My good friend Eric Eggly came to town for a visit. He asked if I could help him with a new project for his portfolio. Of course I agreed. As we prepared for the shoot, I realized he wasn’t asking for my help as a photographer – he was asking me to be one of the models! Normally I would find a way to get out of it; but Eric is one of the most creative photographers I know, so I agreed. I fell in love with the final images but, most importantly, I fell in love with how he created the shot. I asked Eric if he would share his creative thought process and he humbly agreed.

As Eric tells the story:

Creating and continually updating a portfolio can be time consuming and extremely costly as well. So in order to bring this particular series to life, I sought the help of a friend!

Being of Italian heritage and well aware of the stereotyping that often goes along with it, I decided to have a little fun with an idea. I conceived a concept playing off the very stereotypical image of a Mafia boss taking care of some very untidy business at the docks. I had planned every detail, even down to the cement buckets and chum. The talent was the last, yet most important, piece to really bring the concept to life. When choosing my talent, I pay close attention to specifically matching the talent with the mood, emotion, style and message that I am conveying.  

Choosing the Talent

Since this would be for my own personal body of work and this particular image would require at least four ‘character’ models, I placed it on the back burner. The opportunity to again revisit this concept happened when Photoshop World East came to Orlando, where I would be speaking for F. J. Westcott. With the sunny Florida beaches at hand, I knew this would be the perfect place to find a dock by the ocean. Not only was the location perfect, but I also had just the talent in mind to play the Mob Boss – my buddy, Robert Vanelli. If anyone could play the part, it was Vanelli; and I was thrilled he agreed to. He also helped to secure the other talent, which was a huge help. At this point, having all the talent in place, it was well worth my time to stay an extra day to get the shot.

I scouted locations and, with everyone on board for the photo shoot, we were good to go. The location required an evening shot and what started out to be a great, sunny day quickly turned into a mess. We had rain, lightning and high winds to contend with, so it was time for Plan B.  Actually Plan B was to figure out what Plan B would be. It was time to regroup and rethink how to proceed with the concept and still get the image. I had the perfect talent, but no location.  

Picking a Shooting Location

As luck would have it, Vanelli had his karate dojo nearby, which is essentially a wide-open area – perfect for shooting in. With talent in tow, we headed for the dojo and starting setting up lights. If I wanted to salvage anything of what we started, I would have to create a composite. In order to do this, I always pay close attention to atmospheric matching, which is essential in the process. The direction of the light for the entire scene had been predetermined; but with the change, I would have to replicate the natural light with strobes. Now that I didn’t have the ability to shoot most of it in one or two shots on location, everything had to be perfectly aligned in the studio. I also had to make sure to take note of camera settings, lens choice, camera height and angle of light.  By doing this, I would have a base to start from when shooting additional elements that would be added to the final image.  

Vanelli’s friends were absolutely perfect for the image: from the proprietor and his assistant to the patsy that was going to take a dive for not paying up. I shot a variety of different expressions. I also thought about different scenarios while shooting the talent, paying close attention to perspective and lens selection. Having shot everyone in a whirlwind of evening shooting, it was time to head back home and finish the other elements of the shot.

I knew of a particular location near my studio that would work for the dock element. I had planned the lighting on my talent knowing that the docks would be located on the south side of Lake Erie with the sun coming from the west. A day and 200 miles later, I had the dock image – and the sun did cooperate this time around.

Shooting Other Elements

The next element, the dockside stand, was built and shot in my studio along with the buckets and signage. The fish guts for the chum were shot separately. The background image of the body of water, obviously not Lake Erie, was taken while I was in the Caribbean.

All told, it took a little over 3 days of shooting, 2 days of prep, 60 hours of Photoshop and a whole lot of fun.  

If it hadn’t been for the cooperation and willingness of my friend, Vanelli, to not only be IN the shot, but also round up other talent for the shot, it would still only be an idea I sketched on my art pad.  

Meet the Photographer

On Monday, January 25, 2016, Eric is giving an Image Makers lecture in New York City for the Apple Store, SoHo. If you’re in town, check it out and tell him Vanelli sent you!

*Feature image © Eric Eggly

---

Vanelli is a photographer, educator and author based in Florida. Currently he shoots for Inside Lacrosse Magazine, teaches workshops, and writes for Photofocus. Click here for a list of Vanelli’s articles.

https://www.facebook.com/mrvanelli
https://twitter.com/vanelli

---

 

Filed under: Lighting, Photography, Portrait Tagged: Create a Portfolio, Eric Eggly, Robert Vanelli, Vanelli