What pro models say about their work
And what we can learn from it
Afternoon, y’all - writing to you from my kitchen table in Seattle, and I’m excited about today’s email because we’re trying something new today. Three weeks in, I feel the move to call this email rangefinder is starting to find a little footing, and I hope you’re getting some value out of it.
Okay, for today - last month I spent a bunch of time shooting with a few friends in one of my favorite studios in the world, Studio R - it’s in Plano, Texas. It’s a white cyc corner wall with a ton of bounce and I just consistently have a ton of luck there. It’s where I shot my most successful lighting tutorial, the one a lot of y’all probably found me with:
At the end of a few of my shoots that week, I asked my friends modeling to talk through something they’ve learned along the way in their own creative journey.
It’s what inspired this video series I’m testing:
So today, here’s four working fashion models answering something about their side of the craft, and then I'll recap down below on a few things I think photographers can learn:
Saije Herrera, on what she notices about great photographers:
“The best experiences I’ve had with photographers are those that can give direction that doesn’t necessarily feel like a correction. You know, a lot of the time, us models are moving around on set, and we’re trying different things and we don’t necessarily know what it’s translating like, so it’s really nice when the photographer can kind of view the shoot as a little bit of a collaboration and be open to suggestions and feedback and kinda make it a team effort.”
Kayla Metts, on learning to move on camera:
“This is a great question, and definitely something that was really hard for me in my modeling journey. I always worried about looking pretty, get in the best pose and stay there, make sure my hair and facial expression was perfect. Now, I’ve learned to just go with constant movement. I try to focus on not being super tight, and just be loosey-goosey - modeling’s kind of like dancing, so dance in your zone and be creative, stretch out and play with expressions, because that’s where the good stuff comes in.”
Taylor McAllister, on how she works best with photographers:
“I’ve learned from personal experience over time, photographers that work as a team with you, you’re gonna get the best images. Whether they shoot tethered and you get to see the screen, or they’re giving you feedback on lighting and you guys get to move around together, that’s how you get the best outcome.”
Isabela Becker, on succeeding without being super tall:
“The biggest thing is just being a petite model, people tell you it’s not possible if you’re too short. It’s not true, it’s definitely possible, I feel like I’ve been pretty successful at it, and hopefully will be more. I think what it comes down to is posing, angles, styling yourself, you need to know how to do it all. For you, it’s gonna be different from most other models. You also need to learn how to flirt with the camera in a way that’s gonna work for you, and this just comes with practice."
So what can photographers learn from this?
Communication, communication, communication: Look at how often themes like collaboration and working together come up. Pretty clear, right? It’s a good reminder to people that photograph other people that it’s inherently a really human thing. A big, big part of becoming good at this craft is how well you work with others.
Understanding others’ challenges: I thought Kayla’s perspective on all the things she had running through her head was really eye-opening. Just like I’m constantly calibrating all my camera settings, how the light’s coming in, framing, etc - she’s thinking about a long list of details about how she’s showing up on camera. It's a good reminder for me, for us - the more we can put ourselves in the other people on the team’s shoes, the better we’ll be at our own jobs.
Asking questions: It may not be right for everyone, I’m sure others differ, but I’m frequently showing the talent how the photos look on the camera (or on the monitor if we’re tethered) and asking them what they think. My observation is that it not only builds trust, but often helps you get to better images - a second set of eyes may notice something that you didn’t catch, and that helps you reshoot an image that was initially an 8/10 and create something that’s 10/10.
Okay, that’s it for today - feedback is welcome - we’re three weeks into testing a bunch of new formats for this newsletter, if people like this one we can keep it going. Let me know using this poll below, or reply to this email, I read every one.
Free stuff
💡Five free Lightroom presets: LINK
📋Free photoshoot planning template in Notion: LINK (This is a v1 I would love feedback on how to improve it)
🛠️All the cameras + flashes I use: LINK (disclaimer, they’re all affiliate links so I’ll make a small cut)
Thank you for reading, hope it helps you in your journey. Keep going, y’all.
Garrett
Love this! Thanks!
This is great, thanks Garrett!