I was recently asked how much control, I, as a photographer have on any given shoot.
The short answer is “it depends”. If you have a paying client, then definitely you have to put their vision and needs above your own, in just about every sense. Logistically, shooting for a client may not differ very much from doing a self-assigned shoot, you would still be responsible for pulling together the different aspects of the shoot, except that your choice of team would be directly affected by your client’s needs. You won’t hire your favorite MUA for the gig because his specialty is clean, simple makeup, whereas your client is looking for someone who can do something with a heavily theatrical, glamorous bent. And you have to take your client into consideration when selecting models and location. That said, each client/photographer relationship is different and it’s entirely possible to get to a point with a repeat client where they give you carte blanche to do whatever you think is right for the project. Every once in a while, you’ll also come across an especially laid back client, who has seen your work and believes in the way you see the world through the lens – those folks can also give you free reign with just the barest of outlines. The third option is that you become a world famous photographer and if clients want you for their project they pretty much have to play by your rules. How nice to be in that position!
If you are shooting a self-assigned project, then YOU are your own client and as such, you can definitely have a lot more control over every aspect of the shoot, from where you shoot, to who the models are to what the final images look like. The only exception to this is if you’re the “newbie” and you are trying to entice people who are “established” into working with you. If you want people to take a chance on you and be a part of the shoot, the “polite” thing to do is to share or even give up control over the concept and what hair, makeup and the model might look like. You’ll still get to pose, light, shoot and post-process the project the way you want, but the idea may belong to someone else. That’s okay though, learning how NOT to be a total control freak is good for the soul!
Personally, as far as control goes, I prefer something in between. Something I call creative collaboration, an occasion where I get to choose what I am responsible for and pass off the other responsibilities to willing parties of my choice. This can work really well assuming the following two conditions are met: 1. The other parties are as committed and competent as you are in their area of responsibility and 2. Aesthetically, you are able to embrace each other’s creative vision. I have been fortunate to be a part of handful of such creative collaborations and feel that I am quite blessed as they are not easy to come by and are essential to a fashion photographer’s success.
While it can be incredibly productive and inspiring, creative collaboration does have its own shortcomings. For starters, it is quite difficult to find a group of like-minded professionals who all get along and are all willing to put in the same amount of effort and energy into creating the final product. The dream team does not happen overnight. (The dream team may NEVER happen if you don’t have a personality that invites enthusiastic, and consistent collaboration.) It can take weeks or months of working with different individuals in all kinds of combinations to finally end up with one that feels “right”. But when it happens, it can be magical. That magic can be addictive and you’ll want to ride that groove forever. The problem with that? At some point you stop growing because you get into a routine. Routine can be great, but it can also make you lazy and complacent – two things you cannot afford to be in such a competitive industry. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the world’s chaos will exert it’s influence on your dream team and it will eventually disperse for any number of reasons. So don’t get too attached. Enjoy the great collaboration while it lasts and always be ready for new adventure!
And don’t waste your time pondering if you’ll ever find another magic combo. If you could do it once, you can do it again! And when you find it, you will appreciate all the ways in which you will grow creatively AND personally.
In part, this is due not only to my hectic schedule, but also to the fact that I now have a 
I still love you guys, so I’m going to be keeping up the sporadic blogging…until something even better comes along and the blogging platform goes the way of record players, VCRs and Myspace. 
by polina
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