When I shoot, the process is always roughly the same.  And it always begins with the location.  I’ll be driving somewhere, spot a location and then take a mental snapshot of the photo that I want.  Then I spend a lot of time and energy getting models, wardrobe, hair and makeup into the style that is in the snapshot in my head.  Once on set, I try to get that image first and then expand outward shooting photos of a similar theme and atmosphere in different areas around the main location.

I mention this here because this photo was the exact mental snapshot I had for the abandoned parking garage location.  When I found the location, I immediately saw the lone ceiling light casting its rays onto the floor and the wall and thought it would be fantastic to have a guy in pastel colors next to a woman in a strapless, black dress.  The more I thought about this aspect of the shoot, the more inspired I became by the promotional materials for the movie, Spring Breakers.

What was funny about the pastel wardrobe for Haesi is that it’s a million miles from his normal style.  Haesi is a very gothic, edgy model.  He would not be out of place in a photo licking a blood covered knife while only wearing leather pants.  When he saw the wardrobe–a bunch of pink, lime green and light blue shirts with white and teal pants–he looked at me in a combination of surprise and confusion.  “These are for me?” he asked slowly.  I nodded and told him that my job was to make him look like he belonged on the Love Boat.

There are other photos I took from this angle with more posed, well, poses, but I like this one of Maddie and Haesi talking most of all.  It seems real because, again, it is real.