Newbie at Cover Shoot Assignment - what to look out for?

[Deadpoet]

Maybe its a startup on a limited budget. Maybe fleek has an awesome personal portfolio you haven't seen before. Maybe he's doing his friend a favor. I'm a newbie at shooting myself but have managed to do 1 cover shot and several published shots with no issues. A bit of planning will go a long way, best not to question his abilities but prod him along with a bit of encouragement and useful advice.

Absolutely, we should encourage Fleek, and some may envy him the opportunities he got.

But, if he has a great personal portfolio, he will not be asking the questions he asked.

If the magazine is a start up and has limited budget, well, having a bad cover is a sure thing to aid in its demise. You can't cut some corners. Magazine is a visual product, and a bad cover, a bad center spread ... that's it.

My gripe is, seems like everyone here in Singapore only wants it cheap, free even better, quality is an after thought, as long as it is in focus and exposed somewhat correctly. I know, I am generalising, but majority of the time, that is what the customer wants.

 

[Belle&Sebastain]

Absolutely, we should encourage Fleek, and some may envy him the opportunities he got.

But, if he has a great personal portfolio, he will not be asking the questions he asked.

If the magazine is a start up and has limited budget, well, having a bad cover is a sure thing to aid in its demise. You can't cut some corners. Magazine is a visual product, and a bad cover, a bad center spread ... that's it.

My gripe is, seems like everyone here in Singapore only wants it cheap, free even better, quality is an after thought, as long as it is in focus and exposed somewhat correctly. I know, I am generalising, but majority of the time, that is what the customer wants.

hope you are wrong but a sad of of singapore is like that, cheap and free, the quality is an afterthought.

 

[sORe-EyEz]

Absolutely, we should encourage Fleek, and some may envy him the opportunities he got.

But, if he has a great personal portfolio, he will not be asking the questions he asked.

If the magazine is a start up and has limited budget, well, having a bad cover is a sure thing to aid in its demise. You can't cut some corners. Magazine is a visual product, and a bad cover, a bad center spread ... that's it.

My gripe is, seems like everyone here in Singapore only wants it cheap, free even better, quality is an after thought, as long as it is in focus and exposed somewhat correctly. I know, I am generalising, but majority of the time, that is what the customer wants.

envy him? me, me!!:bsmilie: :bsmilie:

 

[sORe-EyEz]

hope you are wrong but a sad of of singapore is like that, cheap and free, the quality is an afterthought.

cant agree more. but i think ppl who r not into photography cant really tell d diff between a gd & a slightly 2 a great pic. so their criterior is low-low lor...

would u pay $20 for a plate of fried noodle if a $3 is jus as gd (not refering 2 occasional self pampering)...?

or say i cant tell d diff in taste so y spend so much more?

 

[retrospect]

I am going to sound like a broken record again. Wonder why a magazine will want someone with minimal experience to shoot the cover and center spread for them. Looking more and more like a disaster in the making!

What's wrong with a newbie doing a cover shoot? Instead of griping about how unfair, how illogical, how nonsensical it is, it'll be better if some constructive comments are given to guide and encourage the newbie yea?

By saying that it's a disaster in the making is not going to help much.

 

[LazerLordz]

I am going to sound like a broken record again. Wonder why a magazine will want someone with minimal experience to shoot the cover and center spread for them. Looking more and more like a disaster in the making!

Please do not shoot off if you do not understand the whole situation.Humans get nervous, especially doing something for the first time.Minimal experience in shooting for magazine covers does not mean he is a complete newbie.He might be damn well experienced in other areas and who can blame a man for branching out..

Smells like a clown on prozac just drove into the room and his spray-flowers are all dry.:bsmilie:

 

[green_leaf]

Please do not shoot off if you do not understand the whole situation.Humans get nervous, especially doing something for the first time.Minimal experience in shooting for magazine covers does not mean he is a complete newbie.He might be damn well experienced in other areas and who can blame a man for branching out..

Smells like a clown on prozac just drove into the room and his spray-flowers are all dry.:bsmilie:

i kinda agree on this
Newbie doesnt mean never shoot before. Maybe is just nervous due to lacking of self confident or just need a little bit of encouragement to feel better.

Maybe he might be some expert in studio or other kind of photography but seldom touch on this kind of outdoor shooting.

 

[vince123123]

Just to interject at this stage, the thread starter did call himself a "Newbie", and the definition of a newbie is "one that is new at something".

 

[Deadpoet]

What's wrong with a newbie doing a cover shoot? Instead of griping about how unfair, how illogical, how nonsensical it is, it'll be better if some constructive comments are given to guide and encourage the newbie yea?

