FaceTime Photo Shoot: Emily

April 21, 2020

I know photography certainly isn't a priority during the Covid-19 crisis, but creating is an effective way for me to keep a positive attitude during all this. I recently got inspired when I saw the photographer Allesio Albi collaborate with models by using FaceTime 'screen captures' in place of taking a photo. Since then, I’ve seen more photographers posting work with a similar workflow. I just had to try it myself.

After researching how to make this work, I hopped on Instagram and started contacting a few people from my “models I’d like to work with” gallery. After a couple days, my first FaceTime shoot was booked with a model named Emily. She happened to live hundreds of miles away from me, but it didn’t matter as long as the wi-fi held out! Honestly, the idea of photographing people hundreds or even thousands of miles away made the concept even more intriguing to me.

Director’s Chair

Usually when I take portraits, I’m completely exhausted by the end of a photo shoot. I’m constantly moving around, crouching in uncomfortable positions, hauling gear, and thinking about 30 things at once. In this case, I took on more of a director’s role for this shoot. I sat from afar, instructing Emily where to place the camera, where to move environmental elements, and how to pose. This geographical limitation made me realize how critical it is to have good communication during a photo shoot, whether it’s in person, or virtual.

Here’s a few of the looks we created during our shoot:

Flower Vignette

The first look was a nice little floral scene that Emily created for our shoot.

As you can see above, there was a cool shadow pattern on the background that really complemented the flowers that were framing her. I was really grateful she took the time to set this scene up beforehand. It got the photo shoot off to a great start!

Windows

It’s amazing how different the light can be in a room, depending on where you’re standing. I thought it would be great to get some classic, “right by the window” portraits, so that was our next stop.

It just so happened there was another really cool light/shadow pattern on the wall behind her, which provided a great compositional element.

Mirrors

Mirrors are something most people have in their homes, so I knew I could count on using this element during a FaceTime shoot:

It was a challenge, but it was also a lot of fun trying to figure out camera and mirror positions for the above photos. The lamp in the corner of her room added a really interesting glow to the scene as well.

Conclusion

I know some photographers will balk at the idea of using FaceTime and a CELL PHONE to do a photo shoot. Hell, it wasn’t even my cell phone. But what other options do photographers really have right now? Sure, the quality isn’t the greatest, but these photos were a lot of fun to create. I came away energized from this and feel inspired to try more virtual photo shoots in the future. I will always prefer using an actual camera and being in person, but I also prefer doing something rather than nothing.

-Chris