Martin Sweers Photography

PS Magazine is a new Dutch fashion magazine that is focust on the new upcoming fashion talent in the Netherlands. They want to create a stage for designers to show there work. Normally it is difficult to get in a big established magazine with your new designs. The editorials in PS Magazine are a great mix between the established and the new. They chose me to shoot there big 22 page editorial and there cover. The plan was to make a nice upperclass shoot with a rich, classic environment and a sexy touch. In the Netherlands it is hard to find a place like that. But if we travel 160km to the south we can shoot in the lovely city of Antwerp there you find a more french style. A certain grandeur you don't see in Holland.

22 pages and a cover is one hell of a job. You really need to prepare for that. Think about what you want to shoot how many spreads, how many full body, how many portraits. But just making some numbers in your head is not enough, if you just start shooting half body's with long dresses you will have one angry stylist when you present the pictures. So to avoid that also look at the sets that the stylist made, this helps you to get a good view of the pictures you are going to take.

Next to that there is a danger when you shoot for certain magazines, that danger can kick you square in the face when you start to edit. That danger is ratio, your standard dslr has a ratio of 2 x 3 the ratio of PS is 5 x 6. So if you don't think about that while you are shooting your going to have one hell of a photoshop task lying in front of you.

The shoot was on a sunday in antwerp and the nice thing about that is that antwerp is a very quiet place on a sunday, Even in the centre where we where. No people no traffic just us and nice weather. I shot everything with daylight and a reflection screen on the best flexible light-stand there is that you can't buy in the store and it just takes 3 sandwiches and 4 cups of coffee a day to let him hold your reflection screen or bags or whatever. This shoot reminded me again how beautiful natural light can be if you use it right and how small your gear can be to get the professional result. My gear was in a basic way just my camera and a reflection screen. So what makes the pictures talk if you cannot flash with 3000ws and several light shapers? Here is a small list i think you always need to do while shooting on location?

1. Preperation

You always need to prepare for a shoot it doesnt matter how big or small the job is. If you work on location you need a little extra prep work. If you are be able to i advice to go to the location before your shooting. Try to make some pictures, tast the atmosphere and the mood of the location. Also it helps you to create a good infrastructural plan. Where can we change clothing, hair, make-up, put our stuff, do i need power, where is the nearest toilet. You don't want to make a 25 minute trip every time you need on of these things.

Also create a moodboard with in there a mood of the scenery, styling, make-up, hair, posing & feeling. Then there is the prep work i talkt about in the beginning of this post, how do you want your shoot to look like not just by mood but also technical and the ratio (how many full body shots, half shots, spreads and portraits).

Try to free at least 5 minutes of time in the beginning of the day to talk to your team just to point all noses the same way. so everybody know what to do and when to do it. This also helps to get the creative flow going between every person involved.

2. Distractions

On location you have a great way to fill up your pictures with nice buildings, ornaments, nature or whatever you can find. But the trick is to always find that balance between allot and nothing. For example if you create a very wide show in a city and in the background is a traffic sign, three people one with a red jacket and two with yellow jackets and allot of other different stuff. It can be a little distracting. But now the same shot but now the traffic light is just out of the frame but there are now 20 people in the background but all in black and grey the shot can be awesome. Of course you can let your assistant stand on the street handing out black and grey jackets but maybe that is a bit much. The point i am trying to make is keep the balance between your model and the background, if something is screaming for attention in your image it has to be the model and the rest needs to support her and the mood.

3. Pushing your model

Of course this counts in every shooting but still a very important point. Try to make a moodboard for the shoot, not just a general moodboard, bud also a moodboard for the emotion of the shoot and for the kind of posing you are looking for. When you team up on Dday explain your model what you want and what you expect make it brief and to the point. Point some things out on your moodboard and then when she goes to the make-up & hair give her the moodboard to set her mind to the mood.It depends on the experience of your model how much you need to instruct them.
When you start to shoot point the model to the place you want her to be in, say how you want her to stand and do but dont be to specific, give the girl some space to show what she got, this is her job not yours let her work for it. While she is posing push her further and further to give you more and more. Be assertive and clear in your directions. I think it is always your job to try to make your model surpass herself and be the best that she can be.

4. Lens changes

This is rather personal for every photographer but try to make a couple of lens changes between long angle and short angle lenses, i always feel that a long angle lens can make a very steady and nice straight image where everything is perfectly in aligned. This is really nice with pictures that are more close till full body of your model in a standing picture. But to make your shoot more interesting also make some pictures (especially the spreads and full body's) on lets say 35-55mm (FF DSLR) this opens up your picture allot.

A small notification make your portraits always with a long angle lens 120mm or more. Otherwise you get allot or a little distortion in the face witch can make the face of your model seem a bit weird.

5. Every detail counts

As a photographer it is your job to manage everything i think you need to know also how hair and make-up works, how clothing needs to fall and of course how your model needs to stand. Does a hand looks a bit weird or her chin to much up. It is just crap if in your best picture everything is spot on but one hand looks like it is from the girl of the ring. Always try to keep everybody sharp and focust on the shoot and leave room for everybody to make remarks while shooting a set, maybe they see something you didn't.

6. Assistants

On a day like this you really need assistants, i cannot do without them. In the studio i most of the time have no or just one assistant. On a location like this where there is a lot of walking around i have two assistants. One does the lighting/ reflecting and the other does the lighter things like lightroom tasks, giving me stuff & reminding me to eat something all very important things. But the fact is you have allot to worry about, they help you carry the load so you can focus more on your job.

These points help me allot but it is very personal for every photographer. Try to use the tips in anyway you want. The result of the shoot i will post in the beginning of July when PS Magazine is revealed. But here you see some behind the scenes shots...