........................................14 Behind the Camera

Behind Camera the

Taking pictures of what goes behind the shutter

By Dallas Morton, Editor

A sight seen by many people as they leave their home cities for New York, along with the opportunities that come with the city.

ome people enjoy having their picture taken, some enjoy it more than others. Most people will just post pictures of themselves on social media, but then there are people who make a living out of having their picture taken. These people are called models, and they help promote clothing. Modeling is more prominent than most people think, when ordering clothes there are often pictures of a model with the clothes on, it’s the model’s job to try on the clothes and then it

is the photographer’s job to take industry move to these cities for the picture that can be seen while more opportunities, according to online shopping. Ryan Slack, a photographer who The photography business moved to New York as a college is a big industry in large cities student. such as New York, many people “I moved to New York, and who are involved in the fashion thought it was just going to be “I was blown away, I was small fish, it was a real eye-opening moment for me” -Ryan Slack, photographer

Models come in all ages, some models have been modeling their entire life. Such as Vasquez who apeared on one of Breyer’s ads. the same,” Slack said. “The photo game in New York was stronger [than] in Texas. For the first shoot of mine in New York, there were about 25 people in that room. And I was like, what are these people doing?” The sets in New York were very different from the sets of two to five people Slack would work with in Texas, but he adjusted quickly. Slack didn’t know what to think when he got his first job in New York, but when we walked onto set he was shocked. “I was blown away,” Slack said. “I was a small fish, it was a real eye-opening moment for me.” Many people who move to New York for work have culture shock due to new competition that they might not have had at their old job. But there are many child models who grew up in big cities and have only been on sets like Slack described. One of these kids is Bella Vasquez, a high school

“When I was younger, we went to this barn. It was a photoshoot with these toy model have models showcase their work. Many famous brands showcase their work at the New York Fashion Week, a bi-annual event to highlight designers’ clothes for

the next fashion season. Vasquez has been one of the models chosen for the New York Fashion Week, only 1,000 to 2,000 models are able to participate in the New York Fashion Week, some of which are famous models “In photography you take your ideas and your feel“I really liked the New York ings and create a body of work that expresses that,” Fashion Week,” Vasquez said. “I was there for a -Ryan Slack, photographer few days, [and]

horses,” Vasquez said. “I was modeling with the horses and in this barn, there were actual horses there. So, I was pretty psyched out over it.” Models often work with photographers who shoot with a wide variety of people. More often than not they are just fashion models. But every now and then photographers get to work with famous models or celebrities. Alex Lopez, a photographer in New York, has gotten to work with musicians on set. “Photographing jazz musicians and meeting some of the musicians that I was working with, was pretty amazing,” said Lopez, ”I met Herbie Hancock. I think meeting him was a special occasion and it was not too much about the picture that I took, but it was just meeting this jazz legend.“ Many designers promote their clothes in different ways, most designers

Models do more than showcase clothes. Photographer Alex Lopez also has photogrpahs models with nails and jewlery. 18 Spring 2022 · by Dallas Morton Photo courtesy of Alex Lopez

the theme was sports gear. I got posted on their Instagram. I went on the catwalk and I really liked that.”

The New York Fashion Week is just one example of where many fashion designers are able to showcase their art. Not all designers are as lucky as the people who get to showcase their art in runway shows such as the New York Fashion Week. Many fashion designers have to show their art in different ways to attract attention. “In photography you take your ideas and your feelings and create a body of work that expresses that,” Slack said “You also learn how to talk about it.”

Street photography doesn’t use models, instead it uses people on the street. Alex Lopez likes street photography because it has a more natural look compared to pictures taken in a studio.

Photo courtesy of Alex Lopez

Like Alex Lopez, Ryan Slack enjoys street photography due to how natural the picture seems.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Slack