Apocalypse Shoot

Shortly before Halloween I helped put together the first group shoot since this spring! I love shooting with other photographers, and the Lansing group is just fantastic. Every thing is very fun and the teamwork is out of this world.  We had a ton of RSVPs but not everyone ended up able to make it, which was completely fine with me because I got more time shooting with our models. It was great!

For this shoot we had Sarah-Jane doing make-up and Chad Feyrer as the wardrobe stylist. Those two are just killer on concepts. I hadn't worked with them previously and I'm glad I had the opportunity to. I'll definitely be doing so again! That's one of the awesome things about group shoots like this- when you get several photographers into a room and plan something fun, they all have a something unique to add to the pot, and the stew turns out awesome. 

Weapons are dangerous (aka fun)! We ended up having an entire arsenal between us all. If muggers had decided to poof out of thin air they'd have been in big trouble. Unless they were from the future and had ray guns, or knew we had no ammunition.  

For this shoot I brought way more equipment than I needed (like usual I carted around about 20 or so pounds of extra stuff. EVENTUALLY I might stop doing that). I ended up shooting primarily with a 50mm 1.4 and a 24-105L on my 5D Mark iii. I also used one 580 ex2 and a set of pocket wizards.
Speed lights  can do amazing things in the pitch black of an "abandoned" warehouse. We also had a cheap floodlight from home depot (light hack for those of you on a budget- you have to hike your ISO up if you're not on a tripod but any floodlight can add really neat ambiance to an industrial or street location. Watch for color casts though) set up in one spot, and Chad, brilliant mind that he is, brought several flares. I'll be buying several of those for future use! 

I love how this shoot came together. I hadn't planned on photographing an apocalypse theme for quite some time with all the other things I've got going right now, but this worked out perfectly. I want to give a big shout out to Rachel, Marybeth, Sarah-Jane, and Chad. You four are brilliant and this shoot would not have happened without you <3 

Credits: 

Hair/Make-Up: Sarah-Jane 'Shaffer' Fountain
Stylist: Chad Feyrer
Models: Chelsea Brown, Michela DiLernia, Taylor Rue Foster, Anthony, JJ Butts
Location: The Studio "Rent It" in Lansing, Michigan