Forum » Photographers Spotlight

Mike Brochu Interview

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user1 Posted at October 21, 2008 at 05:18 PM	1, Any new models that you see have potential to become the next rising star? Answer: You always start with the hard questions first but I did see some great new looks this past year. From runway shoots, there are two or three in NY and Boston that really stood out and caught my eye as having excellent Fashion potential due to their movement, posing skills and expressions. I recently worked with Jinger Santos down in Miami and felt she had an excellent variety of skills and lots of potential, not only for swimwear, which is what we worked on, but also for editorial and fashion content, so shes one I would definitely keep my eye on. 2, What are your new projects for this year? Answer: In March I have a group Fashion project in Boston with some of the designers, salons, jewelers etc, cover shoots in LA, magazine layouts, a few ad campaigns and catalogs and I’m sure I’ll toss in several calendars. For personal projects, I really want to stretch this year and try a bunch of new concepts, lighting styles, perspectives and locations. A couple of photographers really got me fired up and juiced lately. Lionel Deluy’s wide angle fashion images are outstanding not only for their technical execution but also for their documentary style and Jorge Parra’s " Out of Place " model images practially just off the page. Both these guys excel at originality of vision and are not afraid to try something new, which as we all know, is the only way to get better. 3, What is the best advice to give to a model to produce captivating images? Answer: That one question alone is why my E-mail in box keeps overloading and the answer is simple, Not Easy, but simple. Practice, practice, practice ! The Model reader might ask, practice what, how? Expression and animation is everything in modeling, so lets start there. The $10 Model Expression Course. Two words, Milla Jojovich ! A master of expression. Go down to Blockbuster and buy the pre-viewed Ultra Violet and 5th Element DVD’s. Freeze the frame each time she conjures up a new expression and try it out in the mirror until a variation works for your particular facial structure. Voila, several new looks in one night ! Imagine that. Ok, on to body posture and posing skills. Again, there is a very inexpensive way to practice. Get a stack of manilla folders and mark each of the tops, one for Fashion, Editorial, Runway, Swimwear, Lingerie, Casual and so on depending on your area of interest. Then, when you get a Glamour or Fashion magazine or a catalog, cut out the images with the poses you like best and place them in their respective folders. The next time no one is home, get in front of the mirror, crank the music, Rock Out and PRACTICE ! Voila, several new poses in one night ! Imagine that. Tip of the Day ! Want a little more S Curve to your 3/4 poses ? Hands on hips, weight one hip, point the opposite toe sideways, and slightly bend your knee. Yes, its ok to get up and try it now. Nobody is watching. Feel that? One slight change in posture created a whole new dynamic to your pose. Now on to Hand Position. Hand bags are BIG these days and I mean literally, so all you have to do is pick up a Vanity Fair, Vogue, W or Cosmo and you will see alot of designer hand bag images. See any hands making a fist? No? See any hiding behind a thigh or dress? No? You get the point. Take note of the elegant finger placement and be aware the next time you are in front of the camera. 4, How can we learn more about your skills? There will be both an instructional DVD and Posing Guide out this year. Also, be sure to check for upcoming workshops and seminars. 5, Any pointers to the upcoming photographers? Creativity is more important than getting the newest gear. Experiment and don’t be afraid to try new things Such as shooting from a different perspective, hi then low, off to one side, and pay attention to where the light falls. For different styles, use different light sources. Hard, small light for an edgy look with defined shadow transition and large light sources for a softer, more gradual shadow transition. Also, backgrounds are important so be sure to constantly check the frame for unwanted clutter before shooting. Too many photographers “ hope “ the image will look better when they check the LCD screen. If it didn’t look good before the shutter was snapped, it isn’t going to look any better after. For newer photographers, once again one of the least expensive ways to improve the quality of their images is to use cut outs from magazines and check the catchlights in the eyes to get an idea on how the image was lit. Then, if you like that particular style, go out and see if you can closely approximate the image. Then, try and try again until you get it right. Remember Edison’s reply when asked how he felt about failing 10,000 times to get the incandescent bulb to work? He remarked that he did not fail 10,000 times, but rather he found out 9999 ways that it didn’t work ! 6, What is your goal in the next 5 years? To be doing exactly what I’m doing now. Traveling, meeting and working with creative, talented people. Oh yes, and to get a vehicle larger than an SUV. For some odd reason, I ‘d like to get a really tacky Aluminum travel trailer, complete with Pink Flamingo lawn ornaments, a couple of chia pets, a thatch of astroturf and maybe a couple of those wooden cows, just to make the place feel like home. So if you happen to see a dilapidated Airstream out on the road this year, be sure to stop by and say hello. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a bottle of Moet. smile 7, What has your experience been like working with the Prestigious Models? I couldn’t ask for a better group of Models to work with. I’m always amazed at how they help and support one another. For example, showing up at an all day shoot to help someone else with their hair, makeup and styling, knowing they themselves aren’t going home with any images. They are always prompt, Professional, hard working and courteous and I’m honored to count many of the PM Models among my good friends. 8, Any advice to PM for better improvements? PM is such an outstanding concept that I think its just a matter of fine tuning an already great program. I’d like to applaud the PM Models for their excellence and I look forward to seeing you all out on the road this year. Best Regards, Mike Brochu

Author

Comment

user1

Posted at October 21, 2008 at 05:18 PM

1, Any new models that you see have potential to become the next rising star?

