Planning studio photography

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Feb 1, 1991 by John Peter

Not all studio photography is taken in a studio. However, it is characterized by conditions that we associate with a studio. This usually means controlled circumstance, special lighting, and sometimes a camera larger than 35mm.

Concept photos, portraits and photos of food and products for magazines are most often taken in studios, along with a percentage of fashion and beauty photos.

Here and on the following pages are studio portraits from United's in-flight magazine, Vis a Vis, and from Rolling Stone. There is also food photography from Elle.

The principal advantage of studio photography is control-of the illumination, composition and travel time. Arid there is also freedom from the vagaries of the weather. A few publishing firms have their own studios on or off the premises. Sometimes this can make sense in terms of convenience and economy. More often, as in photography shown here, the shots are taken in the photographer's own studio or a rented one.

Laurie Kratochvil, director of photography for Rolling Stone, a magazine known for its fresh portraits of much-photographed stars, says, "The first thing I do is look at the subject, check how much time I'm going to have and where it's going to be shot. Then I try to figure out what that person is about. What particular movie or album has just come out. What their look is at the moment. What the public thinks they are versus what you want to show them as.

"Then I try to think of a photographer who, number one, gives you a new and interesting image and, number two, gets along with the subject. The next most important thing is the chemistry that happens at the shoot. I've always been a great believer in spontaneity."

Kevin Fisher, art director of Vis a Vis, also emphasizes the talent of the photographer. He says, "I hire people who have strong photographic styles and motivate them to do something different, but I don't tell photographers what to do. I try to stay out of it because people are generally uncomfortable being photographed. I leave it up to the photographers to get a rapport with the subject."

Certain people have such character or sense of style that they are portrait naturals. Two examples from my own experience are Frank Lloyd Wright and Alexander Calder. Some have such imagination and inventiveness that getting good shots is no problem at all. Salvador Dali was an uninhibited example of this.

It's different with other types of studio photography, such as food. Elle gets its special look frequently by shooting in a chef's kitchen or restaurant converted into a studio-like setup. Despite the temptation of interesting locations, Olivia Badrutt, the art director, believes, "It's best not to complicate the photo too much, not to add details that would distract from the real picture."

The basic difference between studio style and location photography is that in the studio one must bring more to the shoot to make it come off. It's much easier to be ordinary and dull.

John Peter is bead of John Peter Associates, Inc., New York. A former art director of McCall's and editor at Look and Life, be combines his editorial and design experience as a management consultant to publishers in the United States and in Europe seeking to launch or improve publications.