Photo Shoot de Mayo and behind the scenes
I recently had the pleasure to do a photo shoot for The Vintage Valet in Pittsburgh on Cinco De Mayo, a shoot one of models dubbed “Photo Shoot de Mayo.” The Vintage Valet is Pittsburgh’s fashion truck specializing in contemporary clothing with a Vintage flair. Bringing Fashion Curbside! Owner Marissa Zimmerman had me photograph models Allison Matthews and Michelle Senko wearing pieces from her spring selection. We shot downtown Pittsburgh on a day with perfect lighting and when there was not much pedestrian traffic to get in the way of the shoot. Blue skies and sunny days may look amazing in post cards, but a brightly lit yet cloud covered day is perfect for outdoor photography. The clouds function as a giant softbox, gently diffusing the sunlight and preventing harsh shadows. Because of the lighting, I was able to photograph the entire day without the use of a flash and softbox. The photos from the shoot turned out amazing, and we had a lot of fun in the process of creating the photos.
Once done with the photos in the park the four of us took a short walk to nearby Strawberry Way for a change in scenery.
So as you see, the photos from the shoot turned out beautifully. But the real fun was had behind the scenes.
This is Marissa, owner of The Vintage Valet, using one of my cameras to take the following photo of me photographing Ali and Michelle.
The above photo is Ali shooting me and Marissa shooting Michelle. This would be a constant theme of the behind the scenes for the shoot.
Michelle or Marissa using Ali’s phone to shoot me shooting Ali.
Just because I was there taking the official photos from the shoot, that did not stop the ladies from using their cell phones to capture their own photos. And of course I had to photograph them photographing themselves.
There was a coconut on the side of the building that we were shooting against. This required me to hand one of my cameras to Michelle and have her photograph me with the coconut in honor of the opening scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. “Riding?…But you’ve got coconuts!…Where did you get the coconuts?”
Ali photographing me who is photographing Michelle and Marissa who are also photographing me. It was funny to see how preciously the models handled my spare camera when I gave it to them to use. You would think they were holding a small fortune in their hands.
Michelle photographing me in the photo of me with the coconut.
And of course, we must always take time for a selfie!
Marissa, and the small mountain of purses and clothing that is the norm for any photo shoot, photographing Michelle.
What’s better than taking a selfie with Marissa photographing Michelle in the background?
Michelle photographing me photographing Ali.
And of course, when it is all said and done, you need a group selfie!
