A shoot with Liza Kaylee, and Thailand returning to normal after coronavirus

Until a few days ago, everything in Bangkok was still operating as I recently described in the article "Life in Thailand during the pandemic". The biggest changes since then were the automatic extension of our visas until the end of July and a curfew from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. In any case, the restrictions here were never as severe as in Poland, and doing a shoot with only a model wasn’t a problem. The models are bored anyway: there are no castings, fashion shows, or events, and few photo shoots because those almost always require many people in the studio. Even many jobs that had already been approved were canceled until May 16. I’ve recently been busy with other things, but I found time for one test shoot. Somehow, for the second time in a row, my model was from Siberia. Meet Liza:

Thailand began the first stage of returning to normal on May 3. Markets are reopening, outdoor exercise is returning, hairdressers can resume basic services, and so on, although the modeling industry probably won’t get moving yet.

If Thailand’s number of cases doesn’t rise above 30 per day after two weeks, the second stage of leaving lockdown will begin, and the process will continue until the fourth and final stage. In an ideal situation, everything will be back to normal in two months, but I wouldn’t count on it. Recently there were six infections per day; now there are three. But sick people are being tested, not everyone who wants a test.

I’ve seen all kinds of conspiracy theories becoming popular—even ones that take only a few seconds to disprove but somehow continue to spread. I therefore think it’s worth mentioning a few places here that discuss health and other subjects on the basis of science and research rather than folk beliefs, information taken out of context, or someone’s impressions. The following sites have never let me down, no matter how deeply I’ve checked their sources:

- Naukowy Bełkot: FB | YT
- Crazy Nauka: WWW | FB
- Pod Mikroskopem: YT

These used to be excellent sites covering a wide variety of subjects. Unfortunately, because of cranks talking about treating cancer with vitamin C and similar nonsense, they now have to spend most of their time correcting it all.

Test shoot with Liza

Unlike every other model I’ve met in Bangkok, Liza works freelance rather than through an agency. That’s rare here. If someone flies in only briefly, arranging jobs independently would be nearly impossible. Liza arrived six years ago to spend the winter and somehow ended up staying. In Thailand, that’s a completely normal story—you constantly meet people whose lives here began that way, although usually not in the modeling industry. You could probably count the foreign models who live here permanently on one hand.

I’d known of Liza for years and we have several mutual friends, but we’d never had an opportunity to meet. I usually photograph models with a different look—a similar figure and height, but sharper facial features. I decided not to force prominent cheekbones and instead make use of her natural features. Rather than a beauty dish or even a gridded octabox, I used an umbrella—white on one side and black on the other. It was 120 cm because that was the largest one I had.

I can’t remember the last time I lit a shoot this way. It was a very long time ago, or perhaps I never had. I always recommend a black umbrella with a white diffusion layer for shooting in an apartment because it eliminates the problems caused by light from a transparent umbrella bouncing everywhere. When I started photography, however, I didn’t own a black one. Later I acquired all kinds of softboxes and other modifiers, eventually including a black umbrella, but by then I don’t think I used umbrellas as a main light at all. In any case, I’ll always say it’s one of the best modifiers for someone starting out.

I used two apertures depending on the shot: f/7.1 for wider frames and f/4 for faces alone. The focal length was always 135 mm.

The shoot took place in an apartment with a 2.3 m ceiling, so portraits work best with the model seated. I barely consider that during tests because shots of the face alone are only an addition. Liza needed a portrait, though, so we shot the close-ups like beauty images—with her sitting on a 40 cm pouf rather than standing.

The low ceiling in my living room severely limits control over the light because I can’t direct the shadows clearly downward without moving the lamp very close. Having the model sit solves that problem. It matters less to me for the other photos—in those cases I actually prefer more side lighting, so the remaining shots were taken standing, as usual during tests. I didn’t light this shoot from particularly high above, but I still preferred to seat the model and move the lamp slightly farther away to avoid an overexposed forehead.

I’ve written this many times and I’ll write it many more: what I love about test shoots is how easy they are to organize compared with beauty shoots and similar productions. A photographer, a model, and that’s it. There’s no need to coordinate an entire team, arrange styling, and handle everything else. Of course, tests can be produced that way too, but at that point I’d rather shoot something completely different. I treat tests as a break from all the organizational work. I have macOS and iOS configured so that typing the phrase ",tests" inserts a message explaining what clothes to bring, how to get here, and so on. The whole arrangement takes moments. Even if the shoot eventually has to be rescheduled because a casting comes up, for example, there’s nobody else whose schedule needs to be coordinated. One message along the lines of "tomorrow at 4?" settles it.

In two weeks we’ll know what happens next in Thailand. I’ll keep you updated.