REOO Arts wrote:
I have never shot any goth or art stuff before and a model wants me to shoot her in that sort of style. I told her that I had no clue on how to go about that, but she said that we will work on it together. Great. But what would you say defines the alt art genre and what are the key features that I need to try to keep in mind. Anything else you could tell me would be great.

Thanks
--TJ

That is a question that is way too broad to be answered intelligently. So I won't, but here is an answer. Stereotypically I see a lot of contrasty, dark, B/W stuff like your avatar. I would worry more about your set and wardrobe than your style. Bring your thing to a different subject matter and see what happens. Typical sets are urban, run down factories, broken stuff, graveyards, etc. Forget the flowers unless they are dead. Make up is usually extreme.

Best advice, treat it like a project and have a good idea what you would like to accomplish. If you have no idea what you want to accomplish and are worried about what other people want just have a look at suicidegirls.com and do something like that average "creative" image there.

FWIW

RB

REOO Arts wrote:
really? some of the stuff we looked at wasnt bad. most was shit. but a couple werent horrible and some were pretty damn nice.

i might have been kidding, the stuff in your portfolio is pretty cool, shoot her like that, shadows, esp the portrait of joe meyers at the bottom of the page..

she liked your stuff, go with what you already do well

lotusphoto wrote:

i might have been kidding, the stuff in your portfolio is pretty cool, shoot her like that, shadows, esp the portrait of joe meyers at the bottom of the page..

she liked your stuff, go with what you already do well

Thanks.

REOO Arts wrote:
kind of like punk meets noir?

Yeah. Goth is... nothing soft but flesh.

Lost Coast Photo wrote:
Is the model real?  If she understands alternative, you've got half a chance.  If it's new for both of you, it's much more likely to look stylized and stereotyped.

It's more about attitude than anything.  A technically competent mainstream photographer working with an alt model, there's a chance it will work.  It's actually harder for an experienced alt photographer to make some girl-next-door type look alt even if she wears the clothes, because she isn't going the have the body language, the expression.  If she isn't really a rebel, she isn't going to become one in the next 10 minutes.

Thus, I'm a little surprised at the emphasis on technique, because that's only 10 percent of it.

From your end, try to create something darker, moody.  You probably don't want to shoot at the beach on a sunny day, but the cemetary is a little stereotyped too.  Run-down inner city urban often works.  Indoors or out, try to get a few shadows in there, work with either darker colors (black/dark gray/red/purple) or somber black and white, don't crack jokes and make her laugh, at least not right before you ppres the shutter release.  Try to put a little intensity into it, provoke darker emotions.  Think halloween only more subtle.  Were you ever a rebel in school?  How about your friends?  Try to forget that the current batch of rebels tends to shop at corporate-owned Hot Topic, and go for that loner-rebel feel which is ageless... what todays goths are feeling is just a major variation of what the beat generation did, or late 70s/early 80s punk rockers (like me), fine-tuned for the context of a very different world.

awesome. the rebel energy. that is perfect. exactly what i was looking for. it didnt click until you said that. but now I'm there. it isnt really about the goth thing. it is the rebel energy.
thank you.

Maynard Southern wrote:
Hmmm...take her out in a field and hang a dead horse with a giant erectio...no wait, Witkin did that already...ummm...maybe use a gerbil instead of the horse...yeah...that's it...

a gerbil with a giant horse erection. thats brilliant.

corachaos wrote:
You could look at my site too...I do a bunch of alt models:  www.corachaos.net

Thank you. That is a great help.

by the way, that tail tat is too awesome for words. now i want one too. my gf will be pissed.

Maynard Southern wrote:
Hmmm...take her out in a field and hang a dead horse with a giant erectio...no wait, Witkin did that already...ummm...maybe use a gerbil instead of the horse...yeah...that's it...

or get creative and hve her crawling out of the dead horse , i dont think suicide girls will approve that though....

CareLyn Anita wrote:
or get creative and hve her crawling out of the dead horse , i dont think suicide girls will approve that though....

That would be freakin sweet.

Things to Do:

1. Buy horse
2. ...

Hecates_illusion wrote:
Grrrr... Some people are such assholes. The alternative style can be very colorful. It doesn't have to be shitty black and whites. The images being "alternative" pretty much depend on your girl and her clothes. It also depends on your location. Try something fun and different. You would be surprised at how well it can turn out. I shot a alternative male model in a toy store once. I've shot them in abandoned places. She is just a person after all. Shoot her how you would anyone else.

Thanks for saying this! 

"Alternative", or "Alt", is a broad term.  My portfolio is fairly colorful, and I'm what many would consider to be an "alt model" though I'm not a goth/punk.  Just about any branch of modeling, retro/pin-up, cosplay (aka me), etc., that isn't a part of the "mainstream" core modeling branches (fashion, casual, commercial, etc), is pretty much alternative. 

So don't believe the stereotypes.