Elinchrom Octabank
• Elincrom Octabank with 2 profoto bi-tubes
• (4) Profoto 8 2400w/s set at 3/4 power
• (6) Pocketwizard transceivers
• (5) medium rollers
• White/black foamcore
• (1) full applebox
• Matthews wind machine
• (10) 50 ft ac extention cords
• flags, stands, sandbags
• Macbook Pro

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SET UP #1

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SET UP #1

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SET UP #2: GEAR

• Canon 5D Mark II
• 100 ISO 1/500th f/4
• 2 2’x4’ white/black foamcore pieces

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THE ASSIGNMENT

1. Photograph actress Keira Knightley in London for the
cover of Parade Magazine

2. Standard portrait shoot, but in foreign country.

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PLANNING THE SHOOT
Travel Plans
Local Resources: Assistants, location services, hair, make-up, styling
Equipment: Ship or rent?
On the ground: Visit studios, location scout, arrange for payment, finalize all plans,
call sheet

Trust professionalism of colleagues.

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SET UP #1: GEAR

• Mamiya RZ, 220 film backs, 110mm, 150mm
• Profoto 7 packs heads
• Elincrom Octa
• 12x12 silk
• 9ft blue seamless paper
• Medium Chimera softbox
• Foamcore, stands, clamps, sandbags, extention cords

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THE ASSIGNMENT

1. Portrait of Vera Farmiga for USA Today about her Oscar
nomination
2. Constraints: time, money, no wardrobe changes

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PLANNING THE SHOOT

• We were told we had 30 minutes with Vera at a local hotel
• Reserved hotel ballroom lobby which had nice furnishings and tall ceilings.
• Were told she would arrive “camera ready” with one dress.
• Arrived 2 hours ahead to set up 4 set ups
• 2 assistants
• Turned out we only had about 10 minutes with her, but got through all 4 set ups.

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SET UP #1: GEAR

• Canon 5D
• Canon 70-200 f2.8 lens at 160mm
• ISO 100 f/8 1/180s
• (3) Dynalite heads and 1000w/s packs
• (2) white umbrellas
• Dynalite beauty dish
• 9ft white seamless
• Stands, sandbags, extention cords

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SET UP #1 Diagram

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SET UP #2: GEAR

• Canon 5D
• ISO 100 f/8 1/180s
• (1) dynalite heads and 1000w/s pack
• (1) dyna beauty dish
• 9ft white seamless
• Silver show card

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SET UP #2 Diagram

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SET UP #3: GEAR

• Canon 5D
• ISO 100 f/4 1/180s
• (1) dynalite head and 1000w/s pack
• (1) Elincrom Octabank
• Silver show card

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SET UP #3

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SET UP #4: GEAR

• Canon 5D
• ISO 100 f/4 1/180s
• (1) dynalite head and 1000w/s pack
• stands, sandbags, extention cords

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SET UP #4: GEAR

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MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS

• Social Calls
• Go sees
• Printed promos
• Email promos
• Web presence/Social Media
• Listing sites: APA, Wonderful Machine

• www.larsenandtalbert.com
• http://larsenandtalbert.blogspot.com/
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/LarsenTalbert/105124063598

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Getting the Shot in Any Situation

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