Genlux Spring Editorial and Video

Got a call from Stephen in January asking me if I wanted to shoot for the Spring issue of Genlux. The theme was Royal. I’ve had this idea in my head that would need a set designer. I wanted to have someone  build a room from scratch to emulate the attic room from “The Little Princess”, a novel written in 1904 by Frances Hogdson Burnett. I read the story when I was a kid and the imagery described in the novel left an impression on my imagination. Of course I didn’t know when I read the novel at 9 that I would be producing a fashion shoot around the story some 35 years later!!!  But immediately when Stephen said “the theme is Royal”, my mind went straight to the story of The Little Princess. The first thing I did was contact a set designer to see if he was available to do the shoot and if he wanted to work on it with me. Jamie Dean agreed to meet with me at my house so I could show him some visuals and we could talk about the kind of set I wanted built and the props I wanted to use. He brought his laptop and showed me his inventory of props while we went through images that I had collected before our meeting that depicted the mood I wanted to recreate for my shoot. Once he agreed to work on the shoot with me, I collected all the images together from his props to the images I had collected and we narrowed the look down so I could create a mood board to send to Stephen.

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I shot this editorial at Out of Frame Studio in the middle of Hollywood. You gotta’ love their blog title: “Fashion Forward Meets Punk Rock”. Yep, you know I totally dig that one! The guys that run Out of Frame are just real nice people!  And their studio is this big huge space you can just go in and create in. It’s conveniently located right next door to Calumet, so last minute gear rentals are really easy.  The evening before the shoot, Out of Frame they Jamie and I start building the room out. It was a lot of fun to watch Jamie put together this room that came in 6 pieces! I got to decide which wall the windows would go, and how many. I got to pick the color of walls and where they would go. He brought in most of the large pieces of furniture and I plotted out a shot as I watch him put the walls up. I left  about an hour after meeting Jamie there and he, along with his two assistants, continued building the set. By the time we arrived in the morning for the 9 AM call time, the room was done!!

John Waiblinger was kind enough to come down for a second week in a row of my editorial shoots and do a Behind the Scenes video. Oh how I am so camera shy!!! I don’t know what it is about having a camera pointed at me, but it drives me crazy. Probably why I’m not much of a “screamer at the models” type photographer. It’s like, “Yeah, I get it….it’s weird getting your picture taken!” Haha…No…I’m not that laid back about it, but my camera shyness is definitely something I’ve noticed about myself lately, as there have been a few of these videos being done now on my shoots. Oh well, I do them for you. So I hope you’re  enjoying them! I can’t imagine doing a reality TV series. I would have panic attacks with cameras in my face all the time. I’d LOSE it!

The model was from Photogenics. Lovely little Zinta. She was pretty shy herself, in fact she was so shy she barely said a word the whole day. I thought she was from Europe or Russia and couldn’t speak English very well. Come to find out, she’s from the Valley. And just pretty quiet. Hair was done by Jason Stanton, a very well dressed English man who does rockin’ hair, I must say. And Sally Wang did the make up. She also killed it! Amazing job they BOTH did. Jason and Sally are both from Cloutier Remix Agency. Styling was by Kelvin Seah, my oft mentioned favorite stylist with the impeccable taste and fantastic eye. I might also add he’s incredibly nice!  Kelvin is with AIM Artists here in LA. We rented a fog machine from Out of Frame so it was at the studio when we arrived in the morning. After grabbing more coffee (why do we always drink so much coffee when we’re shooting??) Tyler Mitchell, my rad 1st assistant (I’m using the word RAD lately, and I’m sticking to it for awhile) and another assistant started setting up my lighting the way I wanted it. We put a huge chimera soft box right on the other side of the  window so we could blast light into the “room”.  We blasted about a total of 600 Watts through one head on that side, so not a lot. To the left we put up my beauty dish, white dish, for a key light on the model. It was up rather high, actually. I think we were about even on the watts on that head as well. I shot with my D2x. Nothing fancy. Same workhorse of a camera, same love affair with Nikon since day one. This Love will never fade. Although I did work with a Hassy yesterday on a shoot that I will blog about in about 4 months when the editorial is out. I have to say, while I was looking through the images shot on the Hassy this morning, man, I think I really want to own one. SO AMAZING of a CAMERA. ; )

