Character Test
Moments before the first setup I leaned over to my assistant, and said, “I am rudderless."
A week earlier I had received an email from a woman named Eva Yaso, a DJ from Berlin, who was in New York for a few days. She made a request to do pictures together, and since she had a respectable feed of attractive photos on her Instagram, I responded, “Yes!”
Eva did exactly as she said she would: she came on time, brought wardrobe, and did her own make up. But something fell off, missing. Although I had a list of shot ideas, and even pre-scouted the neighborhood, I felt at a loss. As we made small talk in my assistant's Bushwick living room, the question at the front of my brain was, “What did I think this would be? What is the point, again?”
The conversation had reached a standstill, with everyone wondering why we hadn’t started yet. I suggested we head out to the first spot that I selected, a vintage Cadillac around the corner.
As he walked over to the first location, I leaned over to my assistant and whispered, “I am rudderless.“ She looked back at me with a small smile, thinking that I was kidding. It felt like I was wasting everyone’s time, and about to make a fool of myself .
Once we settled into the first location, the light shifted a bit, with the clouds rolling in front of direct sun, diffusing it beautifully. I directed Eva to stand by the oversized Seventies’ car and as I started pressing the shutter, there was clarity.
And Eva‘s poses were great! She kept switching it up, giving me variety, but holding the positions long enough for me to get a frame or two. She delivered a fantastic mix of feminine confidence and playful creativity.
My attitude about the session took a 180, and rather than dragging my feet and bidding time, I felt a sense of urgency, in anticipation for the multiple setups we might execute. We shot until well after sunset, and it only got better, as I became more bold and focused.
What is the take away? Sometimes you just have to start shooting and trust that something will spark.
Top Image: Eva poses with Jesus in a Cadillac in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY. October 15, 2024.
Second Image: We are using the vintage car as a background when I spotted Christ under the front windshield. I grew up Catholic, and continue to be religious, but I’m also halfway through E. P. Sanders‘ “The Historical Figure of Jesus,” so the icon caught my eye. A few frames into the set up I exclaimed, “I’m reading a book about Jesus right now!“ Eva quickly replied, “Is it called ‘The Bible?’” BTS photo by Alex Franklin.
Bottom Image: Two more setups from the Eva Yaso session.