Behind the Lens: Eli Schmidt is Mad for SCAD
June 4, 2009 by Matt
Filed under Interviews, News
Savannah College of Art and Design’s graduating fashion design students were given an amazing opportunity to break into the industry the right way – with a team of experienced and talented professionals working to create a visually stunning and truly editorial look book. Satisfy your curiosity and read on to find out how this production came together from photographer Eli Schmidt. Don’t you wish your portfolio looked this fabulous when you graduated from school?
KW: How did you come about shooting these look books?
ES: I always kept in touch with one of my professors, Jaclyn Cori, after graduation. She was always a big influence as an artist and a mentor to me while I was in school. The school was looking for a professional photographer to work with this year, and Jaclyn was kind enough to mention my name. Once the fashion department at SCAD contacted me, I didn’t even think twice. I knew that this was a project that I wanted to be involved with.
KW: How did you coordinate, plan, and satisfy each designer’s personal style through your photographs?
ES: The look book this year had great influence from designer and creative director Lars Nilsson and the hugely inspiring and talented stylist Catherine Baba. Since most of the designs were still being finished while we were concepting and formulating ideas for the book, Lars, Catherine and I really focused on how we wanted the stories to look from an editorial perspective. We agreed to break up the shots into 5 ‘mini-editorials’ to give the finished book the feeling of a magazine more than a look book. Anthony Miller, the Chair of SCAD’s fashion department, made a great decision and allowed us to breakup the designer’s collections into individual pieces. Catherine pulled from the finished garments as if it was one enormous showroom. This allowed us to shoot from a truly editorial point of view. Ultimately, I think the students got to see their designs showcased in a way that was really inspiring and fresh.
KW: Wow, Catherine Baba is amazing! How long did it take to plan? How much time did you spend shooting each designer’s looks?
ES: For a project of this magnitude, we worked in a very short time frame. Pre-production meetings began in Savannah about 2 weeks before the shoot. We shot 100 pages of content in 3 days! It was a fashion marathon.
KW: How many pieces did each designer have for you to shoot?
ES: Student submitted 2-3 finished looks for us to edit through.
KW: Who were the models used? How did you direct them?
ES: All of the models in the book are students at the college. We held a casting at the school 2 days before we began shooting. All of the designers use students as their models for critiques as well as in the school’s fashion show, so we had a huge pool of talent to choose from. Directing students who are not professional models was a bit of a challenge at times, but there were also moments we captured that I don’t think you would get from a model that is overly conscious of the camera.
KW: Where and how did you shoot the look books?
ES: All of our shooting took place at SCAD’s video building, Hamilton Hall. The school has a huge green screen studio that rivals some of the larger studio spaces in New York. The head of the building almost fell over when I requested that we paint the green screen white, but it all worked out. It was quite a luxury to have all that space to work in. The location story at the end of the book was shot in and around the same building. Hamilton Hall is located right off of the Savannah River, which is a huge port for industry. Shooting there provided for some really gritty and amazing backdrops.
KW: As a SCAD alumnus, what was your experience like when you attended?
ES: Growing up in Chicago, living and attending school in Savannah was a huge
Change – and a warmer one, thankfully! I knew I wanted to go to art school and, after just one visit to Savannah, I was completely seduced by the city. Being in a small city was great for focusing on nothing but making work and being surrounded by friends who were having the same experience.
KW: Amazing work! There’s no doubt because of everyone’s hard work, these designers will continue their success. Check out more of Eli’s photography on his website and keep an eye out for a future editorial on WhatsWear. KATHRYN WIRSING
Behind the Lens: Eli Schmidt is Mad for SCAD
Savannah College of Art and Design’s graduating fashion design students were given an amazing opportunity to break into the industry the right way – with a team of experienced and talented professionals working to create a visually stunning and truly editorial look book. Satisfy your curiosity and read on to find out how this production came together from photographer Eli Schmidt. Don’t you wish your portfolio looked this fabulous when you graduated from school?
KW: How did you come about shooting these look books?
ES: I always kept in touch with one of my professors, Jaclyn Cori, after graduation. She was always a big influence as an artist and a mentor to me while I was in school. The school was looking for a professional photographer to work with this year, and Jaclyn was kind enough to mention my name. Once the fashion department at SCAD contacted me, I didn’t even think twice. I knew that this was a project that I wanted to be involved with.
KW: How did you coordinate, plan, and satisfy each designer’s personal style through your photographs?
ES: The look book this year had great influence from designer and creative director Lars Nilsson and the hugely inspiring and talented stylist Catherine Baba. Since most of the designs were still being finished while we were concepting and formulating ideas for the book, Lars, Catherine and I really focused on how we wanted the stories to look from an editorial perspective. We agreed to break up the shots into 5 ‘mini-editorials’ to give the finished book the feeling of a magazine more than a look book. Anthony Miller, the Chair of SCAD’s fashion department, made a great decision and allowed us to breakup the designer’s collections into individual pieces. Catherine pulled from the finished garments as if it was one enormous showroom. This allowed us to shoot from a truly editorial point of view. Ultimately, I think the students got to see their designs showcased in a way that was really inspiring and fresh.
KW: Wow, Catherine Baba is amazing! How long did it take to plan? How much time did you spend shooting each designer’s looks?
ES: For a project of this magnitude, we worked in a very short time frame. Pre-production meetings began in Savannah about 2 weeks before the shoot. We shot 100 pages of content in 3 days! It was a fashion marathon.
KW: How many pieces did each designer have for you to shoot?
ES: Student submitted 2-3 finished looks for us to edit through.
KW: Who were the models used? How did you direct them?
ES: All of the models in the book are students at the college. We held a casting at the school 2 days before we began shooting. All of the designers use students as their models for critiques as well as in the school’s fashion show, so we had a huge pool of talent to choose from. Directing students who are not professional models was a bit of a challenge at times, but there were also moments we captured that I don’t think you would get from a model that is overly conscious of the camera.
KW: Where and how did you shoot the look books?
ES: All of our shooting took place at SCAD’s video building, Hamilton Hall. The school has a huge green screen studio that rivals some of the larger studio spaces in New York. The head of the building almost fell over when I requested that we paint the green screen white, but it all worked out. It was quite a luxury to have all that space to work in. The location story at the end of the book was shot in and around the same building. Hamilton Hall is located right off of the Savannah River, which is a huge port for industry. Shooting there provided for some really gritty and amazing backdrops.
KW: As a SCAD alumnus, what was your experience like when you attended?
ES: Growing up in Chicago, living and attending school in Savannah was a huge
Change – and a warmer one, thankfully! I knew I wanted to go to art school and, after just one visit to Savannah, I was completely seduced by the city. Being in a small city was great for focusing on nothing but making work and being surrounded by friends who were having the same experience.
KW: Amazing work! There’s no doubt because of everyone’s hard work, these designers will continue their success. Check out more of Eli’s photography on his website and keep an eye out for a future editorial on WhatsWear. KATHRYN WIRSING
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