Hello, photography lovers! 

You’re listening to the fashion photography podcast, the one and only show you can find everything you want to know and everything you need to know about the fashion photography business.
I’m your host, my name is Virginia, and I’m a fashion advertising photographer.

Rvery Wednesday, I’m here with a guest and every other Friday, I’m answering your questions, and I’m giving you some tips and tricks.
Today is time for part two of our podcast with Yossi Michaeli and we’ll answer some questions like should we direct our model?
And when will reach the point of working with breathtaking teams?
What to do and what not to do when you’re shooting a cover for magazine and this time,
 you are going to receive tips and tricks from real pro with so many covers in his portfolio.
As you probably know, from part one of this podcast my guest is quite a traveler.
So today we’ll be discussing the difference of shooting between Brazil and the state safety, logistics and everything else.
What can you expect from your agent? And can you get rid of the business side of the job when you have one – These and many other topics in today’s podcast, so make sure you stay with us till the very end.
And now it’s the perfect time to start this podcast. And if you love it, don’t forget to subscribe to it.

Virginia Y
So you mentioned that the GQ publication was your very first time shooting men for editorial. So what was the difference?

Yossi Michael
Actually, I’m not sure if it was GQ off. It was bizarre China, but we shot it in Brazil. Yeah, it was one of them. I think it was probably actually bizarre China. And that was through my agent from Asia. They were just planning to come to Rio and shoot a few editorials. I remember it was between Christmas and New Year’s Eve which is like, it’s a weird time to be in Rio. It’s a great time. But it’s weird because it’s super hot. And everybody’s just on the beach. Nobody works.

Virginia Y
Sounds like a dream!

Yossi Michael
I was there this year as well Believe me, it’s amazing. But we had to get models and get everything right in Rio in those days, which is not so easy, because nobody works in Brazil, like in those days. But it was just funny. We shot like two editorials in one day. And it was just like super fast and super nice and fun. And we super hot as well, because you know it’s real, but kind of like came naturally and it was really fluid. It was really effortless. And I enjoyed it. And then I started shooting for GQ Brazil as well. And then I shut for Esquire, China and a few more times for bizarre China. For me the big differences with men, you work fast, everything is faster, because you know you don’t spend so much time on hair and makeup and everything. And it’s easier. And I feel that sometimes you can just ask the guys to do more stuff that you wouldn’t ask the female model just because of physical things maybe or you know, guys, they’re all just kind of like a lot of most of them are young guys, they will do everything jump around. Or maybe it’s a generalization but I feel that usually with guys, they’re more adventurous then then the girls and I also think that for lighting, it’s easier with the guys.

Virginia Y
Oh, that’s interesting.

Yossi Michael
Well, first of all, most guys are not going to have long hair. Some of them are but most of them are not so died if can affect your lighting, sometimes your shadows and everything. Other than that, I just feel that with guys, you can explore harsher light sometimes then with girls.

Virginia Y
Absolutely. 

Yossi Michael
In a way, I just think it’s easier, you know to shoot guys and girls, but it’s it’s a different challenge. And most of them have their own charm, I guess you know, I like doing both?

Virginia Y
Hmm. Awesome. While we’re on the topic of light. Yeah, let’s discuss this a little bit more. What do you like? What do you prefer? Is there something specific was just

Yossi Michael
I think it’s more education. And I think it’s a matter of phases as well. Like I would say that earlier in my career, I was more into harsher lights and like more cinematic may be dramatic lights. I think that in the recent years, it’s been a little bit more soft. And it’s been a little bit less contrast and less shadows. And but of course it depends on the specific project on the client on everything. But I feel that everything is changing. But of course, it’s also something that’s happening in the whole industry. Like I feel that today, it’s the aesthetics is really a lot of natural and raw. And let’s say 10 years ago, it wasn’t the case it was different.

Virginia Y
I see exactly the same thing. Yeah, can we see you with lots and lots of light, artificial light on your sets? Or you’re more like the sun guy.

Yossi Michael
I’m definitely the sun guy. But it really depends. I mean, if I should in a studio, it depends how many models together, if it’s only one model, then of course, one model, it’s going to be less light.

