http://www.russellrutherford.com/models_great.jpg

Not so great models/subjects can put the production into damage control, though ultimately it’s up to the photographer.

As much as we like to say the client, or the client’s client made us select a girl that looked like his wife, or a guy that had the same interest in golf (yes it happens), it’s still up to the photographer to find the best that in the subject and react, whether it’s the result of a 600 person casting in Paris or a street casting on Broadway.

I loathe those times when we have an exact, specific look, or movement that cannot be deviated from an inch.

Obviously the model will do it, but when it’s forced it looks forced.

For me the results are better if I can quickly notice where a model is strong and build on that. If the model only moves left and your lighting to the right, then move the lights, don’t force the model.

Though still photography produces a static result, people are not chairs and they must be treated and responded to as people.

If the energy on the shoot is strong and positive the end result exponentially goes up, but if someone stands in the studio and demands the model only put one foot forward then scowls and shakes their head if they’re not 100% satisfied then the looks goes down fast.

Everybody in the room is hired for their strengths, not just to fill a roll and our best results come from exploiting those strengths.

This is always a process where the more you put into it the better it becomes.

Our only goal should be to allow the subject to be interesting and unique because everybody IS interesting and unique in their own right.

Sometimes the hard part is finding it.

James Russell

is it just me or is that a dumb comment? like saying ‘photographers just end up photographing’…

i’d be pretty pissed if i booked a model and he/she turned up and didn’t start modelling…

I don’t get all this “models suck” business – it’s not like they’re somehow different from people who are street cast… street casting often results in cheesy poses because that’s what the average person thinks you’re supposed to do. I’ve done street-cast jobs where some of the people got signed by agencies – does that mean they suddenly are different or suck? No.

This whole thread underscores the importance of building strong relationships with good casting directors and and having good social skills to relate to your subject, whether they’re a professional or not.

http://maddmodels.blogspot.com/

honest.

You know what’s weird? There are hardly any visual aids in the conversations on this blog. I’d love to see examples from one photographer, of a shoot where the casting was successful vs. one where the casting was “disastrous.”

And I wasn’t taking a shot at Meisel – if anything, I’m confirming his influence.

Ever thought about a shoot as a collaboration with the model instead of an adversarial interaction trying to “catch them off guard as much as possible”?

See

Even the condenasties get it wrong

Hey there, Sarra!

But casting aside, if a fashion magazine decides to put Sienna Miller on the cover instead of some model whose name nobody knows, don’t you think that would attract a lot of new readers? Or if a product design/furniture design magazine all of sudden throws Evan Green on a couch on the cover, don’t you think their “occasional” readers would definitely pick it up that time?

Girls have asked for my opinion regarding what I think there potential as a model would be. Its like, I cant tell just by looking at you. There is way more to it than that.

From a 1992 NYTimes article about the debut of People en Espanol: “The idea came about after People ran a split-cover edition following the 1995 murder of Selena, the Tejano singing star. The cover featuring Selena sold out, while the other, with the television cast of ‘Friends,’ did not.”

So context is a factor that should be added to the mix. If someone had just killed David Schwimmer, maybe they would have both sold out.

the point is that popularity does not equal sales. i have plenty of proof. and, i’m using that to say, people should consider other things besides looks when choosing subjects to photograph.

sometimes i like the way a photographer shoots but not the subjects they choose and that has an effect.

I have had far more of what you describe coming from clients. “She reminds me of my ex.” “He looks so much like my neighbor boy and I hate him.” “Why would we use someone who looks like that?” “What I need is someone who looks really sexy, but has an innocence that is sensual.”

All of the above are real quotes. Casting has so much to do with the tapes that roll in our heads as we look at others. Some have great tapes, most don’t.

I prefer to work with a model or a subject that has performance experience… dancers, actors, skaters, athletes. They have more control on letting that ‘protective’ layer down so you can get inside and get the moments that show us something beyond the pic. Those people are rare. I have great respect for the ones who do it really well.