Occupations
© Blend ImagesOccupations are a stimulating subject to explore for photography as the nature of ‘work’ and ‘labour’ has greatly diversified, parallel to the more typical mainstream professions. Workforces have become increasingly more adventurous in the ways of generating income, driven by the proliferation in technology designed for peripatetic business people, entrepreneurs and small businesses. There is huge scope for coverage in this area, revealing the more unusual, quirky occupations, rural occupations as well as working in a metropolis and small business set-ups.
Image buyers of these types of image, especially editorial clients seek realism and authenticity in the situation, so these are important factors if you are considering setting up an Occupations shoot.
It is also important to obtain signed releases from your models where possible as this will add mileage to your shoot and appeal to more markets. If you are a travel photographer, it is suggested to look out for typical professions in the country you are visiting. These images will appeal to the travel markets but also fulfil the demand for images that document business culture and occupations globally.
Joe Baraban
Whenever possible, go to the location before you actually shoot. Find out what obstacles there are. For example, what type of lighting is there? Will you be able to shoot with available light, or will you have to bring in lighting? Make sure you tell the client that bringing in lighting to the studio may be disruptive. If you require additional lighting, make sure you know where the different circuits are so you don't overload them by having too much amperage on the same circuit.
Marwood Jenkins
- Use reflectors instead of flash units, small operations are difficult to light and time is very important.
- Try to not show too much technology in the shot, it often dates.
- Ask your models not to wear white, most small business professionals think that’s what smart means.
- Try using small on camera flash units hidden around the room site and fired by Infra-Red or light slaves.
- Always bring a little face powder and cloth cleaning tape.
Dimitri Vervits
- Spend money to make money. Using professional models and production crew means achieving the right shot more easily.
- Be adventurous but stick to concepts that sell, reinventing the wheel in a fresh way.
- Create partnerships with people that have skills that you don’t (like art directors and fellow photographers who may be more technical or creative), making the images you produce stronger.
- Make sure your kit is the best you can afford so you don’t make shooting a hassle. High speed lenses and cameras that tolerate low light without producing loads of noise make shooting a pleasure.
- Get as much emotion into the shot as possible without overcooking it. Get models to believe they’re in the situation they’re acting out.
Ian Shaw
- Photographing people in their various occupations or professions can be a rewarding experience both personally and financially.
- Real people in real situations is the aim. If you inspire confidence and make the model feel comfortable you will in turn inspire the model to make the most of the situation.
- In real situations as opposed to setup ones, the ‘model’ may not be a natural in front of the camera. Time maybe limited so this is an important factor to consider to achieve natural body language and most importantly authenticity and reality in the situation.
- Again as you might be using ‘real models,’ you don’t always have to panic if say they have a bad complexion as you can often rely on the Photoshop healing and cloning tool to eliminate some flaws, though avoid over-perfecting.
- Consider the saleability and market for this image - is it an editorial customer who wishes for a very literal image of person in their work environment, either a portrait, and/or working in their environment. Or is it for advertising and they wish for a more iconic shot of that profession which might mean going in close for a detail shot for example.
- Make the most of digital photography as you can easily check the lighting which can vary in situations, could be mixed light or low light for example. This saves time and cost if you were to use Polaroids. In addition if your subject moves, blinks or otherwise looks unnatural, you have the luxury of reshooting and reviewing it till it looks right.
- Carry a ‘clip file’. This is the photographer’s caddy. It comprises of tear sheets taken from magazines, newspapers, books etc of subjects in a similar or complimentary area to your own. As well as generating ideas you can use it to show your model in terms of suggesting what you are trying to achieve with the shot.
Alex Bortkiewicz
- Authenticity is very important particularly if you are setting up an occupations shoot. For example if you are showing a doctor or nurse conducting a medical procedure, the equipment should be state of the art and the procedure itself correctly and realistically portrayed. Other elements like uniform, head dress if relevant, props etc also need to be considered.
- If you are shooting a ‘real’ teacher or ‘doctor’ or other profession in a working environment it’s imperative to check and find out what lighting there is available, what you can bring, etc so you are prepared and cause minimal disturbance in a busy working environment.
- It’s a good idea to move beyond the stereotypes for set-up ‘occupations’ situations and consider role reversals and social, economic and political changes in society. More women are involved in jobs as engineers, scientists, doctors etc and people of 50+ are the most common age bracket for starting new businesses. It’s also recommended to review market trends as to the profile of who’s doing what kind of jobs.
- If you are particularly driven to document different professions in ‘a day in the life of’’ style feature there are many to choose from, not just the more obvious ones like teachers, doctors, lawyers, shop owners etc. People are becoming enticed by more unusual ways to make money and have job fulfilment like someone who for a living uses their olfactory skills to identify the best essences from flowers and exotic plants in jungles around the world and convert them into the latest divine perfume. The Sunday Times also features a column on unusual jobs called ‘someone has to do it’...which provides some intriguing options...
- Consider different creative ways of revealing a profession - details of hands working can reveal more then showing the whole image and become an iconic representation of a profession. A silhouette shot of a group of chefs becomes a statement about the catering industry. Using still life can have a similar effect - an image of a stethoscope shot in a creative, stylised way can be a representative visual for the medical profession.