Channel 4 Magazine Feature

How not to lose your head and photograph people

There are only two places to be in a photoshoot: in front of the camera or behind it. And while being in front of the lens is infinitely more glamorous, being behind it is certainly more interesting. Rob Boynes looks at the reality of dealing with awkward celebrities, demanding PRs and the occasional piece of forgotten equipment.

"Prepare, prepare, prepare, prepare..." It may sound like tired advice coming from an experienced photographer, but if you find yourself dealing with the pant-soiling reality of having an awkward A-Lister and their pushy, impersonal PR in the room with you, the last thing you want to happen is to suddenly realise you left the memory card for your camera at home.

So what would you do? Turn and run? Be truthful and risk the wrath of the celebrity? Pretend to take the picture then try to explain yourself to the Art Director? 

"It was a mistake, and I was in a rush to get to the job in time. There were no camera shops nearby – no Jessops, nothing. I had no chance of buying a spare card in time," says Mark Harrison, celebrity photographer. "I rang my mate and begged him to drive across London to the venue and drop one of his spare cards off for me to use. The celebrity was in the room, and I had to delay them, pretending I was setting up lights and the camera kit. Thankfully my mate arrived with moments to spare and I got the shot I needed. Never again... I now check my kit over and over again before any job." 

Clearly, learning the hard way is a valid form of knowledge. But when there are so many things that can go wrong, and with so much pressure on everyone in the microcosm of the photoshoot, it's almost as if you need a list of unofficial rules to survive by. Lucky then, that we've asked some of the industries top photographic professionals to tell us what such a list might contain, isn't it?

Don't lose your cool

Linda Brownlee shoots for Vice, Dazed & Confused, Nylon and Japanese Vogue

"It's incredibly important not to let celebrities throw you off guard. If they aren't responding for some reason, or co-operating, don’t just give up and storm off – see it as a challenge. 

I was photographing a singer recently who insisted on covering his entire face with his hair for the shoot. Apparently he felt that photographers ‘relied too heavily on the face’ for a good portrait.

At one point I felt like strolling out of the shoot due to his attitude, but I took a deep breath, and decided to play along for a while and see how it went. In the end, I got a very interesting set of portraits out of it, and everyone was happy with the result!"

Do make a connection with your subject

Muir Vidler shoots for Vogue, New York Times, The Word, and I.D

"I photographed Nick Cave once – he isn't the easiest person to shoot in the world. He started of being a little stiff, which is totally fair enough; it’s a weird thing to be photographed for two hours in a sterile studio. 

You need to try to make a connection with someone if you want to get some 'life' in the picture, so I ended up spending half an hour telling him about a disastrous attempted romance with a friend. I'd sent her a text saying, ‘What you doing at the weekend? Want to fake a disappearance in a canoe and start a new life together? X’ [This was soon after the news story of the guy that faked his death in a canoe accident to get the insurance money and lived in his wife's cupboard.] It was one of those texts that you send and kind of instantly regret. I hadn't heard back from her and was feeling pretty bad about it when, a couple of days later, I had the amazing opportunity to put it to the man responsible for some of the most beautiful love songs ever written. I told him what I'd texted and asked what he thought. 

Surprisingly, he actually liked it. He said it was romantic and funny. 

So I said:

“I'm going to tell her that it gets the Nick Cave seal of approval." 

Nick Cave: "Yeah, but if you tell her that, you've got to tell her that I've got a string of broken relationships and angry woman behind me."

Muir: "Well, I might leave that bit out – anyway, you're happily married now, right?"

Nick Cave: “Yeah, but only because I don't write my wife dumb fucking texts like that."

Ouch. But it got him laughing, and he relaxed."

Don't piss off the talent

Muir Vidler remembers another time when he nearly crossed the line.

"I ended up photographing Nick Cave again, so to break the ice I told him of a conversation I'd had with a friend who said I had ‘gay hands’. Nick Cave exclaimed that he thought I was gay when he first came in the studio for the shoot; apparently, according to Nick Cave, I do have ‘gay hands’. 

He told me about a recent article in a magazine where the writer claimed that his movements and expressions when live on stage were very gay. So I said, "Was this before or after you grew your moustache?" A shocked silence hit the room. 

Then after a while, a laugh from him – and a sigh of relief from me... 

I'll go too far one day but, thankfully, not this time..."

No, it's all organised for you. Really, it is. Just turn up.

Steve Schofield shoots for The Guardian, The Observer along with many other publications.

"I was commissioned to shoot some live photographs for Take That's  

first album sleeve when it was re-issued just after they had their first  

UK hit. Unlike most of the photographers who were at the gig up in  

Newcastle, I had to shoot the whole show, and not the first three  

songs as is  the usual standard. So,with this in mind, I casually shot about  

10 or so frames, knowing that I'd have the press pit (the area in front of the stage)

to myself when all the press photographers left. 

