Kate: Steely Gazes & Stunning Equines

 

Kate got in touch with me, initially looking to develop her modelling portfolio and to incorporate her horses. This appealed on several levels but required careful planning to get everything properly coordinated. We agreed a three-hour shoot, since this would allow for preparing the horses, along with changing outfits and comfort breaks.

As the shoot loomed closer, a heatwave, with temperatures 34 degrees plus created another layer of complexity. We initially thought leaving the shoot until the early evening (1730 onwards) would bring cooler temperatures and potentially kinder natural lighting. However, Kate called me early on the morning of our shoot, explaining her concerns, especially for the horses.

Mercifully, I hadn’t any other plans, so we agreed to shoot between 1030 and 1330. At that point, the heat was fairly intense, but we’d found some suitably shaded areas to shoot in. This would hopefully achieve a more even spread of light, while keeping the horses cooler. We ultimately elected to take one of the horses and shorten the riding sequences, focusing on fashion, portraiture and headshots for the remaining two hours.  I alternated between 85mm 1.8 Viltrox lens and 60mm Sigma 2.8 lens bolted to my trusty A6000 and 6300 bodies. I also employed a small hand- held reflector for some additional light. 

Bella... Creatively Provocative

 

Bella likes to combine three themes in a shoot, and this appears very successful. She wanted to play with the sensual secretary trope, working through more provocative, erotic themes. I let her lead the concept and shot these at F1.8 using natural light and a 50mm prime lens. This gives a nice depth of field, sharp image quality, and appropriate physical distance between model and photographer.     

 Art nude and other genres are open to interpretation. The hard and fast rule being that full frontal, exposed genitals should not feature.

However, others would consider concealed and implied nude as artistic nudity. Therefore, it's very important to be crystal clear about the content and terms before shooting. Some models would be very happy being bottomless and using a camera body to obscure their pubic triangle, others feel this a step too far. 

A model might be happy to reveal their breasts but conceal their nipples. Either way, never assume and never push someone's levels. Models and indeed, photographers should never be expected, or cajoled into doing something they are not entirely comfortable with. Aside from being deeply unethical, this will always tell in the images.

Karolina

 

I’d had a few postponements due to sickness and other unavoidable circumstances, and needed to tame the midwinter blues (not to mention a dental abscess) with some creativity. Enter Karolina, I’d noted she’d modelled in the recent past and was very striking.

We settled on a location-based winter fashion and portraiture theme. The port town was convenient and familiar to both of us. Standing 5’1 (155cm) she was petite. While this is considerably shorter than the traditional 5’7 (170cm) baseline for fashion models, there are other avenues to explore, and there’s more scope when it comes to posing and angles.

For example, by lying down, I can give a real sense of height. Doing the same with someone standing 6ft 2 (1m88) will make them look cartoonish- fine if you’re looking to recreate the “Attack of the 50ft Woman” vibe, but hardly flattering. We agreed on a 1400-1600 shoot, since this was most convenient for her and still allowed a decent amount of natural light.

Sunday was a similarly good fit, since there would be fewer people around. Experience says the public is generally respectful, but can also encroach and let well-intentioned curiosity get the better of them. Continuing this narrative, Karolina brought two outfits and accessories, allowing for variety and more convenient changes-an important consideration, especially in built up areas. 

I used whatever spoke to us in the immediate environment and some useful props, including this Kawasaki presented- Karolina proved very self-aware, posed fluidly, yet was very open to direction. She could also sense the Kawasaki’s draw for me and worked creatively around it. Light was beginning to fade come the close of our session, but no issue with a small reflector 50mm 1.8 and 33mm 1.4 lenses. I’m pleased with the results and look forward to working with her in future.                       

Molly Marie Portraiture & Precipitation

 

 

Molly Marie and I had worked together on several occasions. This time, she wanted some updated head shots and portraiture. We’d agreed on a mutually accessible location and time. Natural light is in fairly short supply during December, done by 1500hours. 

In the UK, winters tend to be wet and mercifully, forecasts are very accurate, although not foolproof by any means. In this instance, the rains held off for 50 minutes, before a persistent drizzle set in. Model comfort is paramount, and, in these contexts, weather sealed camera bodies come into their own, protecting the internals, while also permitting other creative opportunities. 

The A6300 is resistant to dust and light, drizzly rain, but not extended exposure, and this also applies to the Sony A7. Fearing I might shrink and Molly’s hair turn to frizz; we found a liberally graffitied underpass and shot for a further 30 minutes using a reflector and 6300 with 1.8 50mm and 6000 with 23mm 1.4 lenses. By that point, we headed to a local café’ to reflect, consume hot beverages and in my case, dash to the toilet. Us old boys and our bladders….

 

Cosplay On The Water Front

 

Molly got in touch needing some Cosplay images to bring a book character to life and I fancied something different. Having agreed some dates and an urban, waterfront location and times, she succumbed to COVID- this wasn’t surprising given aside from being a published author, she’s a student, volunteer and full-time carer. We postponed and reconvened a couple of weeks later. My birthday was a mutually convenient date and the weather was also refreshingly good, since the earlier part of the month was characterised by wet and windy conditions. Despite some obvious gentrification and the hubbub of activity. Some of the side streets had interesting backdrops and a usefully dystopian flavour. I carried the A6000 and 6300 bodies shot with Viltrox 23mm 1.4 and Sony 50mm 1.8 lens, using natural light and a small reflector.  

Carla: Spring Shoot by the sea

 

I’d been almost a year since I’d worked with Carla and I was immediately struck by how far her confidence had grown since then, though she had lost none of her humility, warmth, and charm. She’d approached me about a winter fashion shoot but then decided she fancied shooting in Spring when the weather was more temperate. She proposed a beach theme with a mix of dresses and swimwear, which was a little different from recent commissions, so an easy “yes” on my part.

After some discussion, we decided upon Walcott Beach in Norfolk and took a gamble on the weather. Despite being dry for several weeks, various forecasts were predicting rain, but that’s a calculated risk with location shoots and just calls for some forward planning and creativity. I took my trusty A6300, which has reasonable weather sealing along with my full frame A7 and 40mm lens.

Carla’s bikini hadn’t arrived, so she brought several dresses with denim shorts and crop top as contrast. Thankfully the weather held, and the strong tide offered some powerful, natural effect. Working on location also requires some sensitivity to those around you. I am particularly careful around children and families, but aside from the odd curious and decidedly soggy spaniel we had large areas of beach to ourselves. Oh, and the weather proved equally well-mannered.