Daniel Davey for Irish Independent - how I shoot photography editorial for a magazine
For today's front page of Weekend Magazine with Daniel Davey aka FoodFlicker, I went to his family farm in Sligo, put the wellies on, hiked, took photos, made friends with sheep and chatted with Daniel about the real food, his new book and Irish rugby.
As a photographer specializing in editorial and food photography, I often get to work with some very interesting people. This time Irish Independent sent me to meet with nutritionist Daniel Davey. Daniel is Dublin football and Leinster rugby's unsung hero and is about to release 'Eat up, Raise your game' - a cookbook that is all about easy and nutritious food combined with sports performance.
Even though the editorial photography seems quite straight forward, it actually requires a lot of 'behind the scenes' work and experience. A good eye and a good camera aren't enough when working with high-profile people. You need to be on top of your game and plan every step of the process if you want to deliver great material within a short period of time. As I really enjoyed this particular photo-shoot with Daniel, I decided to use it as an example to describe my process in the form of a checklist. This way, it's applicable to various types of editorial jobs and you can follow it anytime you are shooting for a magazine.
So, let's dig right in.
Back in August, I received an inquiry about my availability for a job. Before I take any project, I need to make sure that I can deliver what the client is looking for. After checking that I'm available, the style of imagery is within my aesthetic and I can deliver the final images in the time-frame, only then I commit to a job. This particular photo-shoot required me to travel for 2h one way, so I also considered if the magazine's budget covers that.
Asking about all the details before you commit to a job is crucial - In the past, I had a couple of surprises because I didn't get all the info. Once I was informed just after the photo-shoot that I need to deliver images within 24 h. This type of situations might badly reflect on a client, but mainly it's the photographer that is under enormous pressure.
Once I'm happy to take to the project, I follow this step-by-step guide:
1. I ask the editor for a specific brief and instructions. This includes asking for contact details - e-mail and phone number I can call on the day of the shoot.
2. At this stage, the location and the time for the photo-shoot are decided and I note it in my calendar.
3. I do the background check of a person; I research them and I become familiar with what they represent and what is the angle of this photo-shoot. Daniel is known for his work with rugby and football, but for this photography project, we were going to his home house and shooting around where he grew up and where his knowledge about food comes from.
4. If it's the first time working with a magazine, I will do a thorough research to be able to recognize their style and the type of imagery I will be shooting.
5. I decide if I will be using artificial or available light, what the location is and what kind of limitations there might be. As we were shooting outdoors, I knew I would be using available light. I packed wellies and outdoor clothes suitable to wear on a farm.
6. I make contact with my team, if I require make-up artist, stylist, assistant or videographer to make sure they have all the information.
7. I make contact with a person that I'm shooting. I make an introduction, confirm all the details as well as suggest any elements that might be on their side. In this case, I asked Daniel to have a variety of outfits.
8. If the photo-shoot is more than a week after the initial contact, I confirm the details a day before the photo-shoot.
9. I check the weather forecast for the day of the photo-shoot.
10. I also pack my gear a day before: I make sure I have a backup lens, batteries, empty memory cards.
11. If I have to travel, I make sure I leave enough time to not to be late.
12. On the day of the shoot, as I am prepared and organised, I feel grounded and in control. This allows me to focus on building a connection with the photographed person. Making them feel comfortable and like they are in good hands is a part of creating great images - if you build the trust and the relationship with the model, they will be more relaxed and it will be easier for you to guide them and take interesting photographs. Thankfully Daniel is a very open and friendly person, so it was extremely easy for me to connect with him and we talked a lot during the photo-shoot. I think the images reflect that!
13. During the photo-shoot, I make sure I am getting a variety of photos: both portrait and landscape orientated, some more zoomed in, some with negative space so the designer can put text on the photo.
14. I also have the guidelines for cover shots in mind- I'm always looking for something extra that will make the cover stand out. Even if I am not shooting a cover story, it's always good to create images like that, as you never know and they might run the cover with your photo! In this case, I knew we were shooting for the front page, so with that in mind, I took images with enough space for the logo and the text to go on the photograph.
15. As I come back to the office, I download the images to the computer and do a back-up.
16. Normally within 7 days, unless agreed otherwise, I review the images, select my recommendations and send them along with the gallery of all images. I found that editors appreciate when I make their life a bit easier by narrowing down the photographs to a few best ones.
17. Once I receive the final selection, I retouch them and deliver in 3500px on a longer side, 300 dpi for portrait orientated image. In case one of the landscape images will be used on a double spread, I deliver a full resolution file that will allow the photo to be printed without the loss of quality.
18. After delivering the final files, I ask for the information about the publication date and a .pdf file for my portfolio.
19. I never publish the images before the magazine is out.
20. And when the magazine is out, I share it on my social media channels and bathe in glory :)
I hope this gives you a bit of an insight into my process and will help to feel well organised and prepared next time you are shooting the editorial for a magazine.
If you would like to see more posts like this one, please drop me a message on my contact form or via my social media channels. I always love to hear from you!
