Ordinary People – Extraordinary Style | Raleigh North Carolina Photographer

Andrayah Ponce a talented hair-stylist, contacted me to shoot clients for Garnish Hair Studio in Raleigh, NC. Andrayah and her colleagues wanted to capture images of their clients depicting them coiffed and representing their professions, while showcasing hairstyles worn by everyday people/professionals that mirrored street-styles, as opposed to the involved and artistic hair done for magazine and runway.

I know I’ve stated this before, but I feel like this shoot by far posed the biggest challenge for me to date – I know, until the next one comes along and I make the same statement. So, what was challenging about this shoot you ask? Well, get into this - I had two locations to work with. The first location Solas, was a three-story building with multiple shooting options and a three-hour time-allotment in which to capture images, with whom I thought at the time would be 10 subjects. The second location was a gym, which turned into a logistical workout because we had to move all our photography gear and crew to the new location. Seven of the 10 subjects were present on the day of the shoot, allowing me to maximize the 3-hour window I had.

When you have a great location with multiple shooting options and 7 subjects, where do you begin? Well, start somewhere, just pick a spot! Generally that spot is dictated primarily by lighting, but in this case I planned on creating the light, so location guided me and then lighting. I selected my first subject and started working the location, the light, and posing. I got a little carried away with my first subject and veered off schedule a bit. Each subject required a different shooting location and a different lighting setup, AND I’m allowing for approximately 10 minutes per subject to capture images; therefore, I had to figure out lighting and posing before I even took my first pictur. This was a fast-paced photo shoot and very challenging from a lighting perspective.

Fortunately, I work well under pressure – this photo shoot certainly put that to the test. I was extremely humbled by this experience because it presented me with a solid base on what works and what doesn't with respect to a fast-paced, multi-subject photo shoot. One other note worth mentioning, I have encountered stories from celebrity photographers who have about 5 minutes to work with multiple talent and I am convinced I now know what that type of high-energy environment feels like – with heightened expectations of flawless execution and delivery. No pressure, no sweat. Right! Yep! Pressure and sweat will be present and on you through the very end and wrap-up of your shoot; just get in and hold on!

Acknowledgement to the following creatives for realizing the concept; I cannot reiterate enough the importance of a talented, multi-faceted, and supportive team as an essential aspect of a successful photo shoot:

Stylist:

The entire team at Garnish Studio did a great job with styling the hair for all the entrepreneurs. (Candice Motley, Tish Cotton, Christine Woods, Donyata Simpson and a big thank you Andrayah Ponce)
Amani Asad did a phenomenal job with make up on all the female entrepreneurs. You can contact Amani for services at Makeup Artistry by Amani.
Cheneè Jones did an outstanding job with make up on all the male entrepreneurs. You can contact Cheneè for services at Cheneè Jones Artistry.

My Direct Support Team:

Michael Richardson and James Burke - this was my first time working with both of them and it felt like we were working together for years. They both did a great job with lighting, thank you both for all your assistance.
Anthony Coriale was behind the camera, he assisted our videographer, Wayne with capturing the wonderful BTS video coverage that will be available shortly, be on the lookout for that.
Wayne Wonder for capturing the BTS video, which will be published in the near future.
Nicole Sue aka Carlton Eliza Charles – whose burgeoning talents as stylist were evident with this shoot. She did an amazing job styling all the entrepreneurs.

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