Custom Coffin Works

So Easter Sunday, I had a simple little photo shoot planned for the afternoon with a friend acting as our model. We wanted to have some pretty CCW girls on our web site too. I had scouted out a few locations to take as background shots a couple of days earlier. What was planned as a simple session turned into a three ring circus. Here’s a brief summery of how it went down.

Day one. Took the wife with me on our anniversary night to look at possible locations. After a few let downs we decided on two good ones. I figure we would do it on a Sunday afternoon so no businesses would be bothered by us out back taking pictures..
(Lesson learned)
1. Parking garages ALWAYS have security nearby. Nice idea but you need permission from property management for the photo shoot. Good luck there...
2. Taking your wife out after dinner to look for spots is ok so long as it is not on your anniversary night. (Hey after 19 years together, I didn't think she would still want to do that!)

Day two. I figured I would let my webmaster do the photo taking and my wife to do the hair and makeup. Shay (my webmaster) has an eye for photography and knows what I like. My wife loves makeup and hair..and it gets her out of mine for the time being. I was in charge of props, ladders, drinks, and misc. stuff needed for the shot.
(Lesson learned)
1. We had brought one camera and I figured we would just all share it as we go. Three different people wanting to share the same camera is not going to work out. Time for a second camera.
2. Trying to figure out all the different poses I would like to see done. That involves going online and searching pages on pages of girls and car photos. Believe it or not you can get really side tracked doing that..
3. Making a list of items needed for the day of the shoot.

Well being the first time at this, I was kinda winging it. Photo Day! Turns out my love for working all the time made me forget that it was Easter Sunday. Whoops. Called the "model" to see if it was still ok with her. All's well, meet us at 3pm. Lets Go! I decide to leave first to set up. Wife and Freind will leave after me. They will meet the model at a central location and then have her follow them into the spot we are to set up at. We should be an hour tops!
(Lesson learned)
1. The first location is in direct sunlight. Note to self: next time scout the sites during the daytime hours. On to the second location.
2. Wife calls to tell me the model is running late.
3. Second location is fine with shade in all the right spots. No open businesses to worry about ether. Looks like a go!
3.1 In lew of security systems, now business owners use dogs. They unlike security systems do not turn off after a few minutes of barking.
4. Have to clean the area up a bit before my star arrives... broken pallets, glass, needles. No problem but make sure you announce yourself as you approach the seemingly empty dumpster. Like our Diamondback Rattle snakes, homeless people are most dangerous when startled and they like to sun themselves in the dumpsters behind buildings.
5. Our star arrives and announces she wants certain pictures to be taken for her husband with his guitars. What ever, I have lots of storage on my.. oops...my wifes camera.
6. What seemed like a good picture in your head doesn't always turn out to be a good idea on film...or memory card...whatever.
7. Make sure you have a place for her to change into the different outfits she brought. Even when they are "Exotic Dancers" their still shy.
8. Bring your list! No check your list BEFORE you drive to the location. Bringing your list to the shoot only reminds you what you forgot to bring.
9. Make sure you bring something to clean the cars body panels off after each time the model brushes against it. I don't know what fairy dust she had on her but it rubbed right off on my gloss black hood. Several photos lost because of a butt print here or a hand print there.
10. Make sure everyones has gone to the bathroom first...
11. Have an errand boy ready to drive back home to get the stuff on the list you forgot to bring. Make sure he is ok with seeing a half naked woman walking around.
12. Make sure you wife is ok with a half naked woman walking around.
13. Wear lose fitting pants.
14. just keep your mouth closed on the shots. Let the two girls taking them do the bickering. No sense you opening a mouth to a deaf ear.
15. Take a huge amount of photos. Shotguns are good for the person who doesn't know how to aim. Having over 500 pictures from three different cameras helps nail that one shot your looking for.
16. Make sure the model is not smiling all the time and looking directly into the camera on all shots. This simple smile can turn an otherwise perfect once-in-a-lifetime shot fail.
16.1 Make sure the model is not looking up at the sky for Skylab to fall on her too. Just look away from the camera. That’s why they say "Watch the birdie"
17. Do not try and make the model stop smiling by offering to say something mean to piss her off. It just doesn't work out well.
18. Keep the props to a minimum. They only look like toys on film.
19. Never put a deadline on how long the photo shoot should take. It only increases the time it actually takes.
Now after all is said and done. The photos are in the can and your now on your merry way home to quickly go through the pictures, figure about another 8 hours of sorting and turning the pictures you've just taken. Not to mention the hours it is going to take to photo shop the ones into something you’ll like. Special thanks to my wife Shanan, my webmaster Shay, my son Alyn and most importantly "Squeak"! Your the best guys!

Eric
Custom Coffin Works