This was one of a series of images shot for AQUA I Gulf Islands Living. I like this kind of shoot because someone else has done all the leg work and has a plan for the cover image. In this kind of shoot I don’t have a part in planning, collecting props and model(s). I do provide lighting if it makes the shot better. And I provide a set of images for the magazine to choose from (they chose this image which has to exist with the magazine name and text about the stories in the issue).
And I love this kind of shot for a magazine. I do everything for this kind of shoot. This was shot way back in 2007, at the start of the school year at GISS (Gulf Islands Secondary School).
These are the three GISPA (Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts) teachers at the time: Bruce (music), Sonja (dance) and Jason (theatre). I approached them that day and after only a few tries we had this cover shot with room for text and other layout elements. (no image editing was required)
I was lying on the ground, and they were accomplished performers —always ready to take a leap—and made the magic happen in only a few jumps.
The camera I used at the time could focus and shoot 14 times per second so we nailed the moment. And the Driftwood designers at the AQUA did a great job with layout.
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The ‘seeing’ in this shot was the initial idea, the planning (the school location and time of day for light and schedules), and the fast evaluation of the first couple of shots.