Editorial Photography Personal Work: NERFd ONE

Update: See my newest NERF shoot here.

When I shoot personal work, I want to be able to tell a story through my images. This shoot didn’t work out quite as well as planned. One of the volunteers was absent and I had come down with a bout of food poisoning the night before. I share it anyway, however, because hey. It’s my blog.

NERF soldier prepared ambush on well dressed target and guards

This shot was intended to introduce the viewer to the protagonist and instantly give you an idea of what his job was, even if they didn’t know the specifics.


Well dressed NERF drug cartel lord being escorted by guards

The second shot introduces the antagonists a bit better, while giving the viewer a better idea of what the protagonist is looking at. There’s a noticeable discrepancy between this shot and the previous one with the guard on Camera Right. In the first shot, I used a PA as the guard as one of my original guards failed to show up on the day of the shoot. Looking back, this should have been shot from a lower angle with a wider lens.


NERF soldier takes aim

The protagonist lines up his shot.


NERF Drug Cartel under fire

There’s a lot I don’t like about this shot. It tells the story well, but the polish I normally want isn’t there. I could list a whole bunch of excuses, but it’s just not good.


NERF Cartel Guard goes hunting

This is another shot I’m not fond of in retrospect. Besides my own technical gripes with it, it doesn’t actually advance the story unless you already know what the story is.


NERF Close Quarters Combat

Three shots in a row I’m less than happy with. The one bright point is the guard’s facial expression, which makes me giggle. Unlike the previous one, this does advance the story.


NERF Cartel Guard lying dead

This shot works. I like the light, I like the composition, and it gives you a solid impression of what happened after the previous shot. Good stuff.


NERF Soldier about to complete his mission

The last shot is perfect. The viewer knows what’s about to happen, and there’s no need to shoot more to tell the story (besides, I’d never have been forgiven if I got that suit dirty).

I had never tried a story shoot like this before, and in retrospect there’s quite a bit I’d change. But it was a learning experience and there’s still a lot of good in there. I love shooting personal work like this because it lets me develop and build on skills that I can bring to my clients jobs, giving them something above and beyond ordinary.

Commercial Portrait and Editorial Advertising Photographer in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR – Rebecca Getsfrid