Nicole at Curl Curl Beach

Nicole

A good friend of mine, and an amazing portraits photographer, Darwin Morales gave invites to do a bikini shoot at North Curl Curl beach.  That was November 08, 2014.  I don’t have anything to do that day so I decided to participate.  It’s only a few minutes drive as well so I don’t have any lazy reasons not to go.

Kidding aside, I miss shooting glamour.  I miss directing a pose.  I miss shooting the pose!  It's a good opportunity to shoot again under a very good weather.

The Gear

The sun is up already.  It was cloudless.  It’s a beautiful day with clear blue skies.  But harsh light is not really recommended.  Thus, we brought lights to control how light falls to her.  We still used the sun’s light as backlight.  I went prepared.  I brought several lights but I only used the following the entire shoot:

• Nikon D800E body
• Nikon 70-200mm F/2.8 G VR
• Godox Witstro AD360 (Cheetah)
• FT-16 remote
• PB960 Lithium battery
• Generic 60cm Umbrella Softbox
• Air Cushioned Lightstand
• Lee Foundation Kit
• Lee 1.2 Solid Neutral Density Filter

The Lee 1.2 ND filter is used to cut down the ambient light so I can have shutterspeed within 1/200 to 1/250 of a second.  I can HSS on my Godox Witstro via Yonguo's 622N but I'd prefer the flexibility of the ND filter.  Anyway, I'm a landscape photographer so I got dozens of these light cutting accessories :)

Since the time I spent with the model is limited, I opted to use just one light.  This gives a definite look for the model without overcomplicating the lighting setup.  I’m also used at handling one light (most are).  Multiple lighting setups, though flexible and powerful, do need the time to set it up.

Sun Bathing

Nicole788 at Model Mayhem

Nicole is the model’s name.  Darwin found her (or was it, she found his post) at Model Mayhem.  She lives at Manly and typically does this kind of shoots. 

Please visit her portfolio at Model Mayhem as Nicole 788.

Sitting at the Beach

Simple Setup

Since I only have one light, I decided to fix it in one position (camera left).  It’s quicker as I don’t need to think about my next lighting setup.  I do have a spare light stand and 2 pieces of Yongnuo YN-656 flash.  I could use these but since the sun is already giving enough rim and hair light, I didn’t bother setting up the Yongnuo’s.  It’s also a good opportunity for me to concentrate more on posing. 

We’re 3 photographers trying to shoot Nicole under 1.5 hour.  I’m the quickest as I know what to do next.  If it’ my turn, I only need the following:

• 3 poses
• Same lighting setup
• 3 photos for each poses

I segregated the photos from standing, sitting on the ground, laying on the ground and portraiture.  Thus, when one of the photographers is shooting, I’m adjusting the height of my light stand to suit Nicole’s height.

Sunny and Beautifyl

I also did a good pre-planning.  I saved all poses in my phone (or Ipad if you have one and want bigger screen).  I only showed Nicole what pose I wanted and it’s easy for her to visualize quickly.  I don’t need to do futher instructions – only when the time I need to fine tune.  When I was starting portraiture, it’s hard for me to think of a pose.  I go mental block.  With photos/poses saved at my phone, I did faster with minimal instructions.

Since we’re shooting at broad daylight, it’s best to have shade.  But since it’s at the middle of the beach, no shades available.  We have to be quick or else we’ll get burned by the sun.

Sun Relaxing

The Scrim

We then experimented with ambient light.  Using a huge 200 x 150 cm reflector, we peeled if off until only the semi-transparent material is exposed.  We used this as a 'roof' on top of the model.  It scattered the light beneath the reflector giving a very soft effect.  Please refer to the photo below.  The transitions of light and shadows are very smooth that you won't seem to recognise it very much.

Having Fun Under the Sun

The very top photo of this post is also taken with ambient light using the scrim of the reflector.  I love the effect.  It's very soft compared to using an umbrella softbox.  The hard part is the persons trying to lift it on top of the model.  Remember, using the reflector as a roof is very hard to do especially if you're at the beach!



More Nicole Photos

Please scroll further down.   Thank you.

Simply Beautiful

Nicole in Black and White

Beach Fever

Triangles