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.
