This week for my internship, I started off Sunday afternoon by assisting Kaela on an all day men's fashion shoot in several locations around Pittsburgh. Doran Mauldrin was the model, makeup and hair done by Hannah Donovan, and styled by Teera Doner.

Pulling ideas from the inspiration board Kaela had put together, the team brought to life the look she had envisioned. Starting with studio headshots, we went over basic lighting techniques and how to make them most effective for men and women. She even set up some shots for the recently famous "man bun" appearance.

We packed up and drove around to different locations around downtown Pittsburgh with very unique characteristics (thank you Google maps), but spots that had the most beautiful natural light. There were outfit changes between each location change to best suit the surroundings. Doran, being a fairly new model took direction from Kaela very well, and caught on very quickly to subtleties that can improve the appearance of the portrait when viewed from a camera's perspective. Through this all, I learned how to make the most flattering and most effective light in any location. I also picked up on ways to pose male models, because let's face it, it's a challenging thing to do.

The shoot also enforced why it's so important to work with other creatives. When a photographer is busy worrying about if a shirt is wrinkled, the makeup is showing to much shine, or there needs to be a reflector to fill the shadows, it can be overwhelming and exhausting to continue to compose the shot and direct the model, and expect to get exactly what you're looking for. Having others who specialize in each area to work with will make an overall more impactful and more professional outcome of the photograph you are wanting. Period.

In my time outside of class and shoots, I have been working on my retouching skills, one photo at a time. Patience is a must-have when it comes to retouching, but it is well worth it with the final image. My hopes are to use these things I've learned while working with Kaela and apply them to portfolio for graduation, and the time to follow.

While assisting, I made sure to get behind the scenes photos to share. Below are some of my favorites.