first post but ive been lurking here for a while

just wanted to say how much i enjoy your work. i think your website is great and its content is very thorough and very well presented. i think you have a great eye for design and youve presented a great package for yourself. congrats on all the opportunities that are coming your way, and keep up that great attitude and sense of humility. i really dig it all

 

I was recently hired to shoot a building for a local audi billboard and I got completely pwned. I had a really hard time so I decided to go out and practice shooting some buildings here in Vegas. And this is what I got.

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And an entire blog entry on how I did each shot: click here

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I'm really looking to hone my skills in this genre of photography so any input would be great. Thanks in advanced for looking!

 

Thanks so much for the kind words. That sentence alone makes it all worth it for me. I really do appreciate it and enjoy your stay here at TeamSpeed!

 

This year during my annual trip back home to Hawaii I decided to do a last minute fashion shoot. With only two days before I returned to Vegas I didn’t have much time to prep; but luckily I did have an awesome and extremely talented team to back me up.

This thread will briefly outline the process my team and I go through to pull off a successful fashion shoot.

The complete write up/full set of pics can be seen on my blog here: shirakiphotoblog.com

Model Search:

First and foremost is finding our subject. When selecting girls, I have a number of factors that I like to keep in mind. Some of these include: height, build, age, bone structure, and potential of career success. An agent showed me this picture of a 5’9, thin/fit, 15 year old, with great bone structure, and a very high potential of career success, named Malia Murphey. Once I saw those legs I was sold!
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Location, location, location:

A picture is only as strong as its weakest component. A stunning backdrop can really elevate a picture to a whole new level. Prior to the shoot I had driven around Oahu twice taking scenery pictures and had stumbled across the perfect spot at Kaena point, the northern most tip of the island. I wanted something unique to showcase Hawaii’s beauty without looking cliché and cheesy (ie: crashing waves, sandy beaches, sunsets, etc.) I also wanted a feeling of vast expansiveness while showcasing an untouched and pristine side of Hawaii.

Here are a couple snap shots I took prior to the shoot:

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Wardrobe Selection:

Malia is tall, skinny, and young so it's important for me to provide age appropriate clothing while still pushing the creative envelope. We pulled the majority of the wardrobe from T by Alexander Wang to give a simple yet high fashion look that would complement the beautiful surroundings.

6. Heres my wardrobe stylist Cassandra prepping the clothes:


7. Cassandra performing wardrobe adjustment and my assistant armed with his D700 and 5DMkII + L-glass


8. The location was absolutely beautiful!



Shooting:

For this particular shoot I decided to work with natural light and just a large reflector to bounce light where I needed it. Everyone has a different shooting style but with fashion shoots I’ll take a very high number of total photographs. I took nearly 700 shots that day and ended up with around 15 finalized print quality images. There are so many factors that have to mesh together perfectly. Most important of these factors for me is the model's expression and connection with the viewer. Malia's expression can last only a split second and if I miss it, it’s gone forever. Sometimes the expression is good but the pose can be off or vice versa. So taking a high number of shots gives me the best chance of capturing those split second magical moments.

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Model Performance:

A skilled model makes my job exponentially easier. Sometimes it’s almost as if they’re reading my mind and adjusting their poses and expressions according to my thoughts. A good model can ‘find the light’ and is consciously be aware of how her face and body is reacting to the lighting conditions presented to her. Malia had a little difficulty ‘finding the light’ at first but quickly adapted and got into a groove. In Malia’s case, I’ve never seen a model with so much raw talent in my life. She instinctively knew how to pose and gave me solid expressions one after another that conveyed a lot of emotion. Cassandra can attest to this as she was absolutely floored with Malia’s performance. There’s so much talent and potential at such a young age, I really do believe that Malia can one day 'make it big'.

11. (perfect example of 'finding the light')


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Tips:

I’ve had a model almost faint on me before. Modeling is actually extremely difficult and quite tiring. Those weird poses are strenuous, similar to that of yoga but in their case, they have to do it all while standing on heels and concentrating on looking pretty at the same time. Multiple wardrobe changes and locations can be exhausting so I now bring a variety of healthy snacks, fruits and Gatorade for both the model and crew.

13. Malia snacking on some cherries


And heres the rest of each set. Enjoy.

14. Vintage Top/Silk Skirt

 

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17. Cowl Boat Neck Tee: T by Alexander Wang


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21. Onesie: T by Alexander Wang


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25. lol Cassandra made me put this one in. Malia looks so cute here and whenever I see this picture it always makes me smile.


26. Rumi RVCA Machinery Dress


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29. Please click on the picture below to see the complete story and all the behind the scenes pictures on my blog


I hope you enjoyed what you saw and I'd love to hear any feedback you might have. Questions, comments, or critiques are all more than welcomed. Thanks!

-Jordan Shiraki

 

Just met this sexy lady and can't wait for our date later this week

 

Haven't seen you post on here in a while, Jordan. Looks great! How did you like driving it?

 

Thanks for the warm welcome back! I didn't take it out yet, just went to go and look at it and arrange a full shoot this thursday. I'll have the complete set soon. I've driven the 570-4 Superleggera so I'd imagine it would be almost exactly the same but since it doesn't have the top, I'm sure it sounds that much better

 

Great stuff.

 

Great pictures!!
Really like the vegas shots!