Through the Lens | by Lu Gerdemann

""All the hours spent watching America’s Next Top Model are finally about to pay off,"" I thought to myself going into this photo shoot.

My name is Lu, photographer and owner of Lu Supply Co., and I have had minimal experience with editorial photography, let alone fashion editorial photography. Up until this point, my photography experience has been more traditional-type shoots; senior photos, family pictures, commercial headshots etc.

I was trying something brand new and was extremely sweaty.

Time moves fast. When working with families, seniors or business professionals, most often than not, it takes time for them to “warm up” and feel comfortable during a shoot. I believe that this warm up time is important so you can get the most authentic shot possible. When it comes to fashion editorial shoots that are “on location” with multiple outfit changes, you have to move quickly and with purpose.

Fashion photography involves working with models, hair and makeup crew, creative director(s), etc. and their time is money. Think about it like this; we’ve all taken 34,738 selfies only to find one good one to post (and those 34738 selfies take time!) Fashion photography is like only having time for 20 frames (shots) and every frame needs to look like it could be on the cover of Vogue.

Commercial photography, but make it creative.

Traditional commercial photography is fairly straightforward and will serve a marketing purpose for its business. Fashion photography serves both a commercial purpose and creative purpose. When working in a creative industry, like fashion, photographers must also be creative with the shots to add creative dimension to an image. Creativity of composition, angles, lighting, facial expressions and/or body movements of your subject are all things a fashion editorial photographer must consider during a shoot.

Reflecting back on my experience on this shoot, it opened my eyes to a number of areas I can improve on as a photographer in general. As a photographer, it’s important to diversify your skill set and photography experiences.

It is amazing how new experiences can provide you with a new perspective on your skills and talents. Always strive to do better and don’t be afraid of new things.

Photos and Words by Lu Gerdemann

Model Carolyn Arentson

Makeup Artist Britni Farber

Hair Kate McIntosh