Conceptual Photoshoot with TT
During this period, it rained frequently and we had to accept the challenge of battling with the very unforeseeable weather when the weather forecast couldn't even be 100% accurate. We took the risk anyway but decided to play on the safer side later.
It started drizzling amid the makeup session at Nicole's studio. We were planning for an outdoor shoot at the beach and thus it spelt trouble. I was under huge pressure since eventually, the photographer had to make the final decision for the shoot.
Honestly, I had a fear of taking up responsibilities because it was a tough job for a perfectionist who wanted to please everyone. In short, I wanted the project to benefit and satisfy everyone in the team. I did overthink because most people I had worked with were far too accommodating and selfless.
Before the makeup was completed, I made my way out of the studio to explore the building for inspiration. I had done my latest Halloween shoot at the compound and I knew it was a rare run-down place that I could find in Singapore to do more shoots. However, I had to take into consideration not repeating the same background to not bore fans of my work. Thus, every shoot and every location should be utilised well. This challenge made me a fickle-minded person when it came to deciding the locations for shoots.
I found a big vacant room and explored it alone. It was dusty and somehow did give a spooky feel. Although the walls were painted white, the gloomy weather and the soon-to-be departing sun made it dark. I was inspired. I saw emptiness.
Since we couldn't foresee the weather for the next few hours, we decided to play safe and go with the new idea, which wouldn't be affected by the weather since it was going to be indoors.
Nicole and Xinhao had to rush off for an event right after the makeup, which meant that she couldn't stay to touch up the makeup. The original theme would have TT dip into the water and thus the makeup would be affected. Hence, Nicole had initially planned the makeup to minimise damages if TT's face were to be drenched.
I observed that the weather was good afterwards, however, it could be too late to proceed with the original plan. Upon confirming the change of plan for the shoot, Nicole did a last-minute change to TT's makeup.
I was lucky in a way that Yusheng was present and thus I could easily leave my excess equipment inside the studio when the owners weren't around. When I decided to modify my light modifier, such as adding a grid to my softbox, I could easily go back to the studio to pick it up.
As usual, I took some time to get warmed up with TT. During our conversation, we realised we were from the same secondary school. Then, we even tried to recap the school song and school creed.
The emptiness of the room with dim ambient light wasn't the scariest part of the shoot; when TT started rocking on the old school chair, my heart bounced hard not because she was mesmerising but because she could fall any time.
Another horror was the frequent failure of my strobe. I had just gotten the battery replaced for over a hundred bucks months ago and had only used it for a few shots. The strobe didn't fire off sometimes or simply shut down by itself. Previously, the expert told me it was probably due to the China-made battery but I suspected the main reason was that the overheating protection system was faulty. I wasn't even firing the strobe at its full power, nor did I abuse it with intensive clicking.
Eventually, we went into a smaller room with some shelves. TT tried to break me down again by climbing up. I wasn't doubting her monkey skill since she was my junior, but the shelves could be unstable. Anyway, they were very dusty and could easily stain her white dress.
I had to clear my throat at times not because of TT's actions, but because the room was very dusty, which I didn't have a second thought about since I was too focused on getting the shoot done. There were a couple of times there was a sharp pain in my eyes although I had a spectacle to protect my eyes. TT's reaction was extremely slow and deadly as she got a sore eye after she got home.
Although TT was quite patient with the frequent misfiring of my strobe, I was very frustrated because by then, TT was in her top form. We had to end the shoot soon as the sky turned blue.
By then, the studio was rather crowded because there were also other guests around, including the famous Chinese tea expert, Michael. He cheekily brewed tea for all of us using the premium tea Xinhao had bought from him.
Xinhao and Nicole returned soon and we ordered Macdonald's for dinner. Just as the delivery man arrived, I started walking TT to the bus stop. It was worthwhile to have my food turned cold as it was a good chat with her along the way.
That evening, I misplaced my two pieces of diffusers for my softbox probably due to the crowd and huge distraction while packing up. I only realised they were missing during the next shoot at the studio. I almost had to get them replaced by a courier from Hong Kong because the local outlet was temporarily closed. Luckily, Nicole found them for me.
Featuring ↬ TTHairstylist ↬ NicoleMakeup Artist (MUA) ↬ Nicole
Wardrobe ↬ TT
Camera ↬ Canon 6DLens ↬ Canon 24-70mm F2.8L IILighting ↬ Cononmark I6M
Place ↬ Pearl's Hill TerraceDate ↬ Year 2018
Photo Editing type ↬ Advanced
💲 Photographer's fee ↬ Prices & packages for Conceptual photography
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