Oh Lordy! Usually my remote control setup that I affectionately call “Remota,” works for me. I find a nice complimentary wall in my neighborhood, set up my tripond and camera, connect my phone and camera, and I’m ready to shoot. I’m able to look at the phone, see the shot, click, and two seconds later the picture is taken. Those two seconds usually provide me with enough time to conveniently hide my phone–although sometimes it’s photoshopped out if I wasn’t quick enough. The most distractions I usually have while taking these Remota and Me photoshoots in my neighborhood are from pedestrians or bystanders wanting to know what I am up.
A big part of my photo taking process is finding interesting walls or backdrops that will help to either compliment my outfit or add to the storytelling. Recently with a date night in Wan Chai I saw three fabulous backdrops for shooting photos. I set about planning the outfits that would compliment each setting and help tell the story of the outfit.
Wan Chai is a neighborhood a simple jaunt away from my regular location; it’s about a 20-30 minute taxi ride away which is really no big deal. But with the three locations all within 20 feet of one another I wanted to take advantage of backdrops. I packed a large tote with three outfits, accompanied shoes, and accessories to match. I also had my backpack filled with the necessary equipment. Oh, and I added a fourth outfit just in case. Basically I was very loaded down.
Oh no… this is when and where it got hairy! First off it took about 30 minutes for me to get my iPhone and camera to connect–no big deal as sometimes this happens. The real troubles started when I’d place Remota into the street, get it all set up, be in position, and then a car would come. This happened over and over and over with a truck, a van, a moped, a taxi, a pedestrian. I could not for the life of me get any shots because every time I set Remota up, I’d have to remove her (Yes, reomota is female to me.) from the oncoming traffic. Talk about frustrating!
I learned two lessons from this experience: first consider getting a photographer. Long lost are those days when Gigi was my expert photographer–although she did take these ones from Wednesday! Alternatively, don’t choose backdrops that are on busy roads. It just doesn’t work with Remota and me.
Any other questions about how I take pictures of myself with Remota?
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