It’s been a long time since I’ve photographed swimwear and casual beach attire. I met up with Lizzie one morning last week and proceeded to do just that.
I wanted a very light, bright, look to the images. Rather than key shift, this meant a bright sky and ambient matching. I also wanted to shoot with a wide-ish aperture, so there were 2 approaches to doing so.
The first involved a large, highly efficient reflector – the Impact 5 x 7 foot panel reflector. The good news is this throws a lot of light. The bad is it could be used as a sail on an America’s Cup yacht.
I shot into the sun, creating a little flare and the bright, warm look that I was after.
I normally don’t like to show armpits, but sometimes you have to break your own rules to keep lines in the image.
When doing location work, I always like to include the location (what’s the point otherwise, right?). So I shoot wide angle with plenty of environment. I even opted to keep some passers-by in some of the shots. Shooting low with a wide angle also makes my subject look majestic – tall and thin (not that Lizzie was neither, it just accentuates it).
Lizzie wanted to highlight her shoes. Since a wide angle lens accentuates what is closer to it, having her fall slightly away from camera highlighted those shoes. So we both win!
Lizzie didn’t need much direction; she moved well and often. What a pleasure to work with such a good model!
The second option was to use a neutral density filter over my lens and shoot with strobe. We did this after a wardrobe change. And a little artistic license.
Strobe is a little more flexible, though working with that ND filter is like looking through welding glasses – it’s hard on me and the lens/camera to focus.
Even in the morning that Florida sun is hot.