Ready
SET
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SEPTEMBER 2019 / 6:00 PM / hiTechModa -Ocean Odyssey Show , New York City
Team Attendees: Adrian of CaribDomain, Brandon Norwood of DE Fashion Alliance, Eusé Perez the Entrepreneurial Hippy
To work alongside someone who is so driven and passionate about what he does is not only inspiring and motivational, but impactful to everyone who has the honor of working with him. We all arrived at the event early to make sure everything ran smoothly. We had already discussed the types of images he wanted. Organization and attention to detail play a major role when working in collaboration with him.
He places great importance on capturing things within the moment. It’s not just about what’s on the runway, but it’s also about the audience who walks in the room, the rehearsals, and the entire experience. A photo commemorates a moment in time, but he is also interested in what captures the essence of the whole. This is probably the reason we work so well together because this is how I view photography as well!
I have loved taking photos for as long as I can remember. I became fully interested in photography in 2010, when I photographed my first fashion show. It was exhilarating; having all access to the event, documenting the models getting their make-up done, watching the designers rack their clothing, and the producers organizing the show.
Capturing images at major fashion week shows became a professional goal for me, so I was delighted when Adrian approached me about documenting my experience about the show for his media outlet. I was shocked and humbled. The next thing I knew, I was on a bus to New York city. I was so excited that I was six hours early, but I found myself elbow to elbow with a highly esteemed Getty photographer, the head photographer for a major publishing company, the lead photographer for the fashion show. What a mind-blowing experience! Here I was, a small-town photographer, who had only dream of moments like these. One models featured in the show was Gazini Ganados, who represented the Philippines in the 2019 Miss Universe Competition.
Design by Albert Andrada Luxewear
It was pretty chilly, and I left super early because I was excited! I brought an entire suitcase of photography equipment because I really didn’t know what to expect at the show. I had studio lights, tripods; the whole 9 yards. To kill time, I just roamed the streets with my suitcase, thinking I would check out some camera stores. As I walked past the New York Times Building, I came up with a bold idea. I walked right in and asked if there was anyone I could work with, speak to, anything to let them know I exist. Security escorted me to the main desk where I called the head of the photo department. Amazingly, we exchanged email addresses and have kept in touch. I’m looking for just the right time and the right image. I am going to reach out to her with something great.
I had high expectations for a New York Fashion Week official showcase. Emerging Designer shows are a particular favorite, so I expected it to be much like other emerging designer shows in the sense that I would be meeting new and influential people, people who were living life unapologetically, unafraid to express themselves. I was not disappointed. The designs were beautiful. Some left me in total awe—creativity from a whole other dimension. to reach out to her with something great.
I was used to being in what is known as “the media pit” with other press and media outlets. You get there early to claim your spot, then you don’t move from that spot for any reason! If you move, you may lose is you do not have another media personnel holding down that spot until you get back.
When I got there, there were only two photographers there, and that was the head photographer, and the Getty photographer, Brian Ach. Brian and I hit it off immediately, and when he gave me a glimpse of his professional life, I was absolutely intrigued. Suffice it to say, I buddied up with Brian for the runway shoots and it was such an educational experience! Before the show, he gave me pointers on how to maneuver around this type of media pit. He talked about the types of shots he liked to take from the runway, gave me recommendations for camera settings, and reminisced about some of his favorite events. I took a lot from our conversation, and occasionally still connect with him on social media.
As other media people arrived, you could tell this was the scene for the pros; people who do this for a living. Photography is my passion, but not yet my full-time career. So, when some more experienced photographers saw me, a 5’3 young lady with glasses and a small (borderline professional) consumer grade camera, with my little lens, they couldn’t help but make fun. “The media pit conversation start at this moment amongst photographers”
“Look at your little camera!”
“I remember shooting like that YEARS and YEARS ago!”
“You must be new!” were just a few of the comments I received, but I was unphased.
The camera is your tool. It’s like a painter who invests in expensive paint brushes, compared to a painter who buys their brushes from the dollar store. The quality of the tool may be completely different, but it is not as substantial as the painter himself. I laughed with them and took it lightly. There was a reason I was a small-town photographer from Washington DC in a room with multi-published international photographers. A little light-hearted fun would not ruin my vibe!
What people might not understand is the pace. It goes rather quickly. There may be 12 designers, each showcasing 10-20 looks, which can take 6-10 minutes per designer. Once a piece is gone off the runway, the opportunity to capture is done. You can’t ask the model to come back!
You have to catch the flood, and then you have so many models around the one you missed that moment it becomes difficult to get a focused shot of one model. All the things are running through your head as the photographer, you’re trying to catch the model on the “right foot,” make sure the garment is represented well, and that it’s a shot that really makes the model and the garment the focal point.
In this NYC Media pit, we had about 10×15 feet of space (probably less) for about 18 people. You not only have to focus on the runway, but you have to make sure that you are not capturing the elbows of the photographer in front of you. You’re hoping that you don’t get bumped from behind and miss the shot, and all the while you are listening to the witty banter and the opinions of your pit mates. It becomes a lot, and very quickly!
Once you find the rhythm of the show, though, it becomes easier. You find the “sweet spot” where you can photograph and not be in anyone’s way or vice versa. Once you carve out your space, and the time to talk to those around you, everything just falls into place. And a magical place it is. Each designer, the pace, the whirl of colors, the lights flashing and the camaraderie of the press, photographers, the models, and the designers transported me. Each click of my camera, a pleasant and sensual surprise, transported me to another level of creative satisfaction. Everything flowed like a well-oiled machine, making my first experience as a photographer at a major fashion week a delightful memory; one that I will always cherish.
Photographer since 2010, Eusé Perez is dedicated to creatively capturing stories that surround her in everyday life. Because of the pandemic, she could not actively take part in protests held in DC, so in this photo set she recreates the scene she sees thru social media, through the pain and willingness to thrive of her peers, and hopes to continue to bring awareness to the effects of police brutality on mental health within the African American and POC community
By Amber D. Dodd On AUG 27, in the National Harbor’s MGM Casino’s Theater, a lone runway darts into a stage hidden by plum-colored curtains, …
