The Joys of Summer

It's hard to believe that 2014 is halfway over and I haven't shot since May. Looking back at the beginning of this year, I haven't shot with anyone new except for a quick Group Meet-up in mid-January and a photo challenge in March. I had a feeling that I would be rusty shooting in the studio, or "On Location" and when Joy asked to shoot I was extremely reluctant.

Earlier this year Joy posted a pic of herself wearing a Star and Stripes bikini and I commented that we needed to shoot, she agreed, but that was back in January. When we picked a date I set out to find a Make-up Artist (MUA), however; most were busy, or don't do "trade" work anymore. As luck would have it, Ande was available. Initially I was going to ask Ande, but after a collaboration that went sour (it was neither Ande's fault, nor mine), I didn't want to impose on her. Ande is such a giving person and didn't hesitate to help out. In less than an hour, Joy was ready to shoot.

This would be the fifth time Joy and I have worked together since our first shoot where she won a local Model Search and her face graced a Billboard for a now defunct boutique.

We headed out at 9:00 AM, covered some 20 miles and ended up at a vinyl record store.  We shot at locations I've used before, but that was early on when I started shooting and trying to make a frequented locale seem new is always a good challenge.

First stop was Ethel's Corral Cafe, where I had shot at least three previous times, but we were there early enough to get some good light.

As we were driving towards our next stop, I quickly pulled over and asked Joy to stand in the middle of road for a quick converging line shot.

Shooting with Joy is real easy, she knows how to pose and requires little instruction.  She also doesn't take me too serious and is willing to try different poses, as awkward as I try to make them.

We made our way to the "infamous" Hart Park Barn many local photogrhers have used and some vandalized. We knocked out some images that embodied the style and "look" I had imagined. The following two images were shot on Ilford XP2 Super 400 using my Nikon F5 and Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lens.  The film was developed at Walgreens.

All images were shot using Available Light since I was going for a more natural look and I was too lazy to use speed lights, or strobes. I also brought my Fuji Instax Wide, which really sucks since it's a true Point-N-Shoot camera. I had to cover the flash with some gaffers tape to stop it from blowing out images.

This was the first time I actually photographed a model on the benches at The Barn. A couple wardrobe changes later and then off we went to World Records. I spoke with the store owner and he allowed us to shoot in his store.

What Did I Learn?

• The longer I'm away from Model Photography the more I don't miss it.  I do enjoy having a fun session that yields results such as this session with Joy and Ande.  Maybe I just need to buy another camera, that should fix my apathy.  

Of course here are some Outtakes from our shoot.  After re-reading this post I didn't share any new tips, or tricks. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Alan

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