Jenn LeBlanc

Wrangling cats

Posted by Jenn on February 8, 2010 · 1 Comment 

Casting and organizing another studio shoot for this project. All I can say is “aaarrrrrgh!” Seriously, this is like wrangling cats. Flakes, cancellations, last minute changes in terms, and on and on and on. There is truly something to be said for photojournalism when working on these shoots. Photojournalism is easy (in this regard) you show up, you make the images. People are there, or they aren’t. You relinquish all control of the situation in exchange for the opportunity of the moment. This isn’t to say anything about the difficulties of photojournalism, the difficulty of the subject matter, the impossibility of getting an image once the moment has passed.

Studio work, as I have said before, has it’s own benefits and challenges. This second casting call has more players involved; a female model, which requires a makeup artist and a hairstylist as well, alongside the male model and a costumer. Of course my art director and myself puts the in-studio body count at seven.

INSANITY. Did I say wrangling cats? Perhaps I meant wrangling hamsters. Either way my head is spinning.

I’m in!

I’m out.

I’m in!

I’m out.

I’m in! Oh did I mention you need to compensate for this?

Uh, no, and by the way, no I don’t and have a nice day, you’re out, so who’s in?

Journalism exists on a deadline. I like working on deadline, and I like the newsroom teamwork that makes deadlines happen. This is more like me, on my own, without my team. Wrangling cats, or hamsters. Come to think of it frogs might be the right animal, you never know where they may land, or what they might stick to.

In the end the only thing of import is the final images and whether the client smiles upon delivery. I know my client will smile, eventually, because eventually I will get these cats wrangled. People, all I want to do is make a picture. Really. That is all I want to do. Work with me here! Let’s do this thing.

OI

By the way, the model in this image was wonderful, always on time, never complained, never cancelled and always communicated. He also left Colorado for San Francisco and I wish him the best of luck and hope we work together again someday.

©2010 Jenn LeBlanc

This riding crop has become infamous in my little circle, aiding and abetting the capture of the second wildest journalism teacher in the west, terrifying a class on the Auraria Campus, keeping a few models in line, and generally striking fear into the expressions of countless people along the way. All in good prop-worthy fun.