Nothing wrong for Fleek wanting to doing the covershoot. However, wanting to and capable at are two very different things. I merely pointed out the obvious. You have a new publication, new photographer with no experiences, subjects that are not models (this is my assumption based on what Fleek told us), shooting in enviroments that photographer does not have 100% control (street, Little India). I think it's going to be very tough!

Now, when did i gripe it's unfair? Please tell me! The whole thing is absolutely illogiccal and nonsensical, but if you factor in the local's demand for chrapness over quality, then it startes to make some sense.

By saying that it's a disaster in the making is not going to help much.

Really? I think it's helping Fleek a lot. He needs to see the difficulties of the task at hand, and either politely decline the assignment or bring in real help. Him going alone will be a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Deadpoet]

Please do not shoot off if you do not understand the whole situation.Humans get nervous, especially doing something for the first time.Minimal experience in shooting for magazine covers does not mean he is a complete newbie.He might be damn well experienced in other areas and who can blame a man for branching out..

Smells like a clown on prozac just drove into the room and his spray-flowers are all dry.:bsmilie:

Likewise. Did you read all of Fleek's posts? And did you read mine?

Now, how did I not understand the whole situation. My comments were based entirely on the information provided by Fleek. Getting nervous is fine, can be understandable. However, if you assept an assignment, I really don't give a hoot if you are going to be nervous during the job. I only care about the product you produce! For someone who never did this kind of job before, I stand by waht I said, disaster waiting to happen!

Fleek called himself a newbie. So we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is a newbie!


Now comment about the clown, does not deserve a reply.

 

[LazerLordz]

Likewise. Did you read all of Fleek's posts? And did you read mine?

Now, how did I not understand the whole situation. My comments were based entirely on the information provided by Fleek. Getting nervous is fine, can be understandable. However, if you assept an assignment, I really don't give a hoot if you are going to be nervous during the job. I only care about the product you produce! For someone who never did this kind of job before, I stand by waht I said, disaster waiting to happen!

Fleek called himself a newbie. So we have to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is a newbie!


Now comment about the clown, does not deserve a reply.

Well, I must say that you have clarified certain things about this issue.I'm just not so sure that a disaster will happen.Anyway... let's just say that clown bit came in a huff and you can have my apologies.

Cheers.

 

[Deadpoet]

Well, I must say that you have clarified certain things about this issue.I'm just not so sure that a disaster will happen.Anyway... let's just say that clown bit came in a huff and you can have my apologies.

Cheers.

Cheers

 

[Skye Tan]

Hmm..besides the technical aspect, do make sure that they are paying you correctly for the cover. Some of the magazines make use of young photographer's soft spot for immediate recognition and request that they shoot for free or below market rates. You may attempt it once or twice, but be prepared to not gain anything from there.

Also do find out if you are free to proposed the concept for the cover, or will you just be following instructions. If you are not getting paid for this job, try at least to control the art direction of the cover or else you are really being just made used by publishers to cut cost.
If that really does happen, you should know who you should not work with in the future.

Apart from this, shooting covers can really be exciting.

 

[vince123123]

Won't it cost more in terms of professional time if you are not getting paid and yet have to be responsible for art direction and conceptualizing?

Also do find out if you are free to proposed the concept for the cover, or will you just be following instructions. If you are not getting paid for this job, try at least to control the art direction of the cover or else you are really being just made used by publishers to cut cost.

 

[unseen]

Absolutely, we should encourage Fleek, and some may envy him the opportunities he got.

But, if he has a great personal portfolio, he will not be asking the questions he asked.

If the magazine is a start up and has limited budget, well, having a bad cover is a sure thing to aid in its demise. You can't cut some corners. Magazine is a visual product, and a bad cover, a bad center spread ... that's it.

My gripe is, seems like everyone here in Singapore only wants it cheap, free even better, quality is an after thought, as long as it is in focus and exposed somewhat correctly. I know, I am generalising, but majority of the time, that is what the customer wants.

LOL can I ask a very simple question, directed at you?
Do you eat $3 foodcourt chicken rice or the $28 chicken rice at mandarin hotel?

I know a food gourmet who eats only $28++ chicken rice, and call the $3 chicken rice low quality, imitation, bad texture, unedible. He said the same stuff as you about eating health, how eating such bad chicken is bad for health, raises your chances of getting heart disease, cannot cut corners, muz go for the best and so on. He also mentioned $28++ is nothing compared to health etc.

So are you one of those hypocrites?
Shooting off here while going for cheap stuff? Quality of the food is an afterthought, as long as you get to fill your stomach and you can accept the taste?

I guess you must be one of those hypocrites, coz 80% of singapore doesn't give a dXmn about the difference, to the "normal" people it's just as good. You must be one of those snobby professionals. :thumbsd:

 

[Germinc]

I dont get chance to shoot mag covers... :cry:
with my A95... porlly cmi.

