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Expert advice: How to do remote photo shoots using Zoom

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I’ve spent most of my career working as a photojournalist and director of photography, and I’m happy to have recently started working with Wonderful Machine as a freelance photo editor and creative consultant.

As a photographer, I work from my home base in Istanbul, completing assignments for places like The New York Times. But, just like everywhere else, COVID-19 has put a damper on normal human interactions in Turkey. So, when a photo editor at The New York Times gave me the option of shooting an assignment remotely, I was intrigued. In addition to health concerns, the three subjects I needed to photograph were worried about having their location disclosed for security reasons. And though it might have been possible for me to get to them, I had never tried a remote photoshoot; with all of us looking to minimize travel, I wanted to give it a go.

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Photographers, don’t get taken by this elaborate photo shoot scam

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If only people were creative in creating art as they are in coming up with scams. Photographer Jay P Morgan recently became a target of a scam that could make less experienced among you believe it was legit. But to stop you from being taken by it, Jay P shares his story and his recent experience. He’ll give you some tips and tell you some of the red flags to look for if you happen to get a similar offer.

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This is what photo shoots look like in self-isolation

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Even though current situation with the coronavirus is no joke, I firmly believe that humor is still necessary to keep us sane. Thanks to photographer Kate Whyte, I had my dose of laughter today. In a short and humorous video, she showed what photo shoots look like when both photographer and model are self-isolated, each in their own home.

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I posed for a photographer via Skype, and it was the coolest and strangest photoshoot ever

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Recently, I wrote about Rock Your Ugly, a fantastic, empowering project by photographer Waleed Shah. He would interview people about their insecurities and ways of dealing with them, and then take their photos to follow the story. Reading all those stories from guys and gals who came out and spoke about their insecurities, I wanted to participate myself. But there was one obstacle: I am located in Serbia, and Waleed lives and works in Dubai, 4,000 kilometers away from me. However, we had an idea: why don’t we do it via Skype?

Posing via Skype is not exactly a standard thing to do, but in this situation, we had no other option. So, Waleed and I agreed on a date and time for the photoshoot. There were so many challenges and setbacks, but ultimately, we ended up with something great! It was both the coolest and the strangest photoshoot I’ve ever had. In this article, I’ll share what it was like from both perspectives: the model’s and the photographer’s.

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This company will rent you a private jet for a photoshoot to fool your Instagram followers

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Some people would do anything for Instagram likes and for presenting themselves cooler/richer/more fun than they actually are. Some companies seem to have recognized it and started earning money from it. One of them is Russian company Private Jet Studio. They are renting private jets for photoshoots, so you can fool your Instagram followers than you’re posher than you actually are.

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A behind the scenes look at TIME Magazine’s Star Wars cover shoot

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Marco Grob might be scared of robots, but when the TIME Magazine contract photographer was asked to shoot the cast of the new Star Wars movie, he wasn’t going to let a little fear get in the way of work.

In this behind the scenes video, TIME gives us an inside look at how Grob photographed the cast, both human and robot, to share with the world iconic namesakes that have been around since Grob was born.[Read More…]

Tips To Make Your Next On Location Shoot Go Smoother And Yield You Better Photos

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I know, I know, the title of the video says it’s about industrial portraits. It is about that, indeed; however, a lot of the tips and advice J. P. Morgan shares in the seven minute long clip can be applied to a lot of different kinds of photoshoots–especially those where you’re shooting on location.

Outside of discussing his lighting setup and other solid advice to make sure you’re capturing interesting, well-lit portraits, Morgan spends a good amount of time talking about the actual process of the photoshoot, too. For example, he stresses how important it is to be mindful of your client’s time, then Morgan shares with you a few tips on how to go about doing just that.[Read More…]

Police Shut Down Shoot After Photographer Shows Up On Location With A Tiger, Wolf, & Bobcat

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A word to the wise, if you rent a location for a photoshoot, you may want to let the location owners know in advance if you plan on bringing along a tiger, a wolf, and a bobcat. Photographer, David Yarrow, learned his lesson the hard way after he tried bringing along a small herd of exotic animals to the Packard Plant in Detroit, Michigan.[Read More…]

Amy Schumer’s Hilarious Narration Of Her Glamour Magazine Cover Shoot

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Ever wonder what kind of thoughts are running through model’s heads as they’re sitting through hair and makeup or on set trying to make sexy, sultry faces while having wind blown into their face? According to Amy Schumer, it may not be as exciting as we like to think it is. Just take a moment to watch this hilarious behind the scenes footage of the comediennes recent Glamour Magazine photoshoot.

Schumer personally narrates the entire clip, giving viewers a laugh as she invites us into the mind of a model at work. Between sarcastic jabs at the over zealous wind machine operator and giving herself whimsical little pep talks, her unfiltered opinion of the experience had us bursting at the seams with laughter.[Read More…]

Photographer Incites Outrage Over Nude Photos Inside Forbidden City

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While China typically seems content with simply taking our souls in exchange for feeding our rampant materialism with affordable products, they seem to have picked up a little American prudishness along the way.  Chinese photographer Wang Dong (stop snickering, thou perverts) has sparked a considerable deal of outrage after posting nude photos of models taken inside the Forbidden City.

The images, which surfaced on the Interwebs in May, depict bare-chested and fully naked models posing throughout the palace museum. One model is even pictured riding a stone dragon that is part of the architecture.  (Creativity…what will they think of next?). The 2 corresponding tumblr posts [NSFW] received over 3,100 notes and reblogs.

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