But back to this shoot! We basically had a great day! I mean, what can I say? The pre-production was all done and when you work with the best, you get the best results. There were no dramas, no hassles, as there shouldn’t be. There were no tech issues, which can’t be helped sometimes, but I don’t recall having any bumps that day. The clothes were brilliant, the team was the best, the studio was perfect, the set was amazing. I’m trying to see if I have forgotten anything? I shot mostly wide, so I used my old analog 24 MM lens. I shot wide because I wanted to see the set we were in. I wanted the smoke and the gritty feel of an attic apartment that has seen better days. But the girl is still a princess living in that squalor. So here’s the images and the video that John did. Hope you enjoy! Now I’m off to wrap up yesterday’s shoot, prep Tuesday’s shoot and somewhere in middle of all this work, figure out when to there train a new person that I’m hiring to join my crazy world soon! I Facebooked about needing to hire another me! No one has applied for the position yet. (That’s a joke, please don’t send me an email applying for the job!)  Oh and if you live or are near Orlando, Florida you must come to SNAP! Orlando May 20th through the 23rd. There’s an exhibition with some of the world’s most renowned  photographers like Douglas Kirkland (you MUST check out his work if you don’t know it) There are also some pretty informative lectures going on that weekend as well.  I’m doing one on Saturday May 22nd at 1:30 PM. I’ll be speaking about the business of Fashion Photography. Come introduce yourself!  After SNAP! Orlando is finished, we’re heading over to the middle of Florida to visit our friend, Suzanne Sturgill. She’s planning on taking David and I on her boat down some alligator infested river to this spot that has the best Mai Tai’s in the South. Honestly, I think Suzanne organizes these trips because her and her friends just get the biggest laugh over watching us “City Folks” trip out over the smallest things. Some of David’s and my favorite memories are sitting on Suzanne’s big porch under the moon, eating chicken they smoked themselves, drinking Crown Royals, listening to the crickets and watching the Spanish Moss swing in the breeze.  We talk about those nights all the time and tell all our jaded Hollywood friends about it constantly. Suzanne shoots horses. In other words, she is hired to shoot Champion Horses. Like the kind that sell for $4,000, 000.00. Yeah, that’s 4 million. You read that right. And she’s an incredible shooter. She’s also a woman that I admire tremendously. Go check out her work. Her and I couldn’t be from two entirely different worlds than each others but man, I love her to pieces!! She’s genuine. And I have to say, that goes far in my book.  Okay, seriously now, I gotta’ run. See you soon!

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All Images ©2010 Melissa Rodwell Photography

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Are You Using Protection?

Funny little by-line for a very serious matter. How much do you know about copyright and how often do you register your images? Image theft IS rampant. How many of you have found your images on someone else’s Facebook or website or blog without A: permission to use it or B: proper credit and C: compensation for use? If you live in Los Angeles, or near LA, you really should attend this lecture at Pier59 studios this Saturday from 4 PM to 7 PM. Debra Weiss is speaking and if you haven’t had the chance to hear her, you must definitely carve some time out of your hectic schedule and go hear her speak. She’s so intelligent and witty that she’s actually fun to hear lecture. But what I really love about Debra is that she is fighting for OUR rights as photographers and adamantly passionate about protecting our work. I honestly believe we should have more people like Debra Weiss in our industry, fighting for us in these confusing times.

As part of MOPLA Creative Consultant Debra Weiss is being joined by an esteemed panel of experts in this program presented by APA National who will discuss the ever important issues surrounding Copyright and what you need to know to effectively exercise your rights and protect your work. Topics to be discussed with panel members Jessica Darraby and Ed Greenberg (IP Attorneys), Jeff Sedlik (PLUS CEO and Expert Witness) and photographer Karen Knauer will include Registration, Fair Use, Appropriation, Retaining an Attorney, the Anti-Copyright Movement and more. Admission to this program is free, however, a $5.00 donation to the Lucie Foundation would be appreciated. So with it practically being free, how can you turn down an opportunity to learn priceless information?? We must all have a better understanding of the copyright of our images that we produce. Know it or Blow it. Right?

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This costume is worn in both social occasions casual weekends, and is also considered trendy for ones night outside.This will make a versatile addition to the wardrobe while keeping with the trend. To make the wearer stand out of the crowd with this common attire, a bit of creativity and extra flair is required. A pair of jeans with a well fitting T-shirt is the most preferable modern day uniform for both men and women.T-shirts can be easily worn with designer items also giving an effortlessly cool look. Anything like ripped jeans to diamonds can be worn with a T-shirt.

Many teen idols are now choosing to customize their T-shirts with an untailored look. These apparels are either without a collar or with a short bottom. Fashion boutiques, and manufacturers are catching on with this trend and are now coming up with apparels made from light fabrics, and unfinished seams. Adding ones own personality with the T-shirts will add a fresh edge to the wearers look.

These apparels are designed taking into consideration, the body structure of the wearer. Britney Spears is currently making a fashion statement by adding her words on her T-shirt. Manufacturers are now making T-shirts customizing to the individual preferences of the wearer.A bit costly though, this apparel is very popular among celebrities.

Printing techniques such as 3-D prints, custom tag printing, and foils will become popular. To stay ahead in the world of fashion, one should always know what is getting popular and what will be the trends popping ahead. These designs while more subtle will still make a fashion statement. Vintage T-shirts reflecting an authentic look or images and sayings provoking a retro feeling seem to run their course and will be in vogue.Cool T-shirts will be sold online, to satisfy the expectations of T-shirt lovers. Understanding the customer psychology, and following appropriate marketing techniques by envisioning normal things in a bit different way will help the manufacturers to capture the market. Continuous growth in the T-shirt industry is foreseen by industry experts.

