modelo!

I can’t believe I just had my first ever photo shoot.

Ever.

And I mean bright lights, professional photographer, a DSLR with several wide-angled lenses, art direction, multiple costume changes, the full monty!
One lazy Wednesday afternoon, I was approached by one of the people in marketing and asked if I wanted to be a “talent.” Talent for what? She told me that our small business loan will be re-launched in the market; ergo its marketing collaterals need to be overhauled as well. I was surprised at first, I thought “wala na ba talagang maganda sa Plantersbank?” On second thought, I was up for it. She said she will email me a number of layouts where the entire shoot will adhere to. The ad agency prescribed specific clothes style & color for each peg. I was asked to do my own make-up, which I gladly did.

Sunday came and I stormed the mall and basically ransacked all the shelves I could find. I was telling myself to really be stringent and stick to cheap stuff. I promised myself that I will only wear them once because I’M NOT THE TYPE WHO WEARS BABY PINK, for crying out loud! Oh, well, I think I’m left with no other choice but to wear it often because that baby pink sweater was the most expensive of all the stuff I picked. Nonetheless, I welcomed the untimely outfit hoarding with open arms. At least I get to update my ensemble after so many moons. See, I’m more a shoe person than clothes.

Monday, 2P.M., I got a call from the coordinator. The agency has set up the cameras and we’re ready to shoot! Before that, the art director carefully examined the wardrobe I brought. She instantly loved the pink sweater. I was even tempted to give it to her, but we don’t have the same size. Sayang. Charles, my “husband” in the ad, brought several pieces of clothing, with matching pants and shoes pa! Too bad, the shots will only be limited to our upper bodies.
We were called to position. Since Charles lost weight, his polo was kind loose. The photog suggested that his assistant “tapes” the back of his polo. As in literally, he took the tape dispenser and joined a few inches of his loose polo at the back to give it a better-fitting illusion. On the other hand, they kept fixing my bangs that incessantly fell to my face. They gave us quite a lot of instructions on where to put our hands and how to position our bodies in such a way that it will appear as if we are in an intimate relationship. We appeared stiff at first, but after a few test shots, we both loosened up and were able to adhere to what they wanted in no time.

The shoot started with me leaning against Charles. At first I was so stiff and conscious about the pose because my boobs are pressing against his back. I just told myself that he’s a friend and that he wouldn’t mind (?). But our “directors” were horsing around and they made us laugh all the time. So the shoot didn’t involve a lot of acting. It was more of a string of candid shots. It took us perhaps a hundred tries and a couple of costume changes before we finally got the perfect husband-and-wife shot.

So I know now how it feels like to pose for the cameras. It’s no easy feat but it was sure a lot of fun!

Will post stills as soon as I get my copy!