Anatomy of a Steampunk Photoshoot

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This was my first serious shoot with logistics involving a model, costuming, and a shoot location. To spend an hour and a half behind the camera, I spent probably 4 hours doing the various administrative tasks to set up. Here’s an overview of the process we went through to get the pictures I wanted.

The Model

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a general casting call on a site that connects photographers, make-up artists, and models called Model Mayhem. I received quite a few responses, but most of them were from models in the Denver area, which presented logistical problems. I offered $15 an hour as my rate. I received probably a dozen or so interested responses, and I continue to receive responses over time. Michelle was the stand-out of the group, and also, was local, a huge plus.

The problem with a site like Model Mayhem is that there tends to be a bit of homogeny in the look and age ranges of the models. Many, if not most, of the models are young women in their 20s. This is fine for some of my needs, but I also need older models, and male models.

I chose Michelle because she expressed a strong interest in steampunk and had some portfolio work involving bits of period costumes. She also had some vibrant, interesting (but not super anachronistic) tattoos that really helped her stand out from the crowd. I imagine tattoos might be a problem for some models, but with me, they add character, and character is exactly what I am looking for in my models.

The Costuming

Once I knew the model I wanted to shoot, I next moved on to sketching out in my head what kind of character I thought she could play in the Roundbottom storyline. I’ve been working on a storyline involving a ghost that is related to steam, and so I struck upon the idea of a steampunk mechanic–someone who literally works around steam engines and such. I handed this concept off to Sarah, my costuming goddess, and we bounced around a few ideas, selecting items in our collection that would work as parts of the costume. We used a top and a vest from Sarah’s collection. I surfed the ads on Craigslist and lucked out. I found a pair of 1890s pipe wrenches for $20, and bought them in half an hour, driving far out into the country to pick them up. As you can see from the shots, I think they were crucial to the character concept.

After about a week of going back and forth and trying to sort out scheduling, we met with the model on a Sunday afternoon at a local costume shop called Wear it Again Sam’s, to assemble the remaining pieces. Michelle brought along her boyfriend, who also enjoys steampunk, and who I want to use in a future set. You make connections in the oddest places. Anyway, we tried on a variety of hats, goggles, and a couple of different skirts until finally, we had what we thought would be the final costume. Total cost was $30 worth of boots and hats to purchase, and a $15 rental fee on a 1903 wedding dress skirt, to be paid on the day of the shoot, whenever that would be.

Now that we had the model picked and the costume assembled, we just needed a location. This proved to be interesting.

The Location

I knew immediately the ideal environment for the character. Steam tunnels, or something along those lines. I wanted an old fashioned boiler room. I wandered around Old Town, asking various business owners in old buildings if they had basements. I looked at a couple, but PVC piping has taken over, and I just couldn’t bear to have that stuff in my shoot.

I was about to give up and try something else when I wandered past an empty brew pub building. Through the window, I could see these great copper brewing tanks, and all kinds of shiny metal piping. It fit the bill perfectly. I wrote down the realtor’s number and company and went back to a computer to see if I could find an email address.

I wrote an email, explaining what I wanted to do, and offering to pay if necessary, to use the space. The realtor, Ed, was more open to the idea than I dared dream. He thought that the space was a bit tight for a shoot, but offered to let me in and look around. We met the next morning, and sure enough, the space was quite tight and difficult to move around in, but the equipment was a perfect backdrop, so I asked if I could use it. He agreed to let me use it, but timing was a concern. He didn’t want to have to be around to let me in at the time that I could get my model and costumer together. After some talking, he quite suddenly gave me the passcode to get into the keybox and get into the building. I don’t know what inspired him to trust me, but I was ecstatic. I now had my location for the shoot, and it had cost me nothing but the bravery to write a stranger and ask.

The Shoot

With some hasty scheduling, I secured the model’s attendance and bribed Sarah into coming along. We set up in the narrow space between the retaining wall and the brewing equipment. Lighting was my first concern. The angles were incredibly limited. I ended up placing a strobe on a stand with a shoot-through umbrella on a metal platform where the control panel was. I positioned the model next to a set of interesting looking pipes with glass see-through pieces. Then I set up a bare strobe on my left, and I tried a few angles to keep the stacks of kegs out of the background, or at least to keep them in a location where I could easily paint them out.

With about 15 minutes of experimentation, I had my setup and my lights at the levels I wanted them, and we commenced to shoot. I had a few idea for poses I wanted, but Michelle gave some great ones without my suggestion.

The only technical problem I ran into was with my Cactus II radio triggers firing randomly, sometimes 3-4 times in a couple of seconds. I’m not sure if it was all the metal around or what. They fired when I triggered them on purpose, but I started to worry that the extra triggering that was happening would damage the strobe. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to have done any lasting damage.

We shot for about an hour and a half. I paid the model for her time in costuming and the shoot. Total cost there of $40. At the end of the shoot, we packed up quickly, signed a model release, and took the model home.

Post-Shoot Thoughts

So my total cost for this shoot, not including my camera equipment, was about $100, and around 6 hours of my time in total, before considering the post work I will need to do. I worry that unless I make a big splash with the renewal of the Roundbottom site and the fresh content, I won’t stand a chance of making back that money. Still, it’s a tax deduction no matter what.

One change I will try to make in the future is to do more research on potential locations. Also, I need to do a better job of scheduling ahead of time. Michelle was very accommodating, but she didn’t have to be. I’ll definitely work with her again, and I’m hoping to make her character a big one in the cast because of how great she was to work with.

I need to make a list of the types of shots I think I might want before I go into a shoot. About half-way through, I was running out of ideas, and really, the model gave me some of the best shots, and I hadn’t really thought to ask for them. I have a lot to learn still about working with models. If they all end up being as easy to work with as Michelle, then I’m going to be a very lucky photographer.

I may have to invest in something other than the Cactus triggers eventually. Up until this point, I have had no problems with them misfiring, but most of that shooting has been outdoors. Pocket Wizards are way too expensive. I’ll be looking for a mid-range solution, perhaps the cheaper Radio Popper model that I’ve read about.

I think that the real work is going to come in figuring out how to position myself better in selling Roundbottom prints. Who might buy these kinds of things? I’m not totally certain, but I hope there are a few people out there. I’m looking into Etsy and a few other places as ways to get the word out. I’m also hoping to do a local show in a gallery or coffee shop at the end of the summer.

Acknowledgements

My thanks to Sarah, Michelle, Ed, and the fine folks at Wear It Again Sam’s. Without you, the shoot would not have come off as well as it did. Thanks again.