Three songs came and went, and the pit cleared and I  

lifted camera to eye ready to start shooting in ernest. Suddenly a burly  

security guard tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to leave the pit.  

I  explained politely that I was there for the duration of the gig, but he said 'tough'  

and things got heated. Suffice to say, me not being the biggest bloke  

in the world, physical strength won over verbal reasoning and common  

sense,  and I was 'carried' by him and his colleague and locked in a  

room under the stage for the rest of the concert. At the end, I  

was 'released' from the theatre by the back door.  I got a massive  

apology and I  had to re-shoot on another date for the record company."

Beware of physical limitations

Steve Schofield makes a blind mistake...

"I once photographed David Blunkett  for a magazine and during the shoot was, as is quite normal, asking him to move his head, turn his shoulder, etc, to get the best setup for his portrait. I asked him to move left, meaning my left not his and innocently gestured to show him which way to move. Unfortunately him being blind left him at a slight disadvantage, and unable to see which direction I actually meant, he promptly fell over his guide dog. Luckily, he managed to regain his balance just in time.  He seemed amused and saw the funny side,  however his press lady was less than impressed and just scowled at me with a look of pure hatred."

You've got half an hour... or not. Sorry.

Mark Harrison shoots for the Radio Times, Marie Claire, The Times Magazine and the BBC

"I work out the shoot in my head – every possibility. I even do little sketches and plans because you never know what will happen. Ever. You can turn up and think you have an agreed amount of time, only for the celebrity to suddenly stand up and say, ‘Right, that's it,’ and walk out. 

So you need to make sure you have the shot you want as soon as you can get it, and just keep taking pictures, keep shooting until they walk out of the door. I will shoot right up until the moment they leave, because you never know what might happen. I was shooting Paul Smith once, and was given a set amount of time before I arrived. I'd prepared how I wanted the image to look, and I had Paul Smith lying on the floor, under one of his signature chairs, shooting him from above. The PR then suddenly started counting down the seconds I had left, 15...14...13...12... and Paul was staring at me, and I'm balanced, staring at him through the lens. I had beads of sweat forming on my forehead, and actually falling onto Paul's face. 

It was quite embarrassing, but I was that stressed, and that pressured. The PR finally reached zero, and I just kept shooting and shooting until he actually got up and left. Those last frames could have been the only frames that would work, the ideal shot – you just don't know – so you keep shooting and shooting until it becomes absolutely impossible to shoot anymore.”

Don't expect glamour

Lindsay Cameron is a Director of Photography and has commissioned for The Times, Metro, and Luxx Magazine among others

 

"Sometimes photoshoots aren't what you think they'll be. I remember one shoot I was sent on at The Times, which was going to be in a London sewer. I imagined a beautiful, large Victorian red-brick sewer, with a small river running through it – high ceilings and very architectural. When I got there, it was a manhole cover a couple of feet in diameter – just a hole in the ground. It wasn't what I expected at all. I'd done no research or recce of the area. I got dressed, and went down inside while the Art Director waited at the surface. It smelled terrible, it was cramped and I suddenly realised that the flash kit could ignite the methane gas in the pipe at any time. I took a risk and luckily it didn't. 

Thankfully I got the shot they wanted, but when I returned to the surface, the Art Director was standing there, laughing at me, with his camera. Somewhere there is a picture of me holding my kit, coming out of a sewer, looking terrible and completely covered in shit."

Work with kids but worry about the parents

Lindsay Cameron explains that children have a short attention span – but their parents’ tends to be shorter

"Working with children can be a nightmare, but you often use specialist photographers if you can. The main thing to remember when photographing children is that they have an attention span of about 10 minutes, maximum. Which is fine, as long as you make sure you prepare properly and work quickly. 

However, the main problem with photographing children is the parents. They tend to fill their child with sugar and treats to make them behave, but unfortunately it makes the kids as high as kites and unable to sit still. 

They also tend to interfere... it can be a nightmare, especially if they’re pushy parents. The best thing to do is get your assistant to distract them from the children while you work. You almost have to set up an adult creche – wine, magazines, anything!"

You've got to work with what you've got

Mark Harrison fondly remembers to expect the unexpected

"There was one shoot I'll always remember. It was one of the first shoots in my career, with Bob Hoskins, and he was being interviewed by a magazine journalist beforehand. I'd spent some time working out what I could do with him, planning the shots... and when he arrived he looked absolutely furious. I mean, in a total rage, like he was going to punch a wall. I asked him if he was all right, and he started swearing about the interview, something to do with the journalist. Not the best situation. 

So I decided to just completely forget everything I'd planned for the shoot. I sat him down and simply photographed him for what he was – just this furious man. And this picture matched the interview – a very angry, charged interview, with my image alongside - of a very angry, charged Bob Hoskins. 

