Last month I had a great shoot for Hair’s How magazine with legendary hair stylist and artist Robert Lobetta, though nothing went as planned. We had been aiming to shoot at the LA Louvre in Venice, but when we arrived I wasn’t happy with the limited access they were allowing us. So, we started looking for another space and were fortunate to be able to arrange use of the Canal Club, a nearby restaurant, as our studio. With the restaurant not yet open for business, we had the run of the place and were able to produce some creative shots. Robert was a great subject, comfortable in front of the camera and willing to work with me to make the shots unique. And when I offered to show him the back of my camera – something I’ve become accustomed to doing either because everyone asks, or as a tool to help me describe what I’m aiming for – he refused to look, saying that doing so would make him want to take control and he wanted to trust in my vision. It was great to work with someone whose business revolves around image, but who was still trusting enough to let me do my work as I see fit.
I had also brought all my lights with me, expecting to use them. Robert has a great look and I had a preconceived vision about the type of portrait I was aiming for. But once we were inside I kept being drawn toward a couple of wonderful natural light sources and, despite unpacking my stands and a couple of strobes, left them untouched, opting only to use a reflector. I think it worked out well.
If you’ve got some time, hop over to Robert’s site. He does it all and has a ton of great work on display.