Swept Away
Elle Singapore, Dec 2010
Fashion Direction: Daphne Chen
Photography: Zhang Jingna
Photography Assistant: Karin Xiao
Styling Assistant: Rueban S
Hair: Ken Hong/Evolve Salon
Makeup: Elaine Décor
Nails: OPI/Forum Galleria OPI Centre
Model: Sasha Luss/Ave
This shoot was done just before I left Singapore. Daphne was a sweetheart to work with and it was really a great experience. We clicked right away and I found it super easy to suggest ideas for the concept. We also made the effort to cast models and do fabric shopping together.
I was so sad to find out that she stayed right across the street from me, because if we'd known each other sooner it'd totally have been awesome to have a supper buddy!!
Karin who assisted me a few times in London happened to be back in Singapore at that time so she did some wind magic for all the fabrics which I think turned out really beautiful. Hair and makeup were pretty much flawless and I really couldn't have asked for much more.
My only bit of unhappiness was probably the experience with the model. So I'm gonna rant for the rest of the post, please feel free to skip it. - -;;
I'd shot Sasha for another job just the weekend prior to this shoot and she didn't seem happy to be there then. I attributed her attitude issues to being upset over not having the weekend off since she was called in to replace another girl at the last minute. But I guess expecting her to be all nice and good the week after was really just me being naive. Many times in my attempt to direct her movements or adjust her hold on the fabricc she'd swat my hand away and shoo me off telling me "I know I know!" and then continue doing it wrong.
I don't know whether she behaved that way because I was a female photographer or young or both, but I hadn't really worked with much models who're disrespectful and stubborn and it was really super frustrating. At some point I gave up and told Daphne to talk to her since she just flat-out refused to listen to me.
Later that week while shooting for Bazaar I recollected the episode while setting up and Greg-O said that I was just way too nice—that I gotta be more firm and assertive in the future since we totally have the choice to drop the girl and get someone else from the agency. Now that I think of it, it was a bit lame to let myself be bullied too. -_- But I guess it's just my nature to not want to cause too much tension on set because it's so easy to upset everybody altogether. It's always about finding a balance I guess. But definitely a lesson learnt.
Anyway despite all that I'm really loving the photos~! It's exciting to have some splashes of colours in my portfolio since I don't do colourful stories very often, and I'm super glad I got to shoot with Daphne before I moved cuz she's just so so awesome. :3
I took some behind the scenes in video but I have too little patience and knowledge with editing, StarCraft II also seems like such a better alternative to spending my time in comparison so maybe next time~~ XD
28 comments:
amazing photos!!!
the motion and colors really blend well together :D
i really like the colours!
this is unbelievably amazing, though you know, I do believe you create such wonders =)
gorgeous set! its nice (?) to know that photographers like you also have such unpleasant experiences! it is not often that we hear about what really goes behind the pictures. most of us just let this happen and not really bring it up for the fear of sounding like a prick. but kudos to you. i think it was really disrespectful on the model's part and she had no right to do so. i hope that you won't face such situations in future :)
<3 from norway
Aw, these pictures are beautiful!! I'm glad your model didn't ruin the shoot with her bad attitude ^^ I worked as a fashion model for some years, and I've seen many many girls that didn't act correctly with the staff... I think she could have refused the job if she wanted the weekend free.. I've done this for some reasons (bad jobs) and it was alright. I just think it's better to let people choose a model who wants to work than to be all upset in the job and be rude with people. Also I can't immagine how she could be rude with you O.o If she met the photographers I worked with, she would never be silly to be rude. They could burn her name forever in the agency...
Well, glad the pictures are beautiful, though! You're very talented and deserve it!
I hope you can work with Daphne again ^^ I can see you do a great job together!!!
4th 5th and 6th where my faves, but they all blew me away. I guess you needed a lot of fans =D
http://seriouslyrainbowing.blogspot.com/
If you hadn't told us there was some difficultly working with the model, I would've never believed you Jingna.
Your captures for this latest shoot put a nice colourful smile on my face.
I'm learning to be more firm and assertive too. It's important to have that air of confidence and have others listen to you.
