Last Saturday evening I had the pleasure of working with Micaiah to create a series of portraits in Zuanich Point Park on Bellingham’s waterfront. Micaiah and I met through Model Mayhem. We met over coffee and decided the waterfront would be a good location.

We worked several locations and clothing changes, ending with this outfit. I used a long lens for all of her portraits to soften the background. The late afternoon light started out a little harsh, but by the time we got to shooting with boats in the background the sun had sunk behind a thin cloud bank and gave this gorgeous soft glow.

Micaiah had a natural grace which made her very easy to pose. I’d suggest a spot and show roughly what I had in mind and she’d be right there and looking great with very little adjustment needed. She’s interested in a career as a model. Being easy-going, good looking, and able to take direction will all serve her well.

The photo at the top of the post was made soon after the one by the lamppost here. Micaiah saw the sunset developing and pointed it out to me. While the harbor portrait was made entirely with natural light, I used a single small strobe in an umbrella for the one with the anchor and statue in the background.

By the time we got to the rocks overlooking the water the sun had set and we were working with the soft afterglow and blue tones on Bellingham Bay and Lummi Island in the background. Again, a single strobe in an umbrella provided the key light on Micaiah.

One of the things that sets a professional photographer apart from the masses with cameras is the ability to see how natural light is affecting the subject and to work quickly and effectively with added light sources like strobes. Especially as sunset light is fading there isn’t time to futz around with equipment and indecision. Micaiah’s mom was present for the shoot and I pressed her into service as a reflector holder and then holding the light stand with the umbrella in the light breeze as it was getting dark.

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts