Having become accustomed to shooting cars for the past few months, I decided to mix it up a bit the weekend before last and try some portraits out. I had been trolling the “People” section of various forums, gathering styles, ideas and tips from all of the shooters whose work I admired. I enlisted the help of my lovely girlfriend, who beyond being completely dedicated to watching America’s Next Top Model on an almost nightly basis, has no experience modeling whatsoever. Brave girl!
We picked the Houston Arboretum as a location since I had decided that I wanted a natural and soft look to the photos, with no off camera lighting or flash. I had seen the stunning work from the following Flickr contacts, and wanted to base the shoot off of this general style:
With everything set and the dog in the car, we headed off to the Arboretum. I brought along my D700, a tripod, a 32″ reflector an 85mm 1.8 and a 50mm 1.8. I brought along other gear but after walking with it for a few minutes, decided to run back to the car and leave it as it was unnecessary and heavy. I also liked the idea of packing light and using as little equipment as possible to get some nice results.
We started just by walking down the trails and looking for interesting scenery. Without any type of off camera lighting, I was forced to pay close attention to natural light – something I don’t think I’ve given enough credit to in the past. I looked closely at how the light fell on the background as well as on Asheligh before I shot, and angled the reflector back onto her so that the sun lit her warmly from the front.
This was one of my first shots of the day, and it was slightly too warm, but I liked it nevertheless.
Having little portrait experience under my belt, it was a bit tough at first to come up with visually interesting (read: not awkward) poses. I tried to remember not to cut Ashleigh off at her extremities, and paid close attention to framing. Luckily, Ashleigh seemingly adapted knowledge of modeling out of nowhere and began to produce stunning photos that were posed perfectly!
We continued down the trail until I found a long, snake-like vine crawling up the length of a large tree. I loved its braided texture, and instructed Ashleigh to lean against it. She leaned up on the tree, raising her arm to the vine, and I captured my favorite shot of the set, which I think looked good with no editing whatsoever (I still indulged a little, however).
With the sun effectively blocked by the tree canopy for the most part, the reflector came into play for the next few shots. We found a little cove off to the side of the trail, and Ashleigh gingerly (and bravely) climbed down into it. I shot from above for the effect that she was entangled deep in the woods. I didn’t notice until afterward that there was a thin branch in front of her face…damn!
I then moved into the cove with her and shot a tighter shot, which minus the rogue hand behind her (gotta remember that for next time!) I love.
Then we came upon a clearing, where there was a large marsh with lilly pads, tall grass and other plants, all surrounded by tall trees. Right as we walked up, the sun peeked through the clouds and brilliantly lit everything. We quickly ran onto the wooden dock snacking through the water, and fired off a rapid succession of shots. It was here that I tried my first sunflare shots, of which I am happy with as a first attempt!
Don’t shoot up the nose, Theo!
While the sun was still shining, I had Ashleigh lay down on the dock and I stood over her to snap this one, with the reflector gently lighting her face. I think her hair is really, really beautiful in this shot.
With the sun slowly being covered by the clouds once again, Ashleigh sat on a bench to rest her feet for a bit. I noticed that the sun was still burning through the plants in the background, and grabbed this shot, which I think has great bokeh.
As the sun again diminished, We walked back down the trail towards the exit. I had Ashleigh stand against the lush green scenery for these shots.
And finally, one of the last shots of the day, she was walking in front of me, ready to go home. I asked her to stop for just a second so we could take a couple more, and she spun around to tell me that she was tired and ready to go home. Luckily, I was able to snap it as she was smiling, and got a very “Marilyn Monroe-esque” shot that I later converted to black and white, which I like very much.
All-in-all, it was a great first experience, and I am really happy with the outcome of the photos. I am excited to delve more into this facet of photography and see what I can come up with! I am looking to book as many portrait/engagement/wedding shoots as possible, so if you or someone you know is needing, please let me know!
Thanks,
Theo