“I’m coming up to Prescott — I want you to make some images for me,” Shayde, my director friend said.
I have seen Shayde direct some great actors, including Josh Adamson, Irina Björklund and Rachel Wittman. But as is sometimes the case (and certainly in my case), the person behind the camera may not feel as normally fluid when front of it. So it can be with Shayde. He knows this.
Shayde Christian Directing Irina Björklund and Josh Adamson (Painting in the Rain)
I think that is why he likes to work together. I ignore his discomfort in front of the camera and challenge myself to embrace it before we dismiss it.
During our session, we crashed a neighbor’s yard to explore the light. There had been a recent monsoon rain in Prescott, and the air was clean, crisp and still. I invited Shayde to sit on a retaining wall and took this shot to check the exposure:
Before
As I looked at Shayde, I noticed that he looked as I might have appeared in front of the camera: hunched over, eyes averted, hands uncertain, etc. So I invited him to try something different.
“Hey, Shayde. Sit up from your waist! Open your heart chakra and extend it around the lens.”
“What kind of New Age Mumbo-Jumbo is that?” Shayde retorted.
Ignoring the question, I continued: “Now spread your legs. Don’t worry, I am not going to shoot your crotch, but the camera will know what you are doing … Wider … Wider!!!”
My invitation was met with laughter from the on-lookers and it spread (no pun intended) to Shayde.
‘Click:’
After
It’s not the kind of invitation I could use with just anyone, but I knew it would bring Shayde out of his shell and into the lens.
Bill Leyden's Photog Blog 
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