If you are a teacher of a high school photography class and want to teach students the process of a commercial photo shoot how do you do it?
The answer, at least if you are Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) portrait photography teacher Bruce Tyrrell, is to give students the opportunity to participate in their own professional shoot.
And that is exactly what he did.
Three weeks ago, 14 BCHS portrait photography students left for Vancouver to take part in five days of photography instruction, which cumulated with a commercial fashion shoot for Galibelle, the maker and seller of handmade Brazilian women’s shoes where buyers select a heel and then can choose from multiple different straps.
“It was a huge shoot. There were about 30 [models and a make-up artist] people on the set and we used seven different studios and about $30,000 in equipment.”
They rented the equipment, mostly lighting and lenses, from a local photo shop, as well as studio space.
For cameras, the majority of the students used Cannon T5i Rebels DSLR, or its Nikon equivalent along with a standard 18-55 mm kit lens.
Although the cameras are not on the high end of the spectrum, they are capable of producing professional-level images in a wide range of situations.
The shoot itself took four hours, including the time the models spent with the make-up artist. To maximize their studio time they selected their models and set up their equipment the night before.
“It was controlled chaos and it was very crowded,” Tyrrell said, adding the students had to work efficiently to finish their shot list.
“We also hired a professional photographer [Pooya Nabei] to mentor the kids. He talked to us via Skype and dropped by the studio a couple times to give them tips and instruct them and to talk to them about what it is like to be a commercial photographer,” he said.
Nabei is a Canadian photographer who is highly sought after for his work in fashion, portraits, celebrity and advertising campaigns.
Tyrrell has known Nabei for about 10 years and he has worked with BCHS students before, including their 2016 photography trip.
Even though the glamour portion of the shoot took place in Vancouver, the majority of the work happened at BCHS in September.
“I really wanted to have the students know what it is really like doing a real commercial photo shoot, starting from the very beginning. Right from coming up with the concept, to having to go over it with their client, to planning and execution,” he said, adding they met with Lisa Broesky, who along with her husband David are the Canadian licence holders of Galibelle and have stores in Edmonton and Kelowna, B.C.
Tyrrell first met Lisa a few years ago when she was a student at BCHS.
“She has done really well for herself, but of course I will always remember her from when I taught her Grade 8 math,” he said.
After the students pitched their concepts to Lisa, in December, they broke up into small groups to flesh out their concepts, create a photo list and perfect their technique at the school’s studio.
In addition to the fashion shoot, Tyrrell planned a number of different photo shoots across Vancouver, including night sessions at Robson Square and English Bay as well as a daytime session at Lynn Canyon Park where students got to photograph a swinging suspension bridge.
“Of course the trip is more than just learning about photography, it is about broadening one’s horizons,” he said. “One of the things we try to do on these trips is to encourage students to go to restaurants they never would even think of going to. One evening we went to this Himalayan restaurant.”
Students pay for the trip through the sale of the photography photo packages.
Unlike other schools that bring in professional photographers to take the standard graduation photo in a mass one, or two-day event, the portrait photography class takes the photos. About half of the funds go towards the annual trip and the remainder goes towards buying equipment for the Com-Tech program.
In addition to lowering the amount of money students have to pay for the course, taking grad photos is a good learning experience.
He said the purpose of the course is to teach students from the beginning everything a professional photographer goes through — from arranging a photo shoot, to learning how to take the photographs and properly editing them, to the business behind running a successful photography business.
However, Tyrrell said the best way to learn about the business end of photography is by doing.
Jennell Hintz, Grade 12, agreed.
“You can practice it in the studio and talk about it all you want, but the only way to find out what it is really like to be a professional photographer, is by going through the process and by learning from other photographers who make their living through photography,” she said, adding she has been fortunate enough to go on the photography trip two years ago.
Hintz said even though the trip was to Vancouver, it was a totally different experience and she learned new things.
Erica Soetaert, also in Grade 12, has gone on the trip for the last three-years, and said the different venues helped expand her photography horizons.
“There are only so many things and ways you can take a picture of something. By having to photograph something different you learn new techniques,” she said.
Anika Kuharic, Grade 12, said learned so much about being a professional photographer by going through the equipment rental process.
“Just finding out what is out there and knowing that it is available to me, it just opens the door to different aspects to photography,” adding she is considering pursuing it as a possible career and she is hoping to earn extra money for her education as well as a new camera through her photography.
Something Kuharic might be able to do sooner than later. As part of the agreement Tyrrell made with the Broeskys, they are able to use all the students’ photos in their social media campaigns, but for anything else, they have to make an agreement with the individual photographer.
He noted the Broeskys have made initial contact with a number of the students and have forwarded many of the pictures to the company’s head office for possible use in future marketing campaigns.
“I think that just proves the quality of the work our students’ are able to produce,” he said. “And everyone at the shoot kept commenting how composed and professional our kids were. They were great ambassadors for our school and Barrhead.”
