Long time watchers of DigitalRev on YouTube will be all too familiar with the awesome series Pro 'Tog, Cheap Camera which airs only a couple times a year. For the uninitiated, as the title suggests, in this series world-class professional photographers leave their high-end gear at home and show what they can do with the most basic equipment imaginable. Previous episodes of the series include Alex Ogle, Philip Bloom, Chase Jarvis, Ben Von Wong, and Zack Arias to name a few. The newest installment features rock star fashion photographer, Lara Jade. Take a look!
In addition to struggling to use what appears to be a toddler-safe camera, Lara is rushed to shoot a three-look shoot within the six-hour window her layover in Hong Kong. Watching Lara work with extremely limited time and resources is pretty darn inspiring. I consider videos like this a friendly reminder to stop paying more attention to the tools than the craft itself. Bravo, Lara!
If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out DigitalRev's previous editions of Pro 'Tog, Cheap Camera.
To keep up with Lara Jade check out her work on her site, Facebook, and Instagram.
[Via DigitalRev TV on YouTube]
I really like this series of videos.
Of course, there are no doubts in the importance of quality gear.
But I like how well these videos show the importance of proper composition, working with light, the presence of creativity and an aesthetic components.
The cheap camera challenge videos are great, but I wish they could give the Pros a slightly better camera to work with so that we can really appreciate their skill.
I agree. Give them an old Point and Shoot, or a $50-$100 fixed lens camera with a digital screen and few manual controls. That way you can showcase their non technical skills like reading light, positioning a model, composition, etc. Some of the time the physical limitations of the gear ruin an otherwise good photo, like when David Hobby had his flash stop syncing randomly. Photo Throwdown does a good job of limiting the photographers while still allowing them the potential to create good images.
You can tell she was struggling at first then she really hit her stride towards the end of the program. I like the later images quite a bit.
A very beautiful & talented girl ! To show what top photographers can do with a minimum of gears I remember a french magazine who gave a polaroid camera to some pros. It was a good way to see their "raw" talent !
I've been a fan of Lara Jade for years, so this video was quite a treat! It was really inspiring seeing her adapt. Apparently Lara fell ill at the end of filming, which makes it that much more impressive for her to hold it together throughout the shoot.
I couldn't get over the photographers with DSLRs who were encroaching on the shoot. Despite it being a potentially comical shoot in a public place, I was glad to see her block the guy.