Catch up on
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
I had no idea what to expect when I pulled my car up in front of a big warehouse in the Northeast side of Minneapolis. After the fitting with the designer, I wasn’t feeling very optimistic about the quality of the photo shoot ahead. And I also wasn’t feeling very optimistic about my abilities as a model.
The Client had sent all the models a link to a few photos that represented the style of the photo shoot that she was going for. All of the shots featured models bending their arms and legs into angular poses, not a smile on anyone’s face. Pretty much the exact opposite of my signature blog Outfit of the Day pose (hand on hip, head tilted, smile)…
With a deep breath, I walked into the warehouse. It turned out to be a really cool building, full of artist lofts. I made my way upstairs to the designated loft in which we’d be shooting…and I set foot on a bona fide photo shoot set.
Pop music resonated through the large, airy space. Racks of clothes were set up next to a large table full of shoes and jewelry. Six people were fussing over a model standing in the shooting area – a black backdrop with black paper covering the floor, and bright lights positioned in a semi-circle. The Photographer stood twelve feet back, camera in hand, waiting for the space to clear so she could start taking shots of the model. It felt electric and exciting.
I was greeted by The Client and introduced to the hair and makeup artists. I spent an hour in their chair, having my hair curled and fluffed and sprayed within an inch of its life. I tried to get a good look at all the makeup that was being applied to my face, taking note of brands and colors that were new to me.
While in the makeup chair, I had a chance to watch the other models at work and it was clear that they were more seasoned than I. I figured that they were using this experience to build a book and a true modeling career. So I paid attention to the poses they were doing, trying to get ideas for when my turn came.
I’m going to guess you guys won’t be surprised to learn that I felt like a complete dork in front of the camera. In the first place, I couldn’t stop smiling. The Photographer was a lot of fun – she definitely made the entire day for me – and we joked around quite a bit. Which meant that I was constantly having to remember to quit smiling and make a serious face. I tried to position my body the way the other models did, dropping a hip or bending my knees and elbows. But those poses just didn’t look the same on my plus size body as they did on their skinny frames. Which became evident every time The Photographer would snap a few photos and then confer with The Client over a large screen Mac computer monitor.
Let me tell you…you’ve never experienced true insecurity until you’re left standing alone in a few spotlights, while strangers huddle over pictures of you and whisper. Then turn back around and ask you to try to pose differently. I’m a very self- confident woman and even I was a little rattled by that!
So I pulled up Lane Bryant’s website to see how other plus size models pose. The Photographer thought that was pretty funny, and she was very encouraging – she’d let me know when something worked and would tell me how to angle my head or drop an elbow. Like I said, The Photographer and her assistant really kept me going, kept the energy of the shoot high, and made the day fun.
After six hours of being on set, I was ready to get home…and to see the finished photos.
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