Working From Home as a Model

 

   While the pandemic has opened doors for a lot of small businesses (think TikTok artists), other creators, like models, have had extra difficulties this year. Photographers have archives to revisit and edit; models, however, heavily rely on photographers and creative teams to keep content up to date. Of course we have our own archives, but you can only go back so far before you’re unrecognizable. As I’ve been modeling for four years, I usually put that limit at about two years old. So with quarantine, I had to produce a lot more content on my own to keep my fresh. Depending on your page aesthetic, you may be able to post more casual content, like basic selfies and mirror pics. I personally save that kind of content for my personal page. From lockdown on, my feed became a mixture of pre-COVID content and #shotoniphone content -- self-portraits and boyfriend-taken photos. 

Pandemic Self Ports

In our first issue of Photos Unboxed Magazine, Lockdown Portraits, I wrote a little bit about shooting from home, focusing specifically on self-portraits. As I don’t have a DSLR camera (lacking the budget), I rely on my iPhone 8+ and Portrait Mode. Although the 8+ is a little bigger than I wanted for a phone, Portrait Mode was a non-negotiable for me. The other key equipment is a tripod with a bluetooth trigger remote. I actually have two tripods: one normal and one ring light with a clip to hold my phone in the middle. Depending on where in my apartment I set up and the time of day will determine my tripod set up. Often I use the ring light straight on, but occasionally I use it to fill in light on the side. If that is the case, I use my stand alone tripod to hold my phone. My stand alone tripod is also utilized to hold my old phone for behind the scenes video. 

    Because my apartment is so small (less than 600 sq ft), I’ve considered it too crowded to be aesthetically pleasing for photoshoots. I don’t have big floor to ceiling windows or a balcony. My furniture isn’t anything special. Consequently, I’ve set a mental boundary of what is attainable in my apartment and where it can be done. The blankest wall in my apartment faces my bed, and this is my main backdrop. The walkway is small, but I usually only shoot headshots here so the small quarters don’t matter too much. Other spots you may see on my page are my laundry closet door and my bed.

    With my set up, I can’t always get the angle quite right or something feels off. This is when I recruit Sam. He also works with an iPhone but with XR. The camera quality isn’t too different between the two models, but I do think his phone is a little nicer. Typically I try to get the shot on my own before requesting his assistance; sometimes I just ask him right from the beginning to get the shot so I don’t have to struggle with the back and forth of checking the image and adjusting. This way, I don’t have to worry about hiding a trigger remote either.

    Inspiration for my self ports come from a number of places, but most frequently from my active mind before I fall asleep. Although I find shooting alone to be frustrating at times, I also love the freedom to explore. It is an awesome opportunity to dive into my makeup collection and do something interesting and unique -- glue gold flake to my face, play with glitter, put flowers in my mouth. I like to save my weirdest ideas for my self port sessions because if it turns out terrible, no one ever has to know. My favorites can be styled in new ways and I can pull in pieces that haven’t had a chance to shine. 

    In terms of editing, I’m still trying to find my style and aesthetic. I typically keep it simple with blemish healing, popping colors if necessary, and increasing the structure. Recently, I’ve downloaded some Lightroom Presets to test out as well. Plus working on Photoshop has become significantly easier with my new laptop. Every once and awhile, I scroll PicsArt for their “Replays”. This is a feature that allows you to apply other artists’ edits to your images. I love this feature because I can learn new techniques and discover new filters and effects, like this floral cloud sticker.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Since I began modeling in 2016, I’ve actually done shoots in every apartment I’ve lived in. In this particular apartment, I have had two photographers over for shoots. One was a Christmas themed shoot with Avonté and the other was more recent, a moody sexy shoot with Juan Medina.

    The Christmas shoot was a hot mess. We poorly scheduled it the day I would be flying home for the holidays. My flight was out of Fort Lauderdale and it was the first time I would be flying with my Emotion Support Animal, Cheddar. In my head, I envisioned the picturesque baking photos on Pinterest. Baking cookies, cute lil apron, playing with flour. Well turns out, not all sugar cookie recipes work well for cookie cutting. We ultimately gave up on getting baking video and just focused on sexy kitchen shots -- an apron, nude fishnet stockings, heels, and a Santa hat. We only worked in the kitchen so there wasn’t too much that had to be moved around, just had to make sure the kitchen looked clean and free of eye sores. Our shoot was quick and I was off to the airport. Bright side: I’m not sure if I’ve ever looked so good for a flight.

Three weeks ago, I had Juan over for a golden hour photoshoot. He had brought up that he was dying to do a “homey indoor shoot, fashionable/sexy vibes”, but that he couldn’t find the right location. I hesitantly offered my apartment but added that it was tiny and not all that aesthetically pleasing. I sent a short walk through video to give him a better idea of the apartment layout and what we would have to work with. He assured me that it would be perfect and not to worry about the limited space. The day of our shoot, I made sure to clean up -- bed made, cat toys put away, no dishes in the sink. We hadn’t really discussed wardrobe, but we had shared inspiration and mood boards back and forth. My favorite thing about shooting in my apartment is the limitless access to my wardrobe. For studio and location shoots, you’re limited to whatever you can fit in a duffel bag. Here, a photographer can easily see all of the options available. We laid a number of items out on the bed to choose from, then steered the tone of the shot based on the outfit. I also have a large assortment of fake flowers to add to shots as desired. 

Despite Juan assuring me my small studio was perfect for shooting, I wasn’t entirely convinced until I saw the final images. The way we positioned furniture, the angles he shot at, the final edits all led to the illusion that my apartment is much bigger and cleaner than it actually is. During our hour and a half session, we shot 6 outfits, all with very different vibes, which really allows for each set to stand out on its own.

COVID Contemplations

Working from home as a model has definitely proven to be challenging, but there have been a few benefits. Primarily, the stay at home order has forced me to be more creative with my work. I’ve learned how to set up and frame shots on my own, and I can experiment with styling without the pressure of getting it perfect. It has also saved me a lot of money, not constantly buying things for shoots and utilizing what I already have. Creating something completely independently -- something that I and I alone brought to life -- is an amazing feeling. Secondly, the program I started with Spark Society has led me here, to this blog, to sharing my thoughts and experiences with my audience. I’ve been able to sit down to plan future content and focus on the future of my brand. Consistency is one of the biggest lessons I've implemented since starting this new journey. The support system that I have found in the Spark community has really helped me grow as a creator, even if the numbers don’t support that. Now, instead of asking, "Why not me?", it's "I'm next." I'm next.

QOTW

What have you found to be the biggest creative challenge of the pandemic?