NYC Fashion Week Smut: I'm not really sure what is happening tomorrow, but some type of shooting involving me will happen.
Out of all the days, today will be the most hectic day for Maggie.
On Saturday she went to some brand's Fashion Show that I was excluded from attending, but that night I went to an event held on the Aircraft Carrier Intrepid. Maggie was on a panel about digital media and presented one of five awards for fashion blogging. Interesting to see my gal photographed, videotaped, and interviewed on a Red Carpet.
We got the VIP Status and were ushered in by a host. After this presentation we attended a fashion show in Aircraft Hangar Two. I would learn that fashion shows now begin with a rapper's performance to prime the audience, and then the Fashion Show begins. It seemed as VIP's we were placed in the center of the runway and first row.
So I was primed for shooting with my Leica SL and a AF 50 Lux, you know that huge and heavy monster 50mm prime. I bumped the ISO to 6400. All I can say is that the SL is a fast shooter and was as fast or faster than my Nikon D3X which it replaced. A Fashion Show is very intense, very fast paced and if you are lucky you have the time to get off three shots of the model coming and three shots going. The idea here is to really capture the clothes, you want a tight head to toe shot, and you want to capture hopefully the model's leg in stride as the foot hits the ground.
As much as there is a pace to the show to predict, it is a lot like street shooting, in that you just try and get an interesting shot.
So yesterday was a big show that Maggie was going to "walk" the runway in two looks held in an odd building on West 17th Street I have walked past for decades and never knew what was inside. Maggie reports that her friend Romana was in charge of 15 Hair and Make-Up Artists and the call time for her was at noon even though the show was scheduled for 3:00 PM.
When I got there at three there were two long lines. I asked a security guy which line was mine, and he directed me to this gal with an IPAD who scanned my invitation. I had been waiting on the "Standing" line, and was relieved that I was assigned a seat.
So even though the show was scheduled for three it was around 3:20 when people like me that were assigned seats were allowed in. Luckily I was in the front row about 15 feet from the entrance to the runway. For a guy shooting a fast 50 prime this was optimum.
I set up my camera for shooting in dim light. Around 3:30 the show began and this truely great rapper came out and rocked the audience. Too cool. Then came out this skinny tall male dancer decorated in black body paint as if tatooed. This dancer too was amazing. He seemed to slither down the runway.
Then came an abrupt and sudden change in the lighting and the house lights were turned on, and I had to scramble because the fashion show was beginning. So this was mucho stress because I had to get shots of Maggie, but I did not know her spots in the itinerary, other than she would "walk' twice.
I figured out that I had to pre-focus to avoid AF hunting, I quickly figured out the pace and timing of the show, as one model exited another would enter, and at that point I had to be ready for a model entering. Realize if you cut off the model's feet or shoes the shot is no good, but you want a tight shot, head to toe. Pretty much like street shooting with a kill zone to some extent, but timing is everything like in sports.
When Maggie first appeared there was a clamor of applause from the audience. The crowd approved of the inclusiveness of using a non-typical model. I witnessed the same the night before in the other show when a plus sized model made her entrance.
So at the end of the show all the models do their parade, and somehow I blow it and can't find Maggie in the lineup, but the designer at the very end comes out holding Maggie's hand to share the stage with her. What an honor, and this is the reason why I missed Maggie in the line-up.
They emptied the hall and I waited by the stage entrance with others. Took about a half hour for all the selfies, photo ops and even a street video interview before we could leave. Basically I got out of her shots. LOL. In the crowd I knew a videographer
Last night was Refinery 29's "29 Rooms" an event held in Williamsburg on Wyeth near North 10th. When we got there, there was already a ling line that circled the entire block. This was going to be a huge event, and I was not pleased seeing the massive line. When I made a comment about the line, Maggie says, "We don't have to wait on that line, we're VIP's."
I was much relieved. We did some street shooting a walked around the block to view the line we did not have to wait on complete with Police baracades. When we got on a line for VIP's, pretty much there were six people in front of us.
The inside of this city block sized warehouse had 29 rooms that each involved the issue of identity or a social awareness. Kinda like a fun house in an amusement park except designed to entertain hipsters and thoughtfully sophisticated.
The place eventually was mobbed, and the crowds I think made it a huge fire trap. Of course she ran into some of her followers.
So this morning I read the program on the Saturday show that I was excluded from. In the first sentence is mentioned how Jamel Shabazz and Amy Arbus defined street photography in the 80's. It was used as a reference to a slower pace of time than today. Interesting how my killl zone technic from rangefinder shooting merged with autofocus to nail my shots.
Part of Maggie's day today is to have a meeting today with a founder of that brand.
Cal
