My First Professional Model Photo Shoot
I photographed my first professional model in 2017. It would be my first stop to become a full-time photographer. While it didn’t go as planned, it was the perfect learning experience. I had an exhilarating and nerve-wracking day.
How to find a professional model
The hardest thing was finding someone to photograph. That was it. I searched for months. My wife didn’t want to do it. That was expected as she had no experience modeling. My dog didn’t want to do it. And if they wouldn’t help, things were terrible.
I couldn’t find anyone. Was it a sign that my photography wasn’t any good? Maybe people had seen my work and thought it was garbage. I don’t know, but it was a possibility.
Finally, I had an epiphany. Several social media. That might help me. Call me slow; it’s ok. I put a notice on Instagram, and an answer soon came. Her name was Taylor, and she lived in Tokyo. We set up a day and time.
Taylor even agreed to do it TFP (Time For Pictures). That meant no money changed hands. Model give the photographer their time and get photos in return. It’s a common practice. Everyone goes home with something.
How did I prepare for the photoshoot?
I thought hard about it. As it was my first shoot, I wanted everything to go smoothly. That meant I wouldn’t use a flash. Yes, I should have used one, but I wasn’t comfortable with them. I didn’t want to fumble with one in front of Taylor, especially as she was doing this for free.
YouTube became my second home. I poured over many videos. Most said natural light was the way to go. I could handle that. Stand the model with her face to the sun. That seemed easy. I also studied how to pose models and photo composition.
How did the photoshoot go?
Well, my plans went astray. I was nervous as well as excited. While I’d seen Taylor’s Instagram account, I had no idea who she was. After some minor delays, we met. I had lucked out for my first shoot. She was tall, with long blonde hair and a killer smile. It was easy to tell she had the experience.
As we walked to Yoyogi Park, she said she had been a professional model for many years. She even brought two jackets to give three different looks (the last look being no jacket, just her top). Taylor took a load off my mind.
Even though I had watched many YouTube model videos, they hadn’t prepared me mentally. How much should I pose or direct her? Especially with a person I had never met before. It was intimidating. Yes, we moved through the park according to the plan I had worked out, but everything else flew out of my head.
Was it stage fright? Yes, but it was exhilarating too. I was doing something that I wanted. Eventually, I’ll get used to it. And that means I’ll keep doing it till it becomes second nature. In the end, I got a lot of shots, over 1300. Some of them were okay, and I hope you agree.
The one thing I learned from the day was that the photographer needs to give some direction. Without it, the model won’t know what to do. It is like being on a football team with no captain. Everyone will do their own thing and pray the game works out well. Next time I’ll be telling my model what I want.
Conclusion
If I had kept my cool, I might have accomplished what I set out to do. But, for my first professional model photoshoot, it was a fantastic experience! I did something I wanted and was pretty happy with the pictures. Leave questions and comments below.
My first professional model shoot photo gear:
- Camera body: Fujifilm X-T2
- Lens: Fujifilm XF 16-55mm F2.8 R LM WR
Rohan Gillett
Rohan has lived in Tokyo for 30+ years. He loves photography and plans to capture the entire city.
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External model photography websites