Stills and film on the same fashion shoot
Stills and art photographer Andreas Sundgren and I have worked together in different constellations for some years now, and this is a kind of day we have done before. This time we let Nicklas Estberg follow us with a behind-the-scenes camera, partly to see how a setup like this looks from the outside.
Here is how we approach a stills and film fashion shoot, a day where one small team delivers both.
Nicklas Karpaty, FSF & Andreas Sundgren.jpg Nicklas Karpaty, FSF & Andreas Sundgren.jpg Sabina Sung stylist Andreas Sundgren.jpg Nicklas and Andreas BTS fashion shoot Nicklas Karpaty, FSF Director of Photography
It starts with the brief
We each read the brief on our own first, then talk. Andreas reads it as a series of single images. I read it as movement and time. The conversation is about where those readings meet, and what the brief is really asking for: a mood, a collection, a customer.
Sabina Sung, who did styling and make-up, is the third part of that conversation, and often the first. Without the right styling ideas our work falls flat. The clothes, hair and make-up decide what the light and the camera have something to say about. So we want her in the room early, not handed a plan once it is finished.
We often collaborate on the moodboards and rough storyboards at this stage. It is a fast way to check that the all of us are picturing the same thing before anyone travels anywhere.
Nicklas Karpaty & Andreas Sundgren in prep Nicklas Karpaty & Andreas Sundgren in prep Nicklas Karpaty & Andreas Sundgren in prep
The location is a creative choice
A place can be beautiful and still be wrong. The question we ask on the recce is whether the location belongs to this brief, this collection and this customer. A raw industrial space says something different about a garment than a quiet apartment does.
We walk it together with the brief in hand and talk about where each look would live, where the natural light falls, and at what time of day.
Planning a stills and film fashion shoot
If the day is not planned, there is no room left to be creative. We lock the brief, the location, the schedule and the call times in advance, and we map how the daylight moves through the space.
Both Andreas and I want natural light, so the schedule follows it. The looks that need the best light go in the best hours. We also plan artificial light as a backup, so that if a look runs long and the sun moves on, the day does not fall apart.
We keep the team as small as we can. Fewer people means faster decisions, and thorough preparation is what makes a small team possible.
Nicklas Karpaty, FSF Still by Andreas Sundgren.jpg Nicklas Karpaty, FSF Still by Andreas Sundgren.jpg Andreas Sundgren Still by Nicklas Estberg Johan Samuelsson & Sabina Sung The light meter Nicklas Karpaty, FSF Still by Nicklas Estberg.jpg
Sharing the day
We divide the day by look, not by position, and agree in advance how each setup is handled. A model should give her attention to one camera at a time, so we keep the moments where both of us shoot at once to a minimum. Otherwise the film camera turns into a behind-the-scenes camera, and that was never the idea.
Trust
We trust each other to follow the same brief, and we give each other room to keep our own signature. That is what lets us share a day without either of us watering down our work.
The set stays calm in the same way. One person gives direction at a time, everyone knows what is being photographed and what is being filmed, and there are short pauses between looks.
Johan Samuelsson. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty Maja Ekberg. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty Johan Samuelsson. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty Johan Samuelsson. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty Johan Samuelsson. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty Maja Ekberg. Fashion shoot by Andreas Sundgren & Nicklas Karpaty
What we would do differently
More time, honestly. This is the kind of day we enjoy, and a full day disappears quickly when you are having fun. There were ideas on the floor we would have liked room to follow.
The other lesson is about light. Natural light keeps a day fast and flexible, and it is what Andreas and I both prefer. But it also sets the pace, and you give up some control over exactly where you stand and when.
Next time we would consider a lighting team to rig a larger fixed setup. That lets us steer the working hours and choose exactly where on location we want to be, without following the sun. Natural light stays the foundation. The difference is being even better prepared, and getting more light into the budget when the budget allows it.
Natural light for speed, built light for control, and a plan for when to use which.
Credits Cinematographer/Creative: Nicklas Karpaty, FSF | nicklaskarpaty.com | instagram.com/nicklaskarpaty_dp Stills Photographer/Creative: Andreas Sundgren | andreassundgren.se | instagram.com/andreassundgren
Stylist and MUA: Sabina Sung | instagram.com/isabinasung BTS: Nicklas Estberg | rannstensfilm.se | instagram.com/lumiador
& Michael Petersen, FSF | ffphotography.se Models: Johan Samuelsson | @johan___samuelsson Maja Ekberg | @majaekberg Special thanks to Remfabriken i Göteborg | @remfabrikengoteborg Shot on: Canon Cinema EOS | Xeen CF lenses and Leica cameras
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