A Summer Fashion Shoot in a Chelsea Loft
An industrial loft in Chelsea during a July heatwave. Forty people, two hundred thousand dollars of gear, and a cooling system that gave up at noon. This is what the day looks like once the studio door locks.
Want to shoot at any of these with Dante's Models? Book a session or apply to be represented.
The Call Sheet
The client wants sixty looks. The sun is already baking the brick walls of the West Side loft. If the first shutter click is not by 08:30, the whole day goes badly.
If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are already holding up the digital tech.
Heat and Skylight Glare
The overhead skylights turn into a problem at noon. The space heats up to ninety degrees and the natural light fights the strobes. We flag off the glass with heavy black foam core.
Keep a hand-held fan just below the lens line to keep the model cool and add some movement to the hair.
The Tethered Monitor
Six people crowd around a 27-inch screen. Every pore, stray fiber and shadow gets checked. This is where the final image is actually built.
Do not let the client see the uncropped, uncorrected raw files. Apply a quick color grading curve as soon as you import.
The Wrap and Clean-up
The shoot is over, but the day is not. Cables get coiled, memory cards are backed up to three separate drives, and the rented studio has to be returned to a blank state before the overtime rates start.
Take a photo of the studio's original outlet and breaker setup before you plug in a single light.
That's the inside look. Save this one for your next shoot.
And when you're ready to create something real in NYC, you know where to find us.
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Fashion and editorial photography for brands, designers, and models in NYC.
NYC Fashion & Editorial Photographer