Rocking away the day with Sophies.model and photographer Szillard Bodrogközi
by Ragthered 3rd March 2024
This was one of our first photo-shoots for Sophies.model in preparation for our life project that will see us travel the world in search of creating an amazing portfolio.
Today, Sophie would meet a photographer in a neighboring village called Szillard Bodrogközi. Szillard had long grey hair and a beard to match and had spent most of his life rocking out and attending gigs as a photographer. I can only imagine the stories he could tell! Our original meeting with him the previous week involved a lot of coffee and a lot of smoking, and it seemed today would be no different.
The first thing I noted when entering his studio was the crazy amount of old cameras on display, some in display cabinets and some hung on the walls everywhere.
Wardrobes were filled with a variety of costumes and accessories that seemed to fit Sophie perfectly, while above lay a display of very old traveling cases. I guess you never know when you need to get out of town fast!
The scene was set, the clothing was ready, and the camera was ready to roll, so now it was obviously time for a coffee and a smoke!
After our caffeine fix, we finally got to work. In the main area of the set, he had already hung half a dozen umbrellas in the background to complement the summery dress that Sophie would be starting with. Summer dresses and umbrellas, well that made me quickly think of England! As Szillard and Sophie got to work, I began to wander around with my camera to collect some of the behind-the-scenes footage, while doing my best not to walk into the shot and thus become an overnight star.
But wait, there was something missing, where is the music? Szillard quickly rectified the issue and began playing a rock playlist which completely changed the mood of the shoot, which in turn began to produce some great poses from Sophie.
Costume Changes
After the first set, it was time for a scenery and clothing change. Sophie got to work on her hair and costume, while Szillard rearranged the backdrop. Then, yes, you guessed it, it was time for coffee and a smoke, thoughts of English building sites once again came flooding back and a tear swelled in my eye.
After a couple of more costume changes and a lot more coffee and cigarettes, we had a surprise visit from another photographer called Laci Fabian who is based out of Pecs. We had previously discussed going down there to meet up with him as he had some great ideas for outdoor shoots but obviously he couldn’t contain himself and here he was with a camera in hand. Hooray, Laci is here what ever shall we do next? Yup, coffee and a smoke! I showed Laci some of my background footage and did my best to converse in my very bad pigeon Hungarian. Laci liked my footage and told Sophie she was lucky to have me, now there is an all-time first!
Back to work and the cameras were clicking and buzzing, lights were flashing, and rock music was, well, rocking. The photographers had a great workout too as they moved from standing, sitting, lying down, and standing on one leg using a vanity mirror to shoot over their shoulders like Buffalo Bill. At one point, I did think about attempting a cartwheel just to join in with the excitement, but I didn’t want to spill my coffee.
By the time the shoot came to a close, the guys were excited that they had taken a record number of shots. Apparently, the norm is around 300 but on this occasion, they managed to hit just over 1200. This it seemed to be because Sophie inspired them, and they just couldn’t stop hitting their shutter buttons, yes she does have that effect on people. Photographers call it art, I call it evidence!
After, yes, you guessed it, another coffee and smoke, we said our goodbyes and reflected on the fantastic atmosphere of the day. By the time we reached home, SophieS had already been booked for a paid workshop gig in Pecs for this month. Soon afterward, Szillard and Laci sent their raw images over for us to down select in preparation for the post work to be carried out. Did I mention they took over 1200 pictures? Two weeks later and we managed to pick around 30 pics to use from each of the photographers that will be seen in the sophie gallery very soon.
We look forward to the finished pictures and working with the guys again very soon, just as soon as I finish my detox!
If you want to see more of Szillard and Laci’s work, you can view their website at the links below.
Szilard Bodrogközi: boszifoto.hu
Laci Fabian: fabianlaci.hu
