A while back the Houston Chronicle called me to shoot a fashion story in Austin.
I’m not a fashion photographer, so at first I was a touch worried. Then I heard about the product and the man behind it. Austinite Oliver Shuttlesworth owns Esperos, a company that sells bags with a side of hope.
Shuttlesworth made a trip to Central America, where he saw the results of extreme poverty and how it effects the education of children. He was shocked to find out that annual school tuition in some countries costs as little as $15, but there were few families in these countries who could pay.
That’s where the bag comes in. Shuttlesworth came up with an idea to sell book bags and backpacks to help fund education world-wide. Each bag sold would also send a child to school for a year.
While we were shooting, I got to talk to Shuttlesworth a little bit and he’s definitely passionate about his work. “$15!” he said, “Why would anyone not pay that to send a child to school for a year?”
Anyway, like I said, I’m not a fashion photographer, but the assignment required a “hip, stylish portrait” of Shuttlesworth and some product images. I checked the Esperos web site before the shoot and his style seemed to be clean and simple. That I can work with.
We chose to meet at a busy intersection in Austin, where there are many options to use as backdrops. I got there early and walked around a bit, trying to find something suitable that also wouldn’t require special permission.
When Shuttlesworth arrived, we settled on the side of a building with a gray/blue stucco exterior. It was simple and clean – just his style.
I used my 50mm f1.8 lens for the majority of the shoot. I didn’t have a lot of room without backing up in to the street, but I didn’t want to use a wide-angle lens and risk distortion.
I shot a few poses of Shuttlesworth with his bags and then did a few product shots.
I only used ambient lighting, and we shot in the shade. On this assignment I thought it’d be best to not try risky lighting and camera tricks, but rather concentrate on getting a shot that reflected the man, his bag and his message.
Click here to read the Houston Chronicle’s story and view more photos.
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