 

[Deadpoet]

LOL can I ask a very simple question, directed at you?
Do you eat $3 foodcourt chicken rice or the $28 chicken rice at mandarin hotel?

I know a food gourmet who eats only $28++ chicken rice, and call the $3 chicken rice low quality, imitation, bad texture, unedible. He said the same stuff as you about eating health, how eating such bad chicken is bad for health, raises your chances of getting heart disease, cannot cut corners, muz go for the best and so on. He also mentioned $28++ is nothing compared to health etc.

So are you one of those hypocrites?
Shooting off here while going for cheap stuff? Quality of the food is an afterthought, as long as you get to fill your stomach and you can accept the taste?

I guess you must be one of those hypocrites, coz 80% of singapore doesn't give a dXmn about the difference, to the "normal" people it's just as good. You must be one of those snobby professionals. :thumbsd:

Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to SLAM you.
First of all, we are not talking about chicken rice, nor were we taking about how much the photographer may be charging. The entire discussion, until yours, was centered around the fact that the OP, an inexperienced photographer, by his own admission, was asked to shoot the cover of a magazine.

He posted asking for advice, and I asked the question why Singaporeans, all too often, only care abut how cheap the photographic services are, and place very little concern over the quality of the results. I also raised the question that the magazine, a new publication, can ill afford to have an amateurish cover shot, and made a wild guess that the whole arrangement is a disaster in th waiting.

Now, chicken rice. It would take someone who has a very vivid imagination and very little ability to comprehend, to make the connection between my comments and $3/$28 chicken rice. Not too many here on CS, even in Singapore, has such unique ability.

On a second note, after carefully reading and understanding your post, actually, I can't understand much of what you posted! Are you trying to say I am justlike the snobby food gourmet or am I one who doesn't really care about quality and just want to stuff my stomache. Your chain of thought jumps so quickily that a makes it very hard for a normal person to follow your logic, or lack there of.

Quality of the food is an afterthought, as long as you get to fill your stomach and you can accept the taste?

I guess you must be one of those hypocrites, coz 80% of singapore doesn't give a dXmn about the difference, to the "normal" people it's just as good. You must be one of those snobby professionals. :thumbsd:

Or on a broader note, your comments I quoted above, are you implying that Sigaporean does not care for quality? If you were, you were in 100% agreement with me. If this is the case, how could you call me a hypocrite. Or do you know what hypocrite means?

 

[ellery]

People keep cool. If our poster can pull it off - power to him. I have ma doubts too much of the situation is going to chaotic soo unless he's really lucky to make those at the moment corrections to save the situation is gonna to happen if you do not have to skill set and the mind set to deal with.... People work is more than techniques.

No point fxxxxxxx the attitude of the magazine - its an industry thing. Unless they get burnt real bad the attitude is gonna to be "it's good enough and it's cheap so why bother ?" Even if they pay its less than 100 bucks per session so I dunno which is worse being used for free or use cheaply.

Even as a learning experience this can be truamatic more than eduational.

 

[Astin]

Reading from the posts of fleek, this is what most likely will happen on the day.
1. The girl will interview the Japanese socer players, and most likely the organizer will ask fleek to take some shots during the interview process. This could be 1-to-1 interview and fleek should have enough time to take a few casual shots, fleek u should ask the organizer the interview location is indoor or outdoor, and go there a few times for survery 1st so at least u know how the place look like, and what lighting will be.
2. Most likely the organizer will ask for a group photo, so fleek u also need to know the location beforehand, otherwise on the shoot, 1 guy say left 1 guy say right and it will be messy, u should take control and decide where is the best place for a group shot, 11 soccer players is not easy so some thinking of how to line them up will be good.

 

[Virgo]

This will need some experience from fleek's side. Not to dampen your spirit fleek, but I do agree with Deadpoet that you'll need to communicate with your client properly and really know what they wanted out of your pics, if not, I'm afraid it'll be a disaster. However, if your client, or your friend knows the angle you're coming from, then OK lah...all the best and enjoy the shoot!

Reading from the posts of fleek, this is what most likely will happen on the day.
1. The girl will interview the Japanese socer players, and most likely the organizer will ask fleek to take some shots during the interview process. This could be 1-to-1 interview and fleek should have enough time to take a few casual shots, fleek u should ask the organizer the interview location is indoor or outdoor, and go there a few times for survery 1st so at least u know how the place look like, and what lighting will be.
2. Most likely the organizer will ask for a group photo, so fleek u also need to know the location beforehand, otherwise on the shoot, 1 guy say left 1 guy say right and it will be messy, u should take control and decide where is the best place for a group shot, 11 soccer players is not easy so some thinking of how to line them up will be good.