Vintage Visions on a Wintry Day

It had been a while since Krystal, and I’d caught up and we both fancied a change from the day to day. She posed a vintage theme of lingerie; dresses and we’d even toyed with the idea of derelict buildings as a backdrop. Ultimately, and for several reasons, we elected to shoot from her home. Good thing too, given the torrential rains.  

 

Thankfully, her home had a reasonable amount of natural light and I’d brought flashgun, soft box, portable lighting, low light prime lenses, and reflector. I shot several frames outside, from her summer house in the drizzle. Thankfully, I had the A6300 body which has some weather sealing- shot at F1.8 with a Viltrox prime lens.  The other option is sheltering beneath a smaller umbrella and shooting. However, depending on the shutter speed and other settings, it runs the risk of some camera shake, resulting in blur. 

  

Indoors, given the low cloud, I alternated between the 6300 mounted on a tripod and the A6000 with prime lens and Godox flashgun. Coffee, breaks, chat- general and business the two hours flew by. Doesn’t it always when fun’s involved. I loaded up the car and headed back to post -process our chosen favourites.

 

Toyah!

Due to a series of extremely unreliable/unprofessional “models”; and the lost revenue, I have virtually stopped working with novices, or indeed, anyone who cannot be referenced. It’s a two-way street. There are equally unreliable/unprofessional, and indeed, predatory photographers.

Toyah liked some of my images and subsequently, expressed an interest in working with me. Maybe I’ve watched “Blow Up” one time too many, but we decided upon a 60’s theme. One characterised by bold colours and prints.

She also had ready access to vintage clothing, which was another definite plus. Referencing aside, her communication was bang on, and she even confirmed all was good (without prompting) the night before.  We went for three changes and used a combination of residential and commercial backdrops.

Unusually, I decided to bring my Alpha 6000 and 60mm f2.8 prime along, with A58 and 50mm 1.8 prime, in reserve. The 6000 is my “studio” camera. Primarily, because I know it’s compatible with most remote triggers.

The older “Minolta” mount A series, less so.  Two hours and three outfit changes later, we were happy with our combined efforts, discussed turnaround times and went our separate ways. Nonetheless, I suspect we will work together again, before too much longer.