Tattoo Cover Model
photographing Christelle Souverbie for the cover of Tatouage Magazine
I’ve worked and been friends with Christelle for over 13 years and she’s responsible for some of my best tattoos. So when she calls me early in the morning because Tatouage Magazine wanted to do a spread on her work and possibly the cover, I said, “Oh my god that’s amazing! …so when are we shooting?” As with most publications, the magazine had an extremely short deadline and wanted photos done in 4 days. FOUR DAYS. Obviously, that’s tight for anyone’s schedule but add to the fact that she lives in Quebec City and I’m in Montreal… By some miracle we both had the same day free and I packed everything up the next day and started the 4 hour drive.
Thankfully Christelle and I have done a lot of shoots together so we speak the same photoshoot language and we were able to quickly plan out the shoot day. It was long, but we got everything done. We shot on the Quebec City boardwalk outside of the Chateau Frontenac, along the vintage streets and a studio space Christelle had organized. We were going for a more androgynous, artist look. Super happy with the photos I got, I spent the evening curating a selection and Christelle picked out her favourites. The very next morning, I drove back to Montreal so I could retouch the final images for the next day. I was tired, but I was happy with what we created on such short notice. Christelle sent off the photos to her contact and then we had to wait.
A few days go by with no word and then suddenly Christelle calls me in a panic. The magazine loved the shoot but wanted more options to choose from in a completely different style than what we did. They wanted an ultra feminine vintage look that was similar to a past shoot we did, but that most of the images had already been published so it had to be a new set… So like the crazy people that we are, we decide to shoot again that same day. Christelle jumped in her car, booked a suite in Old Montreal, and drove the 4 hours to Montreal.
Because that modern vintage glamour look is what we do best, this second shoot was a breeze. We shot inside the suite then wandered around Old Montreal to get as much variety as possible. I rushed home and retouched even more photos that evening. Keep in mind that I can’t do quickie retouching because we’re talking print and it has to be detailed oriented. The photos are sent off the magazine and then we have to wait the month until finding out if Christelle got the cover and what photos they chose.
It was all worth it because as you can see, Christelle got the cover with a photo we did in studio in Quebec city and then a 4 page spread in the magazine. She does incredible work as a tattoo artist and I’m so happy that she’s getting the credit that she deserves.
“That adventure is engraved as one of the best of my career, even with all the stress” - Christelle Souverbie
But let this story be a lesson, when a publication wants to feature you, they do not give you a lot of time to get your images together. This is not the first time I’ve had someone reach out to me last minute because a publication wanted to feature them, but I have not always been available last minute. Many a time I’ve had clients tell me that they need additional retouched images in less than 24 hours. With Tatouage Magazine, we them over 20 high res images in different looks and styles for them to choose 4 images from. If we had not given them the high quality and interesting photos that we did, Christelle might have lost the cover and her feature might have been shortened.
So if you’re putting yourself out there, you need to have more photos than you ever think you’ll need, ready to go. Also consider that once a photo is published, it cannot be republished by any other publication. And many magazines will go as far as say that they will not publish any images that have already been posted on social media or your website. Horizontals, verticals, professional, casual, empty spaces… it’s important to a little bit of everything for your ideal media image package. If you feel a little lost on where to begin, don’t worry, I guide all my clients when putting together this kind of photoshoot. If you’re still figuring out what your brand is, don’t forget to download my free Personal Branding Photoshoot Prep guide here.
