Never shoot without references
Many photographers ask me to critique their work, or what they should work on, or how do they improve a certain skill, or how do they take better photos.
Firstly, references are literally ANY photo that informs what you’re trying to create, they’re anything you’re taking inspiration from, either specifically i.e. posing and lighting, to general things like tone and mood.
The greatest thing about photography is also it's biggest weakness, taste is relative, even if you like my work, your friends and colleagues might hate it, it might not be their cup of tea, they might be into fine art, portraits, fashion, landscapes. The point is there’s no right or wrong answer to this question, but if you shoot without referencing, you’re standing in the dark.
References are your map, they’re where you’re trying to take your work, you don’t need to knock off the images you’re inspired by, but if you’re going to show someone your work, you should also show them what the aim was.
It’s not fair to judge a body of work without understanding the purpose, I publish here for my own enjoyment, and hopefully other people look here to, but honestly, most of you come here for these articles, which is great, I’m glad I get the opportunity to show you some important things.
A moodboard for a shoot I did with Julianne from Bella MGMT.
Whenever I shoot, my models get a moodboard, it contains images that I want to create, it allows them to tell me as well if it’s something they want to do, or if it’s stuff they’d like in their book, sometimes it’s no, sometimes, they come to me with very different ideas, and that’s great, it allows me to manage expectations early in the piece.
When my clients want me to create images, it’s the first step in the process, because some images are a lot more intensive to create and that means there is a higher fee associated with creating those images, or maybe they’re in a style I do, so they don’t want to go to anyone else (again, a reason I can justify my price).
The same goes for my make up artists, stylists, assistants, and anyone else involved in the producing of images. Certain shots can only be achieve at certain times of the day i.e. during golden hour) and especially if you’re trying to get a certain colour and style from your lighting, it might take a few shoots to achieve it, especially if you’re experimenting with something new, and whilst you juggle and figure out the best time and positioning to get those shots. The same goes if you pick references that involve a set up in a kitchen, you wouldn’t shoot it in the bathroom for example. It’s also the only way to get everyone on the same page especially when they’re new to working with you.
The other part of this equation is it means this is deliberate practice, you’re improving on specific parts of your work, and building stuff into your book that allow you to become at your craft.
If you’re a model the same principle should apply, there’s stuff you should want in your book, people you want to work with, and images you want to create. You'‘re only as good as your book, you’re only as good as your portfolio, you’re only as good as the team you work with, and your mood boards inform everyone of your visual goals.
Some of the images that were informed by the board above from my shoot with Julianne from Bella Management, you can also see more shots from that shoot here.