Virginia Y
Is it a group of guys, or you have no choice.

Yossi Michael
Yeah, I have no choice. But also, I’m not a big fan of a lot of lights. When I shoot outside, I try to if I have an amazing day, and it works with what I want. Either it’s sunny or cloudy, because cloud can be amazing as well. And Sunday can be amazing. So I mean, it depends what you want. But if I can manage only with ease, and maybe a reflector, then definitely you know the work is going to be super fast. models can move around without worrying about you know, the flash and, and the freezing and all that things with the speed. And I mean, today you have the high speed sync. But still, it’s never the same. You know, when you work, like let’s say a fitness shoot, if you do it with flash, or if you do it with natural light. But a lot of times even today, you know when I shoot outside, and even if I have a good day, weather wise and everything, I can complete it with one strobe, if it’s cloudy day, and I need to imitate the sun, so I would throw another Magnum or whatever to imitate the sun from the back or like a backlight or stuff like that. It really depends, buddy. I think that natural light is really amazing. Sometimes, I mean, and flash just kills it, you are flexible.

Virginia Y
And you’re obviously the fast shooter.

Yossi Michael
I think today I’m pretty fast. I mean, I think earlier in my career, I was kind of like the opposite. I was like known to be a little bit slow.

Virginia Y
Yeah.

Yossi Michael
I don’t know. That’s what my agent told me at the time as well. But I have to go faster. I feel that that’s also because like today, I feel that so many clients just want so much stuff in so little time. And it’s just, you know, do I want to save money. So a lot of times it should what should be kit, let’s say a day and a half they do into what they want you to do more shots and more locations and stuff like that. So you got to be fast, obviously, into them pretty fast. That’s also a process in my career that in the beginning, I was more directing the model, I had that vision in my head of what I wanted, and I really you know, I didn’t let go until I achieved it. And today I’m that vision, but today I’m kind of like more free. If it’s a good model, she’s going to move he or she is going to move well, and if you know if we show them the references before, and if they know what we want what we’re looking for. And it’s a good model. So I don’t have to say a lot. It’s kind of like just worried about my light and my angles. And of course, you know, occasionally it’s like, you know, move your hand or you know, lift your head or stuff like that. But today, I think that’s also reason that I’m faster is because it’s more free. It’s less constructed today, when I shoot.

Virginia Y
Well, you said it, if it’s a good model, they’ll know how to move. They’re not it’s not always the same situation. But yeah, these are the perks of doing so much work for so many different magazines and so many different gods for so long. Yeah. And yes, you have a lot of covers for the print magazines. So do you want to just share an advice this week, the audience of what to and what not to do when you shooting a cover for a magazine, T

Yossi Michael
he tricky thing, because every time I mean from my experience as well, every time we go, Okay, this is a cover, you know, we tell them the model, we telling everybody you know, so of course hair and makeup is going to make sure everything is perfect. And you know, we thought you know, touching up whatever needs and everything, it’s usually the model, you tell the model like this is the cover and they become a little bit different, maybe more self conscious, maybe more aware…

Virginia Y
Exactly.

Yossi Michael
 And then I feel that it can suffer from that a little bit. Because when you don’t say it’s a cover, and you just shoot and everybody’s more free, and everything is more relaxed and everything you get the best images. And when you say on this is a cover letter, everybody be some serious and pay attention and not necessarily serious, but like you know legislation on top of it. So feel that sometimes you can get something which is a little bit more, which is less natural, let’s say which is more staged or whatever. And sometimes it could work. But from my experience, at least on my shoots today nowadays, I prefer just not to say to cover, you know, we just like say between us, but don’t tell the model and just shoot it. And then I can do with the crowd that I need for a cover if the magazine’s wants a specific crop or whatever. But I just feel that I get better results from that.

Virginia Y
I completely agree. The last month I was supposed to shoot a cover and the model put us so much effort.

Yossi Michael
Yeah,

Virginia Y
she was just exhausted till the end of the shoot.

