I've been trying to re-create a bikini image I saw on FLICKR, but I couldn't find the right model to pull it off, then I remembered shooting Ashley back in Feb. 2011. I haven't spoken to her since and was wondering if she would be interested in working with me again. As luck would have it, Ashley remembered me and agreed to model. The bikini on FLICKR was made from Burlap and thick twine, but as I attempted to shape the bikini, I knew it wasn't going to work. Thankfully I asked Ashley to bring a couple bikinis.
I messaged Clara, who did the make-up for my "Fishnet" shoot with Taylor and she agreed to help out. Clara does excellent make-up work and uses an airbrush for the foundation. She also has a very good blending style on eye shadow.
Earlier on the day of our shoot, I was at the gym and as I was heading to the Treadmills, I ran into Ashley, who was prepping for her fitness class for kids. She assured me she was excited and would be at my house. At 5:00 PM, Clara and Ashley showed up and began their work while I was getting out my lights. Originally I was going to use a soft box, but realized I really wanted something more specular and with the backyard in full shade, the light went flat. The image above was actually shot with a brolly just camera right and above the the model at 0.3 E/V, just to add a little modeling to the light.
Clara asked if I was using Natural Light and I chuckled to myself and explained that I do at times, but with the way I wanted the light to look, I would use studio strobes and speed lights. The rest of the images were shot with my Einstein 640 using either a 22" White Beauty Dish, or an 8.5" Reflector. I also used my SB-900 with a 1/4 CTO Gel and no modifier as my rim light. To help create a sunset feel, I set the Camera's White Balance to Shade., for two reasons. 1) Strobes are usually balanced for Daylight (Noon), I wanted the rim light to be a bit more orange.
As you can see by this "Behind The Scenes" picture taken by Clara, the light is pretty flat.
What Did I Learn?
- I still wish I could view my backyard with "new" eyes, but I keep seeing limitations on my compositions due to distracting elements. I did get the shots I wanted, but I think I really need to shoot somewhere more exotic (wink wink).
- I probably should have used a speed light to light the pool up a little more. I think I did that on my first shoot with Lara
Ashley and I shot for about two hours when the light finally disappeared. Hopefully, we will work together again, at least a lot sooner than 18 months. Of course a HUGE "Thank You" to Clara for being our MUA/HS on this shoot. I appreciate your skills and creativity.
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