A Thankful Shoot

For this Thanksgiving Holiday we traveled back to Bellefonte, Pennsylvania to visit Teresa's side of the family and see our newly acquired rental property.  A bonus was two photoshoots I lined up with Kelsey and Amber Rose back in October. Once those shoots were lined up I purchased a Westcott Apollo 28" softbox strobist kit, which includes the softbox, a stand and an umbrella swivel.  I also bought a Cowboy Studio Boom stand and a Manfotto Nano stand.  I had the Softbox kit and boom stand shipped directly to Bellefonte so I only need to pack the Nano stand, foldable reflector, speedlights, D700, 50mm prime and my 24 - 70 lens.

The weather forecast called for cloudy days, sleet, wind and occasional sun for the week.  On our first full day in Pennsylvania headed out to one of the relatives camp in the mountains.  These images were taken with my 50mm with available light. 

Originally, Amber and I were going to do an Amish Girl Gone Wild shoot, but I forgot the outfit and the weather just wasn't conducive to have her strip down in one of the many barns in the area. So instead, we would improvise and shoot in the basement, which has red shag carpet, wood paneling and a bed.  Amber is a very likable and upfront model, no inhibitions and is down-to-earth.

For the shoot I used the softbox and two speedlights with homemade Aluminum Foil snoots and reflectors.  Yup, I forgot to pack my HONL light modifiers, too.  The Cowboy Studio boom worked very well, it felt solid and supported the speedlight and softbox without needing a counterweight. We had ample room to get some decent shots, although using new modifiers, working with a new model and shooting in a new environment was very challenging.

The homemade snoots and reflectors kept falling off the speedlights, the softbox worked okay, but similar to an umbrella it kinda blasts the light everywhere.  I'm getting spoiled by the SABER STRIP lights and really wanted them for this shoot, but they are a little too big to haul through the airports. Now that I have a house in Bellefonte, I may order my favorite lighting kit from RPS Lighting Studio.

After shooting indoors, we moved outside to shoot at sunset.  I brought out my SB-900 with a 1/4 CTO gel and shot bare flash using Nikon CLS to trigger the flash.  It was pretty cold, around 43 degrees, and the sun really drops fast this time of year. After a half hour we called it quits due to the temperature and wind.  Amber was so gracious that as I was putting my gear away, she put the basement back in order.  That has to be the first time a model helped me put away my stuff without me asking for assistance.

On Wednesday, Kelsey and I met downtown at Talleyrand Park to shoot at the Bellefonte Train station.  The day started out beautiful, but by 3:00 PM the sky clouded up and the temperature dropped to 38 degrees.  Drew helped me with this shoot carrying the lightstand with an SB-900 and the Apollo softbox.  He also acted as a VAL with the SB-600 for accent lighting.

The shoot only lasted two hours and I definitely struggled with the weather and another new location.  There are some really neat places to shoot at Tallyrand, train tracks, old brick factories, a gazebo and a wrought iron bridge that crosses Spring Creek. However, with the sun setting so quickly during winter, it was difficult to set-up and shoot.  We still managed to get some cool images and I believe Kelsey liked the photos.

There wasn't a lot I learned with this shoot that was within my control, but I do need to build a shooting kit for my trips to Bellefonte, such as purchase a  flashlight, tripod, black wrap, gaffers tape and some ankle weights similar to my gear I use back home.

Hopefully I'll get to shoot with Amber Rose and Kelsey next time I'm out.  I also have two other local Model Mayhem models who are interested in shooting with me, too.  I'm sure I'll do the Amish Girl Gone Wild theme that time.  Wishing everyone in the States a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving and That's A Wrap!!!