Yossi Michael
I mean, they put too much effort in it. And then it’s like why you said that they were more aware, the more maybe self conscious, and then they start doing stuff that you really don’t want true. You don’t always want to go to the same cover cliche.

Virginia Y
The poses.

Yossi Michael
Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s why I think it’s better just to tell them,

Virginia Y
I think it’s a great shot. Did you actually try it? Do you have any other tips? For example, I don’t ever, like never, ever you will not see me doing the cover is the very last photo.

Yossi Michael
True. I agree with that as well. I would never do it as a first one or less. Yeah, if it’s working well, since the beginning, when shooting a cover, I would usually try to shoot it not as a first shot or last shot, I would probably do it like as a third or fourth shot something like that. Unless you’re shooting in a location that you don’t control the light 100% like you’re not in studio, you’re not like an indoor location, you’re in an outdoor location and you want to get that light of the end of the day, the golden hour or whatever. So I mean, then you have no choice. You have to just have to wait. And hopefully the model is not going to be too tired.

Virginia Y
Completely agree. You said that you were living in Brazil for quite a while. And actually we do have some acquaintances? Yeah, we do. I saw on Instagram that you shot evil.

Yossi Michael
Yeah, he’s great.

Virginia Y
He’s a model by the way for the guys that don’t know he will. motto He’s great. He’s gorgeous, amazing body. Such a nice guy. Yeah. also amazing person. Yeah, you went there. But everybody knows that. Maybe everybody that has not been there. For can be very dangerous.

Yossi Michael
It is true. But course there’s crime there. It’s less safe in New York City, for instance, for sure. Like, you know, when we shoot there, especially in real we always have to have a bodyguard, you know, kind of like a security guy with us always. Because there have been stories of you know, people have got robbed. And that happens. So I mean, when we shot in Rio, we had security guards with us in some pollo. They do it as well, actually, when we should outside usually, yeah, you have security guard. When you shoot on the beaches in Brazil, it’s different. I guess when you go back to the Northeast of Brazil to shoot on the beaches. There’s different but when you’re like in the big city or downtown, and there’s a lot of sketchy people sometimes so you have to worry about that. And that’s something that would never even think about doing in New York, like New York, we shoot outside all the time. We never we don’t need that. You know, we just go with all our equipment, and it’s fine. It’s different. Yeah, Brazil is just so nice. I mean, it’s just so beautiful. locations are amazing. And people are super nice. And it’s worth it. I never got robbed in Brazil. But I also don’t look like a tourist. I look a little bit Brazilian, I guess. So for me, and I speak the language. So for me, it’s easier, but

Virginia Y
But if I go there definitely will be robbed.

Yossi Michael
I wouldn’t say that.

Virginia Y
Oh, I’m just kidding. No worry. No, no, no,

Yossi Michael
I’m not worried. But I’m saying, but a lot of people Yeah, do have that image, you know that it’s super dangerous. And you’re going to get robbed in? Yeah, there’s a possibility Oh, then but you just have to take care of more of your things. You have to be more on top of takes take like a 10 month course or something before

Virginia Y
Before going for like a vacation. Yeah, awesome. What do you like most about New York in this case, because there is no like Brazilian wetter.

Yossi Michael
As I said, I really feel that today New York is different than when I started 12 years ago, but it still has the same thing New York has that energy that makes you work, it makes you go after things it makes you get into that race and get more stuff out of yourself. Either it’s work on the computer that you do or like the marketing or the creativity as well. It forces you to make more effort. I think we are because there’s such a big competition and there’s so much going on. So that’s something that I do like about New York, I feel that if you work in in a different place. I mean, I never did. So I don’t know, I never I was never based in a different place. I work all around. But it was always based here. But I feel for me maybe that if I was based in a different place, maybe I would get more relaxed. And maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s not good. I think especially when you’re starting I think New York is a good place because it forces you to to make the extra effort and to battle and work for it. And another good thing that New York has, you can get everything you want all the props or the accessories you want. In terms of that it’s easier. It’s nice that you have like four seasons in New York, they say Rio every every month is going to be almost the same. It’s going to look into picture almost the same. So in New York, it’s not. For me, it’s those three things. I guess there are the reasons that make New York a good place as well.

