After a long break from shooting models, I did a shoot with the lovely Emma Jayne in the New Forest. I was trying a few basic concepts rather than any specific themes.
I wanted to shoot models facing away from the sun and reflecting light back. Images where I used a reflector were stronger, but the wind seriously hindered that. I need to make more use of light modifiers, especially if I can stop them from fucking blowing away. Annoyingly a little more exposure than anticipated is needed, with some darkroom surgery, I got most images to a good print.
From experience, I’ve found clothing can kill some location shoots. Anything too midtone or complex gets lost in random shrubbery and grasses. Controlling the clothing to background contrast is important with portraits. This shoot I was more prepared, Im still trying to find the perfect vibe of clothing.
After spending some time with the prints, I feel Ive captured what I set out to capture well. I was after authentic images, strongly moving away from typical photshoot aesthetics. Ive become sensitive to getting models to wear summer dresses etc. The images with the dungerees are stronger. I’m looking forward to the next shoot, I feel I need to be much more experimental. After a long drive to a location then a set timeframe to shoot, I feel a little stiff. I probably should arrive much earlier and chill.
