Text and Photography by Brian Hunt, Copyright 2022
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Behind The Scenes
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I have known Tony Ward for the last few years. Tony is a personal friend of my business partner (Kevin Harris). I have had time with Tony on a few occasions, each time I have come away from the conversation energized and informed. I have been pursuing professional photography as an artistic endeavor, and a supplemental income for the past 10 years. In all of that time my most cherished moments are when I have the opportunity to spend time with a seasoned artist who recognizes my enthusiasm, and wants to share knowledge, experience, and insight. That is precisely what I received from assisting Tony Ward with his “vixens” shoot featuring Joy Arnold
The shoot was at his (Tony’s) home. I knew that the home would be tastefully decorated, and it would probably feature an abundance of art. What I found exceeded my expectations significantly. The home is a modern art gallery, including most of the furniture… Bold inspiring color has been painted on the walls, then carefully curated framed art covers all available wall space. 3 generations of paintings photographs and family heirlooms are on display. Tony was happy to give me explanations and history associated with several of the most prominent pieces. Listening to him talk about each piece of art, made me more grateful for the opportunity to be involved with the shoot.
My experience in photography has a wide range of subjects, and equally diverse purpose of each shoot. In most cases if the subject is a person, that person is an amateur. Even when the person has a vested interest in the shot, they aren’t experienced, and they are relying on me to make them look their best. While I love the opportunity to help people look their best, it make me appreciate time spent shooting with professionals even more. The entire crew for the day of the shoot demonstrated a high level of proficiency. Michael Connor arrived early and handled Hair, Makeup, and wardrobe brilliantly. He (Michael) was consistently one step ahead of the creative direction of Kevin Harris. With each change and adjustment Michael had the model ready, and calm, for the camera. My role was to directly assist Tony and to capture “behind the scene” footage whenever possible. This gave me a front row seat to watch and observe 2 artists (Joy Arnold, and Tony) at work.
My favorite part of being an assistant is that I have the opportunity to learn how another shooter runs his show. What words and phrases does he use when guiding people? How does he direct the model? How does he progress through different poses, to make the most of each set, and wardrobe change? Watching Joy Arnold effortlessly contort her body into position, then listening to Tony give direction to finalize each frame, was exactly what I had hoped it would be. It gave me validation that I am on the right track, while showing me I still have a lot to learn…
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