This images were shot on 1/14/04. 5:28:11PM With a Canon® EOS 10D
F3.5 1/160sec with a zoom lens racked at 55mm
We had talked about shooting late in the day for that golden light and for these who do know know what that is? It’s when the slow or longer light ray’s hit the earth later in the day. You will also find that they are in the mix in the shadows when shooting color image’s in open shade. It’s all to do with the speed of the light from the sun. The fastest and shortest light rays are the blue’s and the slower longer are the red’s. So at the end of the day you will get to see the red & orange rays that is why we have a sunset which a lot of people think it’s to do with the pollution in the air. It’s not! It is also Because the shorter wavelength components, such as blue and green are scatter more strongly and are preferentially removed from the light we see! We call this in photography the golden hour, that time of day is not there for very long so you have to be on the ball and have your shot set up ready to go as you only have moments to get the look you might be going for. I always get to my location way before the time I need to set up so that if any thing is not right I have time to fix it.
In these images I had a lot of time as I was on the beach shooting other models as this gig was for a swimsuit calendar, I had scheduled this model to be the last shot’s of the day. We had pick out the swimsuit that would go best with the warm light because the color of the outfit would also change which is something you need to be aware of if you are shooing clothes as they will change color and that is important if you are shooting a catalog. If you are working with a good editor on the location he or she should know this if you are doing the shoot without a person on your set you have to know this or when the clients AD looks at the images they can tell if you did not! OK so they can color correct but that’s more post work and time is $ so you might not get called back for the next gig with that client! There are many ways to shoot this sort of image, one is to use a reflector the other is to use a flash/strobe you can also have your model/subject facing the light or use the sunset behind them. In these images I have the model facing my light so it would be direct on her with a strobe. And the sun was coming from the side. As you can see the shadow she is in is very orange/warm and in the white balanced images I have toned it down. But the before image you can see is very warm which is very nice light to work with but keep in mind that it’s also very soft.
Here is some tips for models when shooting with a photographer on the beach, make sure that you show up on time and that you know were the location is. Have a contact # for some one at the location if you find that you show up at the wrong beach.
Also bring things that you are asked to bring for the shoot and a small bag of item not a big bag as you might have to do a hike. Do not forget to bring your own towel and robe plus water if it’s not a big shoot if they do not have a big budget. If there is no make-up and hair person make sure you are makeup and hair ready and that you have things to do touch-ups at the location.
Another tip is to look at images of other model’s pose’s to prep yourself unless you have been doing this for some time having new idea’s for pose’s is always good so you can think on your feet and show the photographer that you are a great model to work with so you will get super shot’s and get that callback for the next gig they could be doing. One last thing do not complain about any thing on set if you have an issue be nice about it or talk about it at the end of the shoot or you will be blacklisted! Photographers talk with each other about who to work with and who not! The molding world is very small and there are the top click of models if you want to be one of them be cool and make friends!