Sophie Weber · Femjoy Debut
Updated: 4 days ago
Sophie Weber · Femjoy Debut Backstage
Sophie Weber brought two things to our shoot: an easygoing attitude and a supply of jokes that made it difficult for me to stay serious behind the camera.
I was very happy to photograph Sophie for Femjoy. A debut has its own little excitement, and I wanted to make photographs that felt like her, rather than ask her to fit some grand plan of mine. Luckily, Sophie is a lovely person to work with. She is positive, relaxed, and very good at making the person holding the camera laugh.
That last part may not sound like a photographer’s problem. It can be, especially when I’m trying to concentrate! :)
I enjoy working with someone who makes the shoot feel comfortable. With Sophie, I could focus on the photographs without feeling that every moment needed a complicated instruction. Her easygoing nature gave me room to pay attention to what was happening in front of my camera. I could think about what worked, make a change, and keep going without turning the whole thing into a serious production.
And then, of course, there were the jokes.
I won’t pretend I can compete with Sophie on that front. My job was to take the photographs. Hers, apparently, included keeping the photographer entertained. It is a division of labour I was very happy to accept, though I’m not sure I deserve much credit for being the easier person to amuse.
What I appreciated most was that her humour and her positive attitude seemed to belong together. Sophie didn’t need to make a big performance of being fun. She was simply pleasant to spend time with, and that made photographing her a pleasure too.
Is a joke technically part of a photo shoot if it makes the photographer pause before taking the next picture? I think Sophie would say yes. I might have to agree with her.
For me, a session works best when there is room for the person in front of the camera to be herself. I can think about the photographs as much as I like, but the person I’m photographing brings something I can’t plan for. With Sophie, that was a combination of warmth, positivity and a sense of humour that kept me on my toes.
I’m glad Femjoy Debut is the title of Sophie Weber’s set. It captures how happy I am to introduce her to Femjoy, and it reminds me of what I enjoyed about photographing her. She made my work feel easy without making it any less interesting.
Sophie, thank you for being such lovely company. I hope we can agree that I handled the camera well enough, even if you won the comedy contest. :)
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