A bright, sunny photoshoot capturing friendship - Samantha and Becky

in photography •  5 years ago 

Samantha was pretty happy with the results of our last shoot together. While that shoot was dark, this new shoot with Samantha, and her friend Becky was very, very bright. Also, very, very warm. I didn't travel nearly as light for this shoot.

After a fun (and windy) (not windy!) drive through the hillside suburbs of Belair, Blackwood, and others, I arrived at the location for the shoot, The Onkaparinga National Park, Gate 12, just off a mixed dirt, gravel, and bitumen road, depending on how much dust had been thrown up by vehicles that travelled along that road before me.

The afternoon and evening sun was bright, but I was slathered in sunscreen, a hat, and a really nice linen shirt (I've taken to wearing linen shirts almost exclusively while shooting, as they breathe and feel so much ... cooler than cotton!) - but anyway, that's enough rambling about the whereabouts, why, and my personal preferences, and let me move into photographs!

I also felt the constant voice of @ryivhnn in the back of my head about "stone cold serious" model poses during this set, and I thank them for the feedback and impact - I really respect upfront, honest suggestions, and am always keen to improve the range of my work.

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This image pushes my flash to its absolute limits. It's at full power in order to overcome the sunlight streaming in from behind the two girls, and it is on a stand just out of the camera's view. I might need to invest in a more powerful flash (also known as a Strobe - if I am to continue to produce portraits in the blisteringly bright Australian environment.

Anyway, again, enough technical talk, here's some more images... which followed a further hike, and a real life, real large, hopping kangaroo which crossed the path approximately five metres away from where we were walking! Truly amazing creatures, and one of the many reasons to visit Australian National Parks. I didn't get a picture because he was moving FAR too quickly for me to even notice he was coming!

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Close up with a shallow depth of field.

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Some laughter for @ryivhnn!
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More laughter
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This shoot was filled with lots of hiking (approximately 11,000 steps!) and ended with some good results. Free workout while photographing - but also, lots of free sweat. I'm certainly not up to being a landscape photographer, that's for sure.

Balancing the harsh Australian bush with some lovely human beings though, is always a welcome challenge.

I also love using flash in the daylight, its the best time to use it to your advantage as a photographer!

Follow me for more future photographic work!

My Camera Kit and Gear:

2x Nikon D750
Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC USD G2
Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 VC USD G2
Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D
Nikkor 105 f/2 DC
2x Godox TT685N
1x Godox Pro X1 Trigger

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Thank you. That image has a very "catalogue" / commercial look going to it, its not something I've done before, or was shooting for, as I didn't really go into the shoot with a vision of what the final result would be.

So often portraiture is a multiplayer game, though. :D

Thats the best way to go into a shoot; otherwise your always trying to conform to something rather then work with the clients

lovely shots , i thought you stop to post for a while , i'm happy to see you again

I am rebuilding my photographic skills and portfolio. The focus is on that for the time being. :)

I've been posting a bit of it along the way!

Rainbow eyeshadow! And the dark haired one still looks inclined towards srs bzns XD

Wow you can see where the flash was in the first one O_O (and the lighting still confuses the hell out of me but mostly because I've spent that long trying to work out how to vaguely simulate it in 2d and 3d that when people deliberately manipulate it in this fashion I'm like wait wat XD)

The smiley ones are adorable, looks like you were all having some fun :) and I hope nobody got burnt, it looks kinda warm out? How did you feel about the less serious looking shoot? :D

Sun backlit the shot, flash ensured they weren't in shadow. Had to use it at full power to achieve equilibrium between the two light sources.

I think I'm more suited to toward serious business shoots, but posing and my interpersonal skills / connection with the subject is something I definitely need to work on more.

I'll get there, it all takes time, time time.

Nothing wrong with doing what you're good at/enjoy doing, just nice to diversify occasionally? :D

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Some incredible pictures mate.