It worked out beautifully – it was the absolute perfect shot, the ultimate shot. But there was no way I could have planned for it or possibly imagined the shot before he walked through the door. Sometimes these things just work – the pictures match the words, and everyone’s happy."

Sometimes, it just works out.

Mark Harrison on when things go your way. Well, nearly

"Often with stars of screen, you get a call the day before saying you can do this, you can't do that – lots of caveats from the PR or the star’s people – but, usually, not from the star themselves. Always prepare for the worst, naturally, but often the star will let you do far more than you were originally told you could. I once photographed Ray Winstone, after he was in Indiana Jones, and I was told I'd have 15 minutes with him in his hotel, and he was very busy and couldn't do anymore. I'd prepared to shoot him inside 15 minutes, and planned every shot I could... But, you know what? We got on like a house on fire! The PR sat outside and left us alone, and we just had a great laugh, just shooting away for well over 40 minutes.

It went so well, that Ray, who was wearing an amazing suit, suggested that we did the rest of the shoot without him wearing any trousers – just to try and get an unusual shot, something different. But then the Art Director from the magazine stepped in and suddenly said, "No, no, no, no... We don't need that, no, no." 

It was stupid… so we didn't get the unusual shot in the end. 

So there's an example of when the person in charge gets it wrong. As I said, it's the people around the star that cause the problems, rarely the star – or in this case, the person in charge of the shoot."

A Brief Survival Guide for Photographers 

So you've got your big commission. You’ve convinced the Picture Editor and Art Director of your abilities, you’ve got your kit together and you’re prepped. What now? Linda Brownlee goes on a shoot – the right way.

Be nice

Be pleasant to everybody on the shoot. Creating a good vibe is absolutely essential to getting the best image and for getting future work.

Keep on your toes

Be ready to improvise, think on the spot, react and respond to anything that might happen – some of the best images can come at the most random times.

Be confident

Don't be intimidated by anybody on the shoot. It’s a collaborative process, but be confident in your ideas and your ability. Everyone on the photoshoot is there to get the best image possible, so use their experience.

Don't lose control

Don’t lose the plot or freak out. If you’re getting flustered, go to the bathroom, take five and get your head together. You can do it!

Don't be too honest

If the client has a bad idea, don’t tell them it’s terrible – try to gently modify and mould it into something better. Be charming and persuasive!

Do the talking

Ask the subject lots of questions. People loving talking about themselves and it's often the best way to work out someone’s personality. People are often nervous of having their picture taken, so help them relax.

Keep it busy

Never get lazy on a shoot. There’s never a time to rest on your laurels. You don’t want to just think you have the perfect image; you need to know you have it. Think about coming away with the ultimate shot and don’t be satisfied with anything less!  

Be the early bird

Arrive with plenty of time to prepare and set up so you can relax and be in the right frame of mind. Portrait photography is all about psychology so you don't want to be the one looking stressed! 

No Pressure...

They're on the shoot, and they're watching your every move... or so it seems. Yes, it's the Art Director. But what's the easiest way to impress?

Use the right kit

If you hire lights or a new camera, hire them at least the day before and learn how to use them efficiently. Turning up to the shoot with kit you don't know how to use will put you under stress and slow you down – and the Art Director will always notice, unless you’re an amazing actor. Especially if you then charge for the kit and haven't used it.

Ask questions

It's OK not to know everything! Ask as many questions as you can before the shoot – ask about the venue, the person you’re photographing and who will be there on the day. Ask if you can see the venue before the day of the shoot and check if there are plug sockets to run a flash kit. Check the natural light levels – not only will it give you all the information you'll need to know and allow you to prepare properly, but it will give the Art Director confidence that you're in control, and you'll know what to do if anything goes wrong on the day.

Read the brief

Most Art Directors or Picture Editors will send you a brief before the shoot, explaining what they want to achieve, and what kind of images they would like to see afterwards. Maybe the images will be used for a cover, or over a two-page spread (DPS). But if you don't read the brief and understand it, then you'll end up with the wrong set of images – which the Art Director will have a problem with.

You're running the show

Yes, the Art Director may be authorising your invoices, and yes, they might be in charge on the day, but a good Art Director will not usually get in the way when you’re working. Keep confident, and lead the shoot – communicate and be in control at all times. Don't expect the Art Director to tell you what to do on the day, because the chances are they won't. (If you’re doing your job right, that is.)

Nothing matters but THE shot

All the Art Director wants is the ultimate shot. Probably the perfect image in their head. All you want is the ultimate shot. Most likely the perfect image in your head. You both want the same thing. The problem is, YOU need to work out what that image is – and that takes talent.

First published in Channel 4's  4 Talent Magazine.