Answer: You always start with the hard questions first but I did see some great new looks this past year. From runway shoots, there are two or three in NY and Boston that really stood out and caught my eye as having excellent Fashion potential due to their movement, posing skills and expressions. I recently worked with Jinger Santos down in Miami and felt she had an excellent variety of skills and lots of potential, not only for swimwear, which is what we worked on, but also for editorial and fashion content, so shes one I would definitely keep my eye on.

2, What are your new projects for this year?

Answer: In March I have a group Fashion project in Boston with some of the designers, salons, jewelers etc, cover shoots in LA, magazine layouts, a few ad campaigns and catalogs and I’m sure I’ll toss in several calendars. For personal projects, I really want to stretch this year and try a bunch of new concepts, lighting styles, perspectives and locations. A couple of photographers really got me fired up and juiced lately. Lionel Deluy’s wide angle fashion images are outstanding not only for their technical execution but also for their documentary style and Jorge Parra’s " Out of Place " model images practially just off the page. Both these guys excel at originality of vision and are not afraid to try something new, which as we all know, is the only way to get better.

3, What is the best advice to give to a model to produce captivating images?

Answer: That one question alone is why my E-mail in box keeps overloading and the answer is simple, Not Easy, but simple. Practice, practice, practice !

The Model reader might ask, practice what, how? Expression and animation is everything in modeling, so lets start there. The $10 Model Expression Course. Two words, Milla Jojovich !
A master of expression.
Go down to Blockbuster and buy the pre-viewed Ultra Violet and 5th Element DVD’s.
Freeze the frame each time she conjures up a new expression and try it out in the mirror until a variation works for your particular facial structure. Voila, several new looks in one night ! Imagine that.

Ok, on to body posture and posing skills. Again, there is a very inexpensive way to practice.
Get a stack of manilla folders and mark each of the tops, one for Fashion, Editorial, Runway, Swimwear, Lingerie, Casual and so on depending on your area of interest. Then, when you get a Glamour or Fashion magazine or a catalog, cut out the images with the poses you like best and place them in their respective folders.

The next time no one is home, get in front of the mirror, crank the music, Rock Out and PRACTICE ! Voila, several new poses in one night ! Imagine that.

Tip of the Day ! Want a little more S Curve to your 3/4 poses ? Hands on hips, weight one hip, point the opposite toe sideways, and slightly bend your knee. Yes, its ok to get up and try it now. Nobody is watching. Feel that? One slight change in posture created a whole new dynamic to your pose.

Now on to Hand Position. Hand bags are BIG these days and I mean literally, so all you have to do is pick up a Vanity Fair, Vogue, W or Cosmo and you will see alot of designer hand bag images.
See any hands making a fist? No? See any hiding behind a thigh or dress? No?
You get the point. Take note of the elegant finger placement and be aware the next time you are in front of the camera.

4, How can we learn more about your skills?

There will be both an instructional DVD and Posing Guide out this year. Also, be sure to check for upcoming workshops and seminars.

5, Any pointers to the upcoming photographers?

Creativity is more important than getting the newest gear. Experiment and don’t be afraid to try new things
Such as shooting from a different perspective, hi then low, off to one side, and pay attention to where the light falls. For different styles, use different light sources. Hard, small light for an edgy look with defined shadow transition and large light sources for a softer, more gradual shadow transition. Also, backgrounds are important so be sure to constantly check the frame for unwanted clutter before shooting. Too many photographers “ hope “ the image will look better when they check the LCD screen. If it didn’t look good before the shutter was snapped, it isn’t going to look any better after.

For newer photographers, once again one of the least expensive ways to improve the quality of their images is to use cut outs from magazines and check the catchlights in the eyes to get an idea on how the image was lit. Then, if you like that particular style, go out and see if you can closely approximate the image.
Then, try and try again until you get it right.
Remember Edison’s reply when asked how he felt about failing 10,000 times to get the incandescent bulb to work? He remarked that he did not fail 10,000 times, but rather he found out 9999 ways that it didn’t work !

6, What is your goal in the next 5 years?

To be doing exactly what I’m doing now. Traveling, meeting and working with creative, talented people.
Oh yes, and to get a vehicle larger than an SUV. For some odd reason, I ‘d like to get a really tacky
Aluminum travel trailer, complete with Pink Flamingo lawn ornaments, a couple of chia pets, a thatch of astroturf and maybe a couple of those wooden cows, just to make the place feel like home. So if you happen to see a dilapidated Airstream out on the road this year, be sure to stop by and say hello. Oh, and don’t forget to bring a bottle of Moet. smile

7, What has your experience been like working with the Prestigious Models?

I couldn’t ask for a better group of Models to work with. I’m always amazed at how they help and support one another. For example, showing up at an all day shoot to help someone else with their hair, makeup and styling, knowing they themselves aren’t going home with any images. They are always prompt,
Professional, hard working and courteous and I’m honored to count many of the PM Models among my good friends.

8, Any advice to PM for better improvements?

PM is such an outstanding concept that I think its just a matter of fine tuning an already great program.

I’d like to applaud the PM Models for their excellence and I look forward to seeing you all out on the road this year.

Best Regards, Mike Brochu