Note: Content for The Daily Edit is found on the newsstands. Submissions are not accepted.
Heidi: I see you have a bit of beauty and more feminine still life in your work, was this a challenge for you to shoot masculine food?
Plamen: It is never a challenge when the food looks appetizing, I want the viewer to taste the picture, to see what I am seeing.
What was the hardest part of this shoot?
The hardest part was not letting it become overly-stylized, keeping it slightly messy but still attractive. It needed to look like it was prepared in a cabin without too much emphasis on presentation, we all strove to make it look incidental yet appetizing.
It’s great styling, what kind of direction was discussed?
Mostly we discussed texture and color, having worked with Roscoe before was a plus.
Note: Content for The Daily Edit is found on the newsstands. Submissions are not accepted.
Heidi: Typically you shoot products for the magazine, what inspired this new direction?
Inga: Hannah McCaughey, Outside Magazine’s creative director, and I worked together on this one. We wanted to do something that showed a character who the viewer followed on his journey through all of the fitness myths being written about. We wanted to do something that didn’t take itself too seriously so we used the a Ken doll as our protagonist and Outside has used Ken before as a character. Photographer Chris Buck and shot a great feature for Outside starring a Ken-like doll several years back. We wrote to Chris to warn him and get his blessings, which he was kind enough to give us. Thanks Chris!!
Tell me about this shoot, where are these locations?
Ken is such a funny character that we thought it would be good to bring him back for a cameo. Ken and I would tool around town together playing dress up and finding fun locations here in Santa Fe. In fact, the shoot was so fun that I still tote Ken around with me looking for fun scenarios to put him in! It doesn’t raise too many eyebrows as long as I remember to put his clothes back on between wardrobe changes.
Are these shot with the iphone/hipstamatic or some other photo app?
Yes, they were shot on my iPhone using the hipstamatic app. Being a fictional character, Ken seemed like a good choice to illustrate the myth idea, and this style of shooting kept it loose.
I know you are a staff photographer for Outside, do you have a studio space at the magazine?
I do a lot of freelance work for Outside but I’m usually in the studio. (Outside has a beautiful studio space where I do most of the shooting.) This feature was mostly shot on location so that was a nice change of pace for me.
Creative Director: Alexandra Kotur Design Director: Edward Leida Photo Director: Leslie Williams Art Director: Effie Tsu Deputy Photo Editor: Devin J. Traineau
Note: Content for The Daily Edit is found on the newsstands. Submissions are not accepted.
Heidi: You are a team, how does that work? Do you shoot simultaneously or ….?
Sara: Mark and I discuss what we’re going to do in detail before we go into a shoot. We look at references, we talk about light, styling, everything beforehand. On the shoot day, Mark usually heads up lighting and I direct hair, makeup, styling, and props (if we have them). Sometimes we shoot simultaneously but more often than not, it’s Mark that holds the camera and I’m directing. To us, it really doesn’t matter. We’re both there to serve the image, and that end result is what we’re both after.
How long were you at this location?
We spent about two days in Cabo. Traveler sent us to two hotels and we bounced between them to get the cover shot and the interior shots.
Did you know the cover line prior to the shoot, if so did that influence your creative process?
We knew it was for the Reader’s Choice Awards. We wanted it to feel celebratory and graphic. Kathleen Klech suggested the balloon which she saw in another one of our images on our website and we agreed it would be a great component for the cover.
You may remember photographer Jason Lee Parry from the $28,000,000 lawsuit brought against him in August by parents of a young model he photographed (APE story here). The parents flipped out when a sexually suggestive image that Parry took of their 16 year old daughter on a motorcycle (she was 15 at the time) appeared on clothing in Urban Outfitters. In an email to us Jason claims the lawsuit is nothing but a publicity stunt because: the models father was on set for the majority of the shoot, the parents and Ford modeling agency approved of the images after the shoot, and the model posted the images to her blog after the shoot. Finally, he says the images appeared on the shirts in Urban Outfitters without his permission. Heidi Volpe asked him a few questions about what happened:
Heidi: How did you find out you were getting sued?
Jason: I received a phone call from a reporter of the New York Post named Bruce Golding on August 15th 2011. He broke the news and emailed me the documentation of the lawsuit before I received it from anyone else or knew I was even being sued.
What is most upsetting about the lawsuit?
The images have been out in the public for 18 Months, it’s the second image that comes up when you google her name. It has been on my website and I’ve never been asked to take them down, it has been on Ford models website and was never asked to be taken down as well as on the Model’s Facebook page, blog and thousands of other fashion blogs. The second it comes out on an Urban Outfitters t-shirt, the Model’s parents try to sue for $28 million. It is obviously 100% about money. Why didn’t the parents contact the magazine and ask them to not publish the images?
How long after you did the shoot, did the lawsuit come up?
18 Months.
Were the parents on set during the photo shoot?
The model’s father was present for a majority of the shoot. He was shown photos while on set and sanctioned them long before they were published.
Was the treatment approved and discussed?
The treatment was discussed and approved with Meg Day of Ford Models, the teen Model’s booker at the time as well as the teen Model’s father the day of the shoot. Both approved, and the second the editorial was published, I personally dropped off the magazine with her booker at Ford Models. Everyone was very happy with the story. Ford at that point even hired me to test shoot their new faces, which I did.
Did they have any comments during the shoot?
Her dad just spoke about how he used to ride motorcycles.
Did the model have a problem with them prior to the t-shirt coming out?
After the photos were released the model proudly posted the images in question to her Facebook, blog and the Ford models website. She also posted behind the scenes photos of the shoot on her blog. Also, before the lawsuit, the Model’s brother and two of his friends had posted a photo of themselves on her Facebook page all wearing the t-shirt in question. The Model had commented under the photo that her friends all need to get one of the t-shirts.
Friends Wearing The T-Shirt
Behind The Scenes Photos On The Models Blog
What prompted them to sue?
When the parents of the teen model figured that they could try to make money off of this as well as create buzz for their daughter. It’s 100% about money.
How did Urban Outfitters get the images?
Blood is the New Black manufactured the t-shirts and sold them to Urban Outfitters for further sales and wider distribution.
Why didn’t you get a model release?
Hailey is under-age so she can’t sign a model release, instead her Booker at Ford models is in charge of the model release. The model agencies don’t allow the model to directly sign with the photographer. I do have the release for the publication in my files and the booker has one as well.
Is there a resolution in sight?
I was officially served on October 5th 2011. I believe that the truth will prevail and the lies will be revealed.
What has this done to your career?
This has definitely been a learning experience and has been beneficial for me in terms of my name as a photographer being recognized. But this is obviously not the way I want others to learn of my name. This lawsuit has caused much stress on my family and myself,. It was just a ploy to scare Urban Outfitters out of money. Since this lawsuit came out I haven’t skipped a beat, and have only gained clients. I just hope this burden is resolved soon, so my career will continue on the path that it was on.
Creative Director: Robert Festino Associate Art Director: Dena Verdesca Director of Photography: Brenda Millis Deputy Director of Photography: Jeanne Graves