Virginia Y
There is another perk during the winter, you can always go to Rio.

Yossi Michael
Yeah. Which usually I do. Correct.

Virginia Y
What about the logistics during a photoshoot in New York, compared to for example, Rio,

Yossi Michael
most work in Brazil is in San Paolo. Rio is just for location because it’s beautiful. Yeah. Okay, here you have so many rental houses to get equipment and so many studios and you have a lot of options. In Brazil, for instance, it’s different, you have less like, you know, rental houses, you’re going to have maybe I don’t know, two or three studios, you’re gonna have less than here, obviously, New York is easier to maybe do it on your own. Like I’m feeling Brazil it to have a car maybe or you have to have this. It’s just a different way of working. But man, you know, in Brazil, always when I work, we have a production company. So I don’t, I don’t have to worry about that. It makes my life easier. Yeah. Yeah, it’s always good to make it easy for yourself. Yeah, because a lot of times, you just feel that you’re working so much, and you’re not even shooting yet. Like you’re working so much before the shoot, right, with all the meetings and the end, you know, the creative thing, which is one thing, and then I’ll do logistics, which is another thing, and then you know, confirming everybody and sometimes you know, this model, all of a sudden gets a job. And if you’re shooting an editorial they’re going to pull over and then there’s like a lot of factors. And sometimes, you know, you get to the shoot, and you’re already exhausted, like a day before the shoot. You know what I mean?

Virginia Y
It’s true. Yeah.

Yossi Michael
Yeah. As much as I can, I try to get rid of those things on my end, if possible. So you know, so things I like my assistants do for equipment to take care of those things, certain things production company will do if you have one on the job, or the certain things my agent will do. I try to focus on the on the creative side of it, and the results rather than all the logistics and other stuff.

Virginia Y
That’s everybody’s dream. That’s why everyone wants to have an agent and focus on the creative board. But it’s not always that easy. And even if in your case, you have so many agents, and you still cannot focus on Landis,

Yossi Michael
no, I really shouldn’t get an agent thinking that you’re going to stop worrying about all the rest and just shoot because it’s never like that. A good agent always would help you and would get some burden out of your back and help you with those things. And you will have maybe more free time to do other stuff. But an agent is probably going to have more photographers to worry about and more hair and makeup to worry about and, and other things to worry about. So he’s not like only working for you is working for other people as well. So I think you always still have to do your own thing, it’s not going to make you stop doing that it’s just going to make your life a little bit easier if it’s a good agent, of course,

Virginia Y
What is the one thing that it’s really changing the things between you and your agent, what’s the thing that they’re helping you with the most

Yossi Michael
Obviously, booking jobs, you know, and getting to clients that I don’t have an access to, or I don’t have the time to, obviously went on based in New York and I have an agent in Brazil or in Germany or wherever it is, I’m not there. So they do that job for me get permission, of course, but first of all, is getting the clients it’s getting the jobs. Another thing that I really think is important is that I don’t have to do my negotiation with the client. So I don’t have to talk about that or worry about that. Because I feel that, you know, if you have that back and forth with the client, if you’re doing it yourself, and you don’t have an agent, and you go back and forth with the client, about money about this equipment, and that equipment, and you’re asking for more money, and retouching and whatever and the budget for this, and they don’t agree. And sometimes it could lead to energies that are not so nice between you guys. And then you get to the job. And you know, you have to deal with those people. So now for me, it’s like, you know, I get to the job. And I’m just like smiling and I’m happy and everything and you know, with the client because I never talked to him about the money. And you know, in money, I think is really something sensitive with everybody’s lives. I guess it’s better to have your agent, the bad guy make him the bad guy that’s worried about that. And you just go there and act like a professional and do your job.

