Thursday, May 31, 2012

Summer Shooting

Jenn from Summer 2011
I love late spring, summer and early-to-mid fall for shooting glamour in the Pacific Northwest. While I also enjoy shooting in the studio and in environmental settings, just being able to enjoy a warm day shooting with a lovely model is a real delight for me. The light is more challