Alex Dani is a creative nickname of Oleksiy Ponezhda, a very famous Ukrainian born photographer, casting director and aikido black belt owner. He moved to Milan in 2014, and two years later did his first print cover for Elle magazine. His admiration to portray strong independent female models brought him to further experiment with both digital and analog photography. Today, Alex will talk about the process of shooting fashion magazine covers and how it helped him grow in his career.
When did you shoot your first print cover?
It was June 2016. We came to the beautiful location of lake Garda in Italy. I had a great team, surrounded by famous people like Yuliana Dementyeva, ukrainian top-model, Elena Diachenko, the fashion editor of Elle, and very famous stylist – Natalia Osadchaya. We started at 6am and very soon the rain also started. I was really struggling. I did not have experience in shooting covers, luckily the team had supported me. All the equipment was wet. We had 4 or 5 umbrellas. And the model was shivering because it was really cold and we were shooting a summer bikini issue with Calzedonia. I did not expect that my first cover would be done under such pressure. But now looking back, I see how it helped me to be ready for any unexpected situation in future. All fashion cover shootings are tough and something unpredictable will happen. The difference is that I am already mentally prepared now and never get stressed anymore.
What is your favorite cover shooting?
Every cover shooting I did is very special for me. And I remember all the small details, weather and clothes. The team is always different, but the idea of working with new people, new models and new locations is always inspiring. My latest print cover was for L’Officiel India with an amazing stylist from Paris Tania Tuka and a German influencer Martina Hirsch. We shot in the snowy mountains of Switzerland. It was again very cold but at least now the team was prepared. We were shooting a winter cover with warm clothes.
The shooting took 2 days, we stayed at amazing SPA, and drank Gluhwein after the shooting. It was such a beautiful memory. Shooting cover is always about location and traveling. So if you like traveling as much as I do, covers are your cup of tea.
What are the main difficulties in shooting covers?
During the cover shooting there will always be some unexpected things, like problems with delivery, failure of equipment, illness of some team members. Maybe hurricanes and other weather disasters. When I prepare myself for cover shooting, I try to get in touch with people I have already worked with. The main difficulty is to be positive and focused on what you have to do, mainly to produce 1 photo for cover and 6 or 8 photos for the editorial story. Your team has to work as one mechanism, helping each other, and understanding intuitively what is needed at this or that moment. Very often the team is limited to one main location, so any tips, creativity, vision of each part of the team is necessary to create a natural beautiful fashion story in one location.
What tips can you give to those photographers who dream about shooting their first cover?
Don’t be afraid about your dreams, because very often they come true. It is important to be ready for this shooting. The photographer has to know his equipment, always have additional camera, lens, batteries and umbrellas. And of course don’t forget about your team. Fashion photography in my mind is about team working.
