My cousin, Gabriel Giacoppo, is wildly talented. Not only is he a freshman at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study and a collegiate swimmer who crushes, he’s also a vocalist who’s released his first single (Check out “Cry Wolf” on Spotify!).
The Plan
Gabriel needed photography to use for promotion, album art, social media, publicity - the works. So we teamed up for a Saturday shoot to knock out a ton of content. I planned our shoot around using a 3-point light kit with gels and bounce boards, along with a gorgeous Sony a7s (typically used for video, but the S-log settings are exquisite for low-light situations). Gabriel also wanted to incorporate water into his photos to emphasize the theme of his single.
What could go wrong?
Reality
As with all shoots, a few things did not play out as expected: The light kit never came, start-time delays resulted in lost daylight, stylishly/effectively using water in photography is a tricky balance, etc. But, there’s nothing like challenges to push your creativity and problem-solving skills.
I fashioned a last-minute bounce board from a pizza box, painter’s tape, and foil (Note: The matte side of foil is money for smooth fill!). I recruited my boyfriend to assist, scouted the neighborhood and my building for unique locations, and away we went.
Here’s a selection of what we captured:
In the spirit of “Instagram vs. reality,” here’s what was actually happening behind the scenes: foil and warehouse floodlights.
At the end of the day, it was what the best production days are: utterly exhausting and completely rewarding. It felt amazing to shake the dust of my photography skills after a few months off and make something for someone I believe in.
Don’t Miss It
Even when things don’t go perfectly, or you don’t feel “ready,” just make things. Try. You’re 100% guaranteed to fail at what you don’t attempt. Sometimes it’s a long night, so bring your foil (and snacks). Then do it.
Catch Gabriel’s new song, “Cry Wolf” on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, Amazon Music, or anywhere else you listen.