Finding Inspiration with Gaia from The Family Lab
play on: spotify | apple podcasts
In this episode I am chatting to Gaia from The Family Lab. Based in New York, Gaia is an editorial family photographer. We discuss finding inspiration, building a slow living business, and staying true to your own style.
INSPIRATION
For Gaia, inspiration can come from anywhere: fashion magazines, art, movies, and so on. A very visual person, Gaia finds herself drawing from external stimuli and recontextualizing and reinventing those images. Mood boards are also a huge art of her process. Collating images by lighting style, atmosphere, and colour allows her to work towards capturing an emotion.
THE FOCUS
Mood boards are also a great tool to communicate visions with clients. They are a way of creating collaboration between artist and client that can elevate the experience for both parties. As artists, it can be easy to get carried away in the creative process, it’s important to remember that in family photography, the focus is on the client. It isn’t about the volume of work you produce or how many clients you can squeeze in in a day, it’s about the quality of work you produce.
VISION
When it comes to styling a shoot, most clients trust Gaia’s input and overall vibe she is trying to create. It’s important to have the confidence to know what colours and styles will work on camera and communicating that to your clients. Even the most experienced photographer sometimes doubts themself, but be confident in your vision and don’t be afraid to share it.