The consequences of the school studio

It was the beginning of the last school year and we had a first school studio session. None of my schoolmates including me had any idea what to expect – but it definitely was no model. Neither our teacher nor our school attempted to provide any or at least inform us that we should have one. So we spent the first workshop modeling for each other.

Second time we came prepared. I asked my friend Alžběta, if she could come and make a model. I knew that she has already been a model for some painters on AVU, so I was hoping that her experience might help us. And indeed, Alžběta’s photographs were fine thanks mainly to her experience.

For the next occasion in the school studio, I once again asked Alžběta. She came up with a proposal to bring a friend who would also deserve some nice photos. Tadeáš was not used to be a model, but his practice as male stripper was not so very far from that. Anyway, to shoot a couple was somehow more complicated for most of us, but we have already learned little since the last time and we coped with it. Shooting with Alžběta and Tadeáš was also not bad. I, however, was really pissed, because the shutter in my camera said goodbye, and I didn’t notice, because I was mainly shooting on cine-film. However, I made a couple of photos on the digital too, and this photographs saved the situation.

In the current school year, Dáša decided to procure a model. She brought us Petra to the borrowed studio. According to all the information we got this girl was used to do a model, but the question is, if it was really necessary. Somehow this studio session lacked the creative spirit and the only thing we tried was to set the lights according to some drafts provided by the teacher. Very quickly, I lost interest in the entire photo shoot with Petra because I missed the creativity – it was like a production line.

For the last studio, I was once again looking for a new model. Because it was all very rushed, I asked Kateřina, hoping she would find some time. Proving to be a very dedicated friend, she missed a lecture, and came with us to the studio. Most of my classmates have decided to use two photos as an inspiration source. These were selected from a number of books which we got from the teacher. I was the minority who disagreed with the choice of artworks, and I decided that I will use the entire situation differently. While everyone was taking pictures with flashes, I seized a tripod and photographed just with a pilot lamp. I finally used some flashes, when everybody had left and I was waiting for Kateřina and helping with the cleaning. I am not sure if I managed to capture Kateřina’s nature in photography. However, considering that she is using one of them on her Facebook profile, I probably succeeded.