Actress and Fashion model April Scott, On location for an editorial.
I was commissioned for a fashion shoot with April Scott for an editorial layout. I had talked in one of my blogs about the fact that when are shooting with a celebrity you’re not given very much time so you have to plan your shoot to capitalize on as much of that time that they will be giving you.
Now the best time of day is to shoot is in the morning or later in the day but it would always seem that most celebrities are available mid-day which is not the best light. So, knowing this I have to use my light (Ring-Light) and only use the sun for back light, side light or just look for open shade. Open shade will also give you blue light so keep that in mind when shooting clothing.
Most fashion photographers that get work have to be accommodating with the celebrity unless you are a high-power photographer like Annie Leibovitz or the late Peter Lindbergh. I am very close in the running but I do not have super powers and can only use some power just to get the gig and the celebrity.
Before the shoot I sent out one of my guys to look for a location that was nearby were April Scott is living (Palm Desert, California) and we came up with a street and building that we could use as a back drop. The location also had a nice clean parking lot in the back of the building which was secluded and made for a great place for us to park all of our stuff for the shoot & to use as a spot for changing clothes and do hair and makeup.
The parking lot also had a benefit of being in open shade because of the car port overhang. The hot tip for this shoot was not only were we able to use this space but it was later in the year and the sun was not as bright as it is in the summer in Palm Desert/ Palm Springs, California so timing was on our side as it’s later in the year and the sun is lower in the sky. We started the shoot at the front of the building and then move to the back, these images are from the back part of the building and the color of the dress went well with the reflection of the blue sky and if you look you can see there is also the same color on a painting inside the building. I used my ring light as the main light and ambient light became my fill light. The shot of April on the tailgate of the Range Rover was between changes of clothes, I thought it made for a great shot as she was on the phone talking with her agent about the next movie she might be staring in and as they say in the UK “It’s all happening”. So, when you are on a shoot like this, some images just show up and it’s your job to see them and get them on film or your flash card! LOL
Equipment used: Ring Light, battery operated, Canon® 6D with an 85.mm lens with the trick to keep the depth of field shallow so that all focus is on the model and the clothes.