A Model Inspires a Shoot

God, I feel like I shot this so long ago, a whole history book of my life could’ve been written between the time  today when I’m sitting down to write this post and the day I actually shot this editorial. But here goes! Thank God Tyler is in the other room retouching for me. He’s young….he can remember the details!

When Felice Fawn asked me to contribute to the Spring issue of MIRRIN Magazine, I already had a concept in mind that I wanted to shoot for it. About a month before she contacted me, I was casting for a for an advertising job where I needed a male model and a package came in with Tait’s portfolio. Tait wasn’t right for the job I was casting for but when I saw his portfolio I knew I HAD to shoot him in the near future.  So when MIRRIN came along and Felice told me to shoot what I wanted,  I knew I had my model. At least one of them. For this shoot, the model informed the story. Tait has this very androgynous look. He’s 16 years old, tall and thin with wispy, straight long blonde hair and this really gorgeous  face. He’s very edgy, very beautiful. I wanted to do a semi-romantic theme….after all, it was for MIRRIN’s Spring Issue and the whole concept behind MIRRIN, as they so succinctly say, is to erase the line between elegant and dark. I didn’t want this to be a typical love story. I wanted it to have a disturbing, ambiguous feel to it. A darker edge with a light, Spring almost fairy tale feel. I knew Tait could pull off this look. Now I had to find his twisted partner. After scouring the model boards and having numerous submissions come in from the various modeling agencies, I chose Dani from Photogenics. She almost looks like she could be Tait’s sister.  Long, sinewy body with long, goldilocks and an achingly beautiful face, she defies the conventional and the banal. She’s sexy, like Tait, without being overt and obvious. That’s exactly what I was looking for!

We shot the first part of the editorial at my house in the Hollywood Hills. I live in Fred Astaire’s old estate and the grounds have that mysterious garden feel. There’s lots of steps leading to dead end, ivy covered areas with bricked in walkways and lots of twisted trees and overhanging limbs. I rented a smoke machine to pump up that  ominous look, like a misty forest for our enchanted couple to find themselves in. The second part of the day we moved over to Griffith Park where I hike when I actually decide to do something healthy for myself. When I’m on my hike I’m always distracted with the beauty there and I’m forming shot lists in my head to come back to and utilize on some shoot I might have coming up. I have to say, my crew was great for the MIRRIN shoot. Robert Medford did hair. Michelle Tabor did the make up. And Kelvin Seah, who I’ve worked more than a couple of times, did the styling. All artists are represented by AIM Artists here in LA and I would work with all three of them again! Great people!  Of course, Kelvin was the first person I contacted about doing the job. I gave him my idea, I sent him ideas and the model’s online portfolios and him and I collaborated further on the looks I wanted for the shoot. I like working with Kelvin for a lot of reasons, but the two more important ones are that: 1. He gets me without me having to over-explain myself. 2. He’s got great taste. I can trust he’ll pull exceptional clothing and accessories. Because organizing a shoot is a big job with many components, the last thing I want to deal with is miscommunication between myself and my stylist.

The weather was fantastic the day of the shoot in late January. Even though it was the dead of winter (lol….there is no such thing as the “dead of winter” here in LA but I like to sound dramatic sometimes), the day was warm with a mild breeze, so we didn’t need to rent a wind machine. From Ralph Lauren’s tulle skirt to Rick Owens’ bias cut gown, we ran the gamut of modern luxury. And Dani and Tait were perfect as my lovely “couple”. Sorry, there’s not much lighting tech talk on this post. I used natural light with the exception of two shots where I used a SB800 for a little flash fill that Tyler, my first assistant hand held roughly about 10 feet away. It was turned down to 1/4 power with no diffusion or cute coffee filters made into soft boxes over the head. I used an old piece of foam core that had been sitting out in the rain and was completely warped as my reflector. No other reason than hey, it was still useable. Why not? I used my NIkon D2x with switching between my 24mm 2.8 lens and my 85mm 1.4 but I also used a Nikkor 50mm 1.8 for a lot of the shots.   I wanted to throw out the backgrounds so I shot wide. I shot fast, too.  Sometimes my shutter was at 1/2000th of a second because I wanted to freeze the action of the hair flying in the air but also because I wanted to shoot wide.

You can download the issue from Lulu here! It sells for US $47.10 but you can download the entire issue for US $7.85! Depending on your budget, either format is wonderful! There are some great photographers that contributed to this issue and it’s worth every penny to see the incredible design and lay out that Felice did! Also, for an extra treat we did a BTS video for my readers so you can see a little of what went on during the shoot. I absolutely detest being in front of the camera, I can’t help but smile and look away because I find the whole thing so….hmmmm…..I don’t know the right word. My dear John Waiblinger is patient with me. John is the man behind the video camera and he actually gets me to relax a little and forget that he’s even filming me half the time. A big thank you to John! So  here you go….here’s the BTS video  and like we  used to say back in the day…..this one’s for YOU!!!

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(ALL IMAGES © MELISSA RODWELL PHOTOGRAPHY 2010)

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