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Old 10-22-2007, 01:23 AM   #1
ozma
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 2,108
My first Photoshoot, what it was like.

I just finished writing about how my first photoshoot went for my blog (parasitegirl.livejournal.com) and figured it migth be worth posting here as well. It's a lot of minutia about me, but it may gbe of help to folks who are thinking about the first shoot, or amuse others.

Much came before this post. I polled my blog readers extensively as to which costumes to shoot (so that I could get feedback from dancers and the general public with which to think on) I searched teh threads here for advice, I asked local friends/dancers who had worked with Nam (the photographer) for advice, hired a stylist, meet about "my look" and had contemplated my look, the sort of images I wanted, why I was doing this and so on. What follows is long and took me a few slow hours at work to write. You can also find it here

http://parasitegirl.livejournal.com/481888.html#cutid1

Its long, so I'll need to post it in parts.

Photoshoot:

Friday night I prepped my costumes and started to pack the wheeled suitcase and overnight bag I'd be hauling to the shoot.

I keep my bedlah in labeled collapsible Ikea boxes. The cloth covers of the boxes allow them to breathe. The greatest thing about these boxes is they are exactly the same height as the inside of my suitcase. I unzipped both boxes and did a final try-on to check if any clasps needed to be tightened, padding added or removed. Then I did a spot check, looking for loose beads/clasps/whatever. All good, back in the box. The same ritual went on for my accessories and jewelry.

Then came the ironing.

I hate ironing. I like to believe that the darkness of most of my venues covers a multitude of sins. I am lazy.

I ironed and ironed and ironed my silk veils and hung them up for the night. I'd been warned that Nam, the photographer, is very picky about wrinkled veils. One of my veils seems to re-wrinkle the moment I turn away. I started thinking about covering multitudes of sins. Love thy self, love the sinner. Luckily the veil I most wanted to use is an Akai Silk veil of a few different tie-dyed colors (blues and reds) and I could allow myself to believe that motion and the lines of tie-dye would be veil veil enough for my sloth. I knew it would be wrinkled slightly because I don't have the luxury of hanging everything in a garment bag and laying it on my backseat. Everything had to fit in my luggage and travel on trains for 1 1/2 hours prior to the shoot.

I love that veil. I need more. I've been very good about not ordering more but I think it's about time for me to sell the silk veils I don't use and invest in some new ones.

I also ironed and hung a chiffon skirt. My second skirt was a stretch velvet one I'd made the week before, no ironing needed. Yay.

I packed the make-up that Momo, my stylist, had asked me to bring (my own false eyelashes and my usual foundation and body glitters.)
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