Love reading your blog girl,
Fiona
Looking at the result, it looks like you weren't shooting a model with attitude :) awesome work! It screams: swept away~!!
Amazing! It sucks the model was such a diva b****. You're way more famous than she is! And if she keeps up like that you always will be more famous than she is.
you are great artist!!!
WOW Impressive work!
-jung
I love reading your blog.
I'm good friends with Xi Chen in New York.
Looking forward to more of your work...
I love second last one with the hair flip and the skirt of the dress flipping up to show some leg, although the ones with solid bright colours are super effective! Jeannie has fainted, return to pokéball, Jeannie!
I'm sorry to hear about the model. There will always be people like that, which is unfortunate, but I hope that it will be a rare experience for you in the future.
I have been following you since your early days on Deviantart, and you have always been such an inspiration to me. I love the beautiful imagery you manage to capture - there's something very poetic about how you compose the image, with the lighting, the colors, and everything in-between!
I'm still a student, but I have aspirations to become a film maker - and actually, an animation film maker. I'm really in love with animation(thanks to Miyazaki), and it's always nice to see a fellow artist thriving with an art form that they are passionate about.
You're wonderful. I'm glad you are a photographer. And I'm especially glad you choose to share your work with us.
Thanks.
That's really unfortunate that you had such a stubborn model. I haven't had to work with one yet, but I'll keep your story in mind. Happily the photos turned out lovely!! I love all the movement going on everywhere. Well done <3
This is beautiful! Sasha is gorgeous, and I can definitely see some of that anger in her eyes. But wow, your photography stuns me each time. You have an amazing talent. Please just know that there are many out there, like me, that idolise you (in the best way possible) and I'm so glad that you are a representitive for the Asian commnunity in a Western country! Wow. I want to grow up like you. (:
- Ska.
I can't believe the model "swatted your hand away", that is pretty rude and no excuse really, I could never treat anyone that way. Was soo surprised actually that you had a problem with the model, you couldn't tell from the photos, they still turned out stunning.
Anyway as you said, just another lesson learned and hopefully one day, the model learns her lesson to, that it pays to be nice and don't burn your bridges, especially in this industry
wanna know what i really like and admire about yourself?
you are a real person. you have feelings, you are not afraid to feel, you are afraid of precisely the opposite, like somehow that will turn you into someone else other than the you you've come to know.
you are talented. you excell, your fear of failure is human, it shows respect towards others and the world. it shows you do not think of yourself as more than the sand of the beach or the waves of the ocean. we are all one and the same somehow. it becomes hard when such expectations are put upon us that this line of equalness somehow becomes blurry, like you now must be better and transcend to not fail the conception others have of you.
you're humanity is beautiful and touching. your work is beautiful and touching. and still you remain like a sister, who is still in touch with the roots of our nature and hasn't lost her head above the clouds.
maybe that doesn't make sense at all to you. maybe all i said is just all wrong. just another misconception. but is what i feel. what you make me feel.
and being able to express how we feel is just about the most magical thing about us, humans.
Gorgeous editorial. Love the wind sweeping feel of it.
As for the Model, i've had experiences with diva's before. Usually not even showing up though, or just being unresponsive and not really bothering with much anything than just standing there, regardless of what you try to coach them.
What i however ALWAYS do is give the feedback afterwards to the agency. Especially if it's a paid job, they need to know if their model did well or bad.
Now i am a nice photographer and totally understand the need not to create tension on the set since that could have ended up with you not having any pictures. In the end, if the model gets irritated, scared or in any way upset, that will probably show on the pictures. And since she/he's the only one showing on the pictures so that can mean that you can't deliver to the client.
But if a model misbehaves on set like this the agency needs to be told (if you havent alread =)
(joke)After all, it's the photographer's prerogative to be rude on set (/joke) :D
congrats for this fantastic work!! you're awesome
x
super awesome!
wow. the pictures are stunning (O.O) despite the model's attitude. very rude. anyway, great work. :)
love the pictures but no the models :S
Excellent photos.Thanks for sharing this site.Its really nice........
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thanks before
Nice photography.Your captures for this latest shoot put a nice colourful smile on my face.
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the geometry of these photos is delightful!
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