tribeca — Blog — Jesse Hsu Photography

Back in Oct 2015, I had an all day photoshoot with the talented Gigi Neil. Well versed in singing, dancing, and acting, this triple threat was patient with me as I fumbled around the controls of my Sony A7R2.

To be honest, I don't have any locations or poses planned for my photoshoot. I think that overplanning kills the vibe and most of my pictures are created through serendipity and improvisation. If I see a cool alley with a fence, or an interesting patch of light, we'll take a few snaps.

We met in the lobby of Crosby Street Hotel and shot a few warm up shots. Thanks to my assistants Hao and Cheryl for carrying her wardrobe as we began walking around Tribeca looking for photogenic locations.

Gigi was telling me about her current plans of auditioning for Broadway roles as the sun began to set. We were traipsing through West Village towards the water as a breeze began to pick up. After some water shots, we took some subway shots and finished the evening with some cocktails at The Roxy. She began posing on the stage, comfortable and glowing in her element and I have no doubt I'll see her on stage soon enough.

I remember being super nervous because it was one of my first portrait sessions. It was August 2015 and I had just purchased a Sony A7s and wanted to practice some high shutter action shots of Jen, my friend and dancer extraordinaire.

A million questions paralyzed me before the shoot began:

"How do I pose her without being awkward?"

"How do i tell her what I want if I don't even know what I want?"

"Will I be able to get some usable shots? I'm so new to photography."

All that worrying disappeared when we met up. Jen was super chill and put me at ease as we fell into a comfortable rhythm. We started shooting near the pier on the West Side and then found an alley in Tribeca with gorgeous cobblestone streets and brick walls.

She didn't even need me to guide her as she nonchalantly hit pose after pose like a pro and continually improvised her movements based on the environment. I remember her spotting a window in an alley and two seconds later, she had climbed up the ledge and stretched out her leg in one fluid movement.

"Take my picture."

The combination of rain showers and the waning sun resulted in some moody shots - still some of my favorite shots to this day.