The court is in session

After riding out the nuclear blast sunlight by shooting inside, Cassel and I set up at a home tennis court. I brought a light, but the sunset was just too nice to mess with. It helps to know your light beyond just illuminating things — Think how the light shapes and colors the photo, among other things!

The sunset was cutting over some trees, softening the golden light even more. After I shot some film (which I hope you’ll get to see in a week or so!), I broke out my NIkon D700 with a 70-200mm 2.8 VR I lens, which I opened up pretty much all the way (in the f/2.8 range). Combined with the long focal length, the large f/stop helped beautifully blur the background elements. The lens also has beautiful contrast and renders colors better than anything else I own.

After finding the proper lens, and the awesome gate/vegetation combination, it was mostly a matter of posing Cassel correctly, and making sure I kept the shot relatively straight. This kind of shot would just look funky if the gate were tilted. Of course, since I rarely use a tripod, I did crop ever so slightly to correct the sometimes crooked shots I got.

I chased a nice patch of sunset on a small guest house on the property, so Cassel sat on the porch while I snapped a couple more frames before the sun went away entirely. The angle I used for the background mattered here, too. But more so, how I used my patch of light and how I posed her were of utmost importance. I like how this shot is expressive, yet feels natural.

The sun sets fast, and these shots wrapped up rather quickly, but I’m happy with how they came out. They feel properly fashionable in a slightly editorial sense. Why does that matter? Well, because I want to shoot more publication work, so I need to aim more for things that publications might want. Aside from that, it’s a good challenge, and challenges can really spur growth.

We moved to the pool next, and you’ll get to see those shots rather soon. Let’s just say I hit full-on “fine art” mode there.

Also, check back on Wednesday to see my Charm Magazine cover!