June 3rd.
Had a crazy day planned out which consisted of lots of challenges, two photo shoots, a new model, bugs everywhere, cuts and bites, and one awesome experience.
Started off the morning bright and early shooting with my girlfriend at a location we were technically not allowed to shoot at. This being the case, I had to pack light. So all I had to use at the shoot was my Sony A7rii and my 85mm f1.8. Really there's nothing else I need but this was one of those times where I truly wish I could have used a flash.
We took pictures for about an hour and to be completely honest, I did not perform too well. I was tired, it was hot, and I wasn't inspired at all. The light really wasn't all that great either. It was too bright in some areas and the shaded areas were just too shaded and boring. Needless to say, this was challenge number 1. Luckily I was able to walk out with a few pictures I really liked and decided to really take my time with post processing. I learned a few things out of this shoot though. Even if things aren't going well, just keep shooting and be creative. You never know what could happen and what you could make out of a photo later.
So after our early morning, we took a nap in preparation for our next shoot. She had a shoot with another photographer in Chino Hills, so I decided to throw together a group myself the night before to come along for our own shoot. Let's be real for a moment. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, or what the location was. Turns out we were basically going to a huge field of nothingness. I was shooting with a model that I had never shot with previously, had no idea what she was going to wear or how she was going to react, and again. It was hot. So. So. Hot. Challenge number 2.
With that said, this quickly became one of my favorite shoots. Definitely top 3, maybe my favorite shoot I've done. It was challenging trying to find new angles composition and lighting and the model. I said it about 100 times at the shoot and I'll say it again. She ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT. And she was a great sport and a trooper. Any girl that was down to hike a mountain in heels deserves respect.
The location was very uniformed. In other words, it was basically the same location 50 times over and I really had to find and use about everything I could to make something out of it. Definitely not the worst, but I really had to get creative to make the scene interesting and different. Given the morning I had I really wanted to redeem myself and I'm so happy with the results.
Here's a picture from the set and breakdown of my thought process as I shot it.
I originally used the sun as a back light and decided to turn her to the side and use the sun as a sidelight instead. This gave the picture a really nice look and her hair gave her a nice shade on her face which gave me the opportunity to fill her in using a reflector. In the foreground I used a prism from my fellow photographer to get a flare which turned out to be a great choice. I will definitely be experimenting with different objects in the foreground to see what effects I can get from them.
I want to finish this long post with a huge thank you for making it this far and a big thank you to the group and model for coming along with the shoot! It was a great experience and will definitely be doing more of these! Shout outs to @scoluo @vivaladuhresa @jamiecamiling & @danng_photos. Check out their Instagrams, give them a follow, and again thanks for reading up this week!