Vienna
I decided to extend my one day tour to Switzerland by going on to Austria for the weekend. I contacted my good friend Alex Kaiser, who lives just outside Vienna, to see if he would be good enough to host me for a few nights. Just my luck he and his lovely family were happy to have me. I have been working closely with Alex for a couple of years on various projects. I just love his style of shooting and post processing! Very considered, well thought-out concepts and never any rushing or over shooting. We have a great rapport too and working with him always yields brilliantly creative and high quality results.
So, after popping a casting up over on purpleport, as well as sending personal direct emails to a few recommended photographers, I manage to fill 3 days with shoots. I met some lovely people! and received so many beautiful images back afterwards.
Alex picked me up at Vienna airport late on a Thursday night, and we drove back to Tribuswinkel, where I was staying. I spend the night in Alex’s spare apartment, exhausted from my travel from Zurich, preceded by a full days shoot. . . The next morning, after 90 minutes preparation, I walk to a nearby studio for a half days work, followed by another half days work in a different studio not too far away.
The photographer sends a car to collect me from my first shoot (he’s in a meeting). I jump in.. fully aware I just got in a car with a total stranger, I have no idea where I am going..and I’ve never met the photographer I am due to work with. My heart rate rises slightly as I realise I took a bit of a risk. I close my eyes, trust my professional instincts and experience, and fall asleep. Just over half an hour later we arrive at the studio. The photographer is waiting outside for me. Smiling. Younger than expected.
We go into the studio through a maze of shabby-looking corridors, in a very old building. I notice the beautiful winding staircase, original windows.. I momentarily recall the myriad of strange, unique and excitingly varied places I’ve had the privilege of working in during my modelling years.
The studio! oh my god, I walk in, a little groggy from my snooze in the taxi. Feeling a bit guilty I am not bouncy and full energy. A coffee sorts me out. I blink, again and again. The space is incredible! As the photographer makes me a Nespresso vanilla latte I wander through the three adjoining rooms in awe: 30kg of Haribo sweets are piled in one corner (always a good sign), my eyes feast on the huge selection of modifiers which i know are going to provide beautiful lighting for the shoot. Then, in the final room I see three grand makeup tables and tall director-style chairs facing their respective light filled makeup mirrors. ahhhhhhhhhh I’m in heaven. A beautiful set-up.
For the next four hours we shoot only portraits! My absolute favourite. We vary the styling and the backdrops, occasionally adjusting the light. I am well aware that the very large, very closely positioned, double diffused modifier will give exceedingly nice results. This is an absolutely gorgeous shoot, with some stunning results. You can see them here
On the second day I shoot with Alex, in a decommissioned wool textile factory. The venue is incredible; dusty hazy light fills the space through countless windows. Its been out of use since the 70’s and although it has been cleaned up, various hints of its past remain stacked up in corners. Old mangles, wool bins and hessian sacks are among the first things I spot. All incredibly cool, insatiably photogenic backdrops. Not to mention the crumbling walls, textured paint, concrete floors…..my mind goes crazy with the possibilities. Luckily we had worked on a mood board prior to the shoot. I don’t usually rely on these too heavily, but on this occasion in a space so alive with shooting options, I was extremely grateful to have had such a focused theme. It was also extremely cold! So we didn’t waste much time on pow-wowing about what to shoot and where. Alex is great at giving me a theme and then respecting me to make the final decision on styling and pose.
