I love doing photoshoots when I travel. Prior to a Spring 2012 trip to Salzburg, I devoted time to searching for models there for a TFP shoot. I was eager to start trying my hand at fashion photography & begin to build my portfolio.
2 Salzburg based male models responded enthusiastically to my TFP social media post. They in turn found two more models for the shoot as well as organized 2 locations for us to use: the industrial Panzerhalle building & the Gusswerk development.
I had planned the shoot so that by the time my husband & I deboarded the train from our 4 1/2 ride from our home at the time in Bavaria, I had just enough time to check into the hotel, freshen up & head down to the lobby to meet all the models.
The experience was great in many ways as well as a bit of a creative rush. The weather was gorgeous& the models were well prepared. For one of them, this was her very first portfolio shoot as well. The level of mutual collaboration & patience at the shoot amongst the models was example worthy.
For me, especially during that inception phase of portfolio building, TFP shoots are about creating results that both the photographer & model can use in their portfolios but also a training ground for exploring ideas, comfort level, technique, connection & more. Experiences of chemistry & communication are also valuable lessons that can occur at a TFP shoot. This shoot was fantastic in that it was such a rich learning ground for many of these elements, as well as pre-shoot collaborative planning.