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(reduced version sent to Romantic Times)
What do you do to follow up publishing and promoting
your own novel? Why, run off to Florida and shoot a romance calendar!
And leave your child behind.
I have the model - Troy Sutter. I have the photographer
- Ron Jones of Phase Infinity. Both were involved in the Jettison cover.
Big time. We e-mail arrangements back and forth between us (3,000 miles
for one, 500 miles for the other) and then we "just do it". We will go
where Troy is - Ft. Lauderdale. Because we need to see him in the bar.
From day one, we did not count on, but had to deal
with, the "red flags" on the beach. The storm means no kayak and no beach
shots. The palm trees are swaying and the little, young coconuts fall.
But we can shoot bike riding (off-road racing), wall-climbing, roller
blading, and a jeep with a surfboard stuck in the back.
I've never blocked traffic on a highway by driving
a big green SUV with a photographer hanging out the window while Troy
paced us in a borrowed yellow jeep complete with brand-new blue surfboard.
This was a new experience for me. While roller blading was in process,
I stood in front of poles - and was a bumper guard. During the wall climbing,
I held ladders, so the photographer wouldn't fall over.And I took my own
shots. Why waste the opportunity?
These are sports and action shots because Troy does
extreme sports and wanted his calendar to reflect who he is. I agree.
We don't just want them to stand around looking good, do we? No. We want
to see muscles rippling. And I do. See that.
I need to help the guys shop, to pick out bright
shorts and hats - primary colors - which photograph very well. Troy dresses
in black and white, a lot, and he actually looks good in color. I am a
power-shopper. This I can do. Along the way, I even found a Target store.
(Got a lovely black bathing suit there that beat the heck out of the special
shops.)
Then we get to the good stuff. I rent him a tux jacket
and shirt (he has the pants) and we try the pool table - James Bond look.
Hair slicked back, casual elegance. He really does clean up well. Then
we remove the shirt and keep the black jacket - against that tan - out
of sight! - and add a dozen long-stemmed blood-red roses and a rather
large bright red box of chocolate. Oh God! I need to keep my cool. And
try for a non-hurricane location (the opera theater). I storm the place
and ask to shoot inside. Six people later, they decide no. So we shoot
up against the building. Amid construction workers. Drop dead gorgeous.
(The women at the hotel appreciated the flowers when we were done.)
Then we switched to an open blue shirt (the photo)
and sprawl him on a bench. There is something very sexy about a man not
quite dressed and in that position. The people passing by think so too.
One group of women sent their husbands "on ahead" while they stayed and
watched.
We had to fight sunlight that came and went (messing
up the camera and lights), and wind (which was intent on blowing Troy's
long hair into his mouth at every opportunity). This is the beauty of
location shooting.
On the hottest day going, we dressed him in leather
(yes, those same leather pants) and an open Harley jacket and sprawled
him on the back of a beautiful purple and chrome Harley bike. This necessitated
that I stand close by with a towel and a water bottle. The towel was to
mop him down about every 3-4 photos and the water to keep him from passing
out. We also shot this without the shirt. I tried to keep the photographer
from falling into the pool. I resisted the urge to jump in and cool off.
And not from the hot sun! Wow!
We did the western look - with a rather interesting
cactus. (I had tried for a horse but we just couldn't get one.) We had
him hang from a beam in a cabana. Troy does look very good in blue. Nice
autumn shot. We tossed him into a hammock swathed in a large yellow towel.
I was holding water and pens and mirrors and trying to breathe.
As you can see, we had him changing a lot - but this
backyard we were in had so many different looks that we worked it to the
limit. It was also private (less distracting). And with uncertain weather,
we needed to get in as many set-ups as we could.
Above all, your model must feel comfortable. My job
is observe, hold towels, water, carry a compact, a pen (for labeling film),
watch his hair, collar, and other details, and also see that no underwear
band shows. I am a gopher. I fetch and carry and try to sneak in a few
photos of my own.
We then threw Troy into the pool (well, not quite
that violent) - and discovered that the pool was ice-cold. The shots in
the corner with him lifting out of the Jacuzzi are pretty damn good.
We wrapped up the shoot the last day with Troy in
a flight suit - with a restored WWII plane, and at the Baja Beach Club
- where we try to capture this wild bartender at work.
I did light up a cigarette from his flaming fly.
Had to have a little fun.
Too wild for words.
www.JettisonSaga.com
www.TroySutter.com.
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