I used to be a card carrying member of the Anti-Photographer Photographer club. For some stupid reason, I, and many of my colleagues, don’t talk. We don’t support one another. We feel like we’re competing for the same eyeballs and dollars. Being a freelance artist is difficult and if you’re in my way, you’re my enemy. This is a terribly stupid and limiting way of thinking. Maybe it comes from shooting music events? Everyone is jockeying for the same spot, for the perfect shot in the DJ booth, or at the center-back of the venue…. I don’t know. Once again, it’s stupid, and a very antiquated way of thinking.
But I digress…. Oksana posted in a Facebook group that I am a moderator of, for Miami based photographers. Her work was incredible, and she has a very respectable social following. It has become extremely difficult to communicate with potential collaborators in this day and age of social communications. Models are getting hundreds to thousands of random request from random photographers of varying levels of talent and experience an it has to be excruciatingly difficult to choose, and follow through with anyone, especially those that are just trying to make something cool, for the sake of it.
She was super easy to talk with, so we planned our shoot. But, she said she could only do this if she could bring her boyfriend, who is also a photographer. Typically this would be a dealbreaker for me. Both for the bullshit egotistical reasons I stated above, and because, in my experience, unless there’s a whole team and large production, these small creative shoots go off best when attention is focused between photographer and subject. I have had more than one shoot that I felt went south because the subject (both male and female) were playing to their friend and not me. (Those clients probably don’t know… its just a creative preference)
But 2023 was a different year for me. It was all about giving, not taking. It was all about putting positivity into the universe, whether or not I got it back. (I’m writing this on Dec 26, and I can surely say IT WORKED. This year has been fantastic) So…. I said yes, bring him.
I could keep talking about this, and listing all the details. but I will skip to the gist of it…. She brought Nick, and the two of them became my friends. And I don’t mean the bullshit “friends” like social media has devolved the word. I knew these people for less than one month, and they showed up to my birthday (during Miami Music Week) with a cake for me! I have friends I have known for 20 years that would never have thought to do something like this.
Time to wrap it up. They are both incredibly talented and I am very grateful and fortunate to have them as my friends. You MUST check out Nick’s work too.
There are more images from this shoot that I might add at a later date. I still have this shoot in my “unfinished” folder.
(click image to enlarge)