Virginia Y
What are some of the projects that you did and they’re bringing you real joy,

Yossi Michael
stuff that they did recently, I shot out an editorial philosophy sale Thailand in China on which was just a really fun day. And the mother was great. And the team was great. And it was just like an easy day. No dramas, no stress, no nothing. Everything was perfect. Like the weather was perfect. Everything was just like easier. And I love the results as well. Also, I did a beauty shooting in the roof of New York not too while ago for beauty magazine. And the weather was bad actually was like drizzling the whole day. But lighting wise, it was great. It was just like easy, you know, because you don’t do this for the world we wanted was not to have too many shots. So the lighting for us was beautiful. And it was nice to do a beauty not in the studio. Here the you do beauty in studio. And it was nice to do it outside. So that was another thing.

Virginia Y
You know that people cannot see the photos right now though, they can check your website, which is

Yossi Michael
your see Michelle, early calm.

Virginia Y
And it’s also linked in the show notes, guys, so you know where to click? Can you try to describe, for example, this big project and just take us behind the scenes tell us how the project started. Whose was the idea and things like that so that we can all actually imagine that we’re with you on this, but issued the beauty one,

Yossi Michael
that’s actually something that I got on my own. That’s something that you know, I sent an email and they liked my work, they got in touch with me and they were coming to New York during Fashion Week. So we started talking about you know, models and concept and everything. Then we decided what we want we get to the place. It was a real step of the New York City hotel. Like I said it was drizzling but we just put a small butterfly on top of it and just to uh to cover us and the day was all about, like, certain products and how you apply them. But it was just like a fun day, it became really cool. The model was great. She knew how to move around and do whatever you needed. I mean, it is beauty. But still I mean, you know, it’s about your hands, your expressions, everything. It was just just really a nice, easy day. Honestly, Sundays are like that, but some days are like can be super hard, and you get home and you’re exhausted. But still it was an amazing day. And what I’m trying to say is not all my best days are my best shoots in my opinion. We’re always like easy and good team happy team. Sometimes you have like stress on it because the client wants a lot of shots and because something is not working or because I don’t know. But a lot of stuff that I did even when he was kind of like a long day or like a hard day and but it was all just make it all worth it. I mean, I remember last year I did three campaigns of phila for phila it’s the sports brand. And we did it in Brazil. And they bunch two campaigns in the same day. So it was really a long day because we know we had to get the sunrise for one shot. So that was decorated being on set at like 4:35am shooting that first campaign starting sunrise until let’s say 2pm. So you’re already tired, because you shooting outside, it’s a long day. And then after that just moved to a different location, big warehouse to do a different campaign for Sheila, then you have to do a new setup of lights. And then you have to end it with a smoke machine. And it’s a different location. So you have to move everything. So that was a long day. We started like I don’t know, 435 for Yeah, and we were done by like 9pm. But when you love what you do, and when you know you’re getting good results, and people are all on the same team. Nobody’s complaining. Everybody’s concentrated in that and wants the same. Yeah. And Dan, I mean, it’s just it’s worth it. I think it’s really important to have a good team in terms of that you don’t have to worry with the dramas like I remember when I first started in the in the beginning of my career, you know, I was working with a lot of people, some of them I knew some of them I didn’t. But if you building your networks, you try out a lot of new people. And sometimes there were like people that were just really amazing, like professionally but personally just it makes your set a little bit more nervous or next year set a little bit more tired. Exactly. And I mean today just I just eliminated for me to say it’s not worth it because you have so much talent today anyway, so you can just always get the right hair or makeup or stylist that will give you an amazing work in still will also give you like great vibes on set, which is super important.

Virginia Y
It’s extremely important. Absolutely agree. I did the same at the very beginning when I was working with many, many people. It was super hard. I remember I was coming home and I was like hit by a truck.

Yossi Michael
Yeah, it just want to forget that day and move on. And today you just don’t really need to deal with that.

Virginia Y
Absolutely.

Yossi Michael
Yeah, stick to people that are nice and happy and do great, great work. Anyway, so

Virginia Y
hope you like this podcast because this is part three of it, and you’ll be able to hear it next Wednesday. Until then you can listen to all of our previous podcasts on photography podcast.net or simply subscribe to our show. And then your podcasting app will notify you of every episode that we release. Thank you so much guys for being with us today. And I cannot wait to see you next week.