My First Photo Shoot Ever

This is a story about how I got into photography and completed my first photo shoot. On December 31, 2008, I purchased my first ever DSLR camera on Amazon.com. Before this, I only used disposable Kodak cameras bought from local grocery stores, or very cheap digital point-and-shoot cameras with terrible resolution and battery life. I’m sure the point-and-shoot cameras I owned back then had different camera modes and settings, but I only ever used the automatic mode. Basically, I knew absolutely nothing about cameras other than to literally point and shoot.

Then sometime during 2008, I happened upon a friend’s Facebook page and noticed her photos looked different compared to everyone else’s photos on my feed. I couldn’t describe what it was at the time, but there was something that made her images look more professional and of higher quality. It was only later on that I learned the correct term for what distinguished her photos — a narrow depth of field.

In any case, I decided that I would like to shoot higher quality photos myself, so I searched for the highest rated, yet affordable DSLR camera, and made my purchase — the Canon Rebel XSi.

My camera arrived in January of 2009, and I remember being very excited. I took the camera out of the box, skimmed through the “Getting Started” portion of the manual, set the mode to “automatic” like I was used to doing, and began shooting away. The only problem was, my photos looked nothing like the captivating photos my friend had posted on Facebook.

In fact, the super high resolution combined with the unforgiving flash that I couldn’t figure out how to disable made my photos actually look a bit disgusting.

Because of this, my enthusiasm for photography started to atrophy, and my camera received very little attention from me for the next couple of months. Even with my underwhelming results, however, I knew the problem was me and not my camera.

On March 24, 2009, while browsing on Craigslist for musicians to collaborate with, I came across a post made by a local photographer offering band and musician photo shoots. The photos he posted in his ad were very impressive, so I decided to check out his website.

Upon viewing his portfolio, I quickly realized this photographer shot more than just bands and musicians; he also photographed models and actors in a very stylized way. I didn’t know many photographers back then, so my curiosity was piqued. His website showed he offered photography lessons for beginners, so I decided to contact him and see if he could help me.

This is how I came in touch with my good friend Ezra Spurrier. Ezra and I exchanged a few emails before we finally had my first lesson. He went over the basics of my camera’s manual mode settings, which I had never dared to use before. Everything was much clearer but still foreign to me by the time we wrapped up our second lesson, and so I asked him what I should do now.

He said, “Find someone to model for you, and just go out and shoot!”

It all sounded very simple, but putting it into practice felt daunting. I did not know any models personally, and I wasn’t sure which of my friends would want or need a photo taken by an amateur. I was afraid it would be awkward for everyone involved, and so I asked Ezra for some direction during my next lesson. He suggested I try posting an ad on Craigslist.

On April 10, 2009, I received a response from an actress and aspiring model named Summer who was looking to build a portfolio and gain some more experience herself. She had plans to attend an open call for a modeling agency later in the week, and wanted to do more shoots in the process.

It felt a bit intimidating to be scheduling a shoot with someone who was interviewing with a modeling agency, but I was completely honest with her about my goals and skill level, and once she let me know that she still wanted to shoot, I relaxed and we set the date.

On Sunday, April 19, Summer arrived at my apartment in Burbank, California. We originally agreed to meet at noon, but I had to push the time to 3 o’clock in order to finish watching the Lakers game. They were still very good back in 2009.

Summer let me know that she did indeed sign with the modeling agency to do print work and fit modeling, and wanted to know if we could shoot some photos for her zed card. A zed card, or a comp card, is like a business card for models and actors, but instead of having only your name and contact information, it also displays a good selection of photographs that represent your versatility.

I didn’t have any concepts or ideas planned out, so I was all for helping her out the best I could. One of the photos she needed for her zed card was of her in a swimsuit, so we decided it made sense to use the beach as the main location for the day’s shoot.

I don’t remember much of the drive over to the beach, but I do remember once we arrived, I felt both excited and very nervous. I had only purchased my camera about four months ago, and yet here I was on the beach with a talent agency-signed model, about to shoot her in a swimsuit for my first photo shoot ever.

Looking back, I had no idea what I was doing, but I never felt lost or flustered because Summer was so patient throughout the entire process. Her positivity and support really made her the best model I could have asked for to help me through my first photo shoot.

We followed up the swimsuit photos with a couple casual looks and some fitness apparel, and finally called it a day. Summer was excited about all the photos, and her agency even found a couple of photos that were acceptable for her zed card.

I was riding high with a sense of accomplishment and confidence, and I brought the photos in to my next lesson with Ezra. We loaded them up on his computer, and he began dissecting each of them. I quickly learned there were many details I had overlooked during my first shoot, such as errant shadows, poor composition, and unflattering angles.

It was clear there was still a lot to learn in order to train my eye, but this first shoot was such a huge milestone for me. Now that I had one shoot under my belt, the next step was to take Ezra’s notes and try to implement them on the next shoot.

I was only four months into owning my new camera, but was excited for all the shoots to come, one of which would take me on a two-week road trip halfway across the country later that year. But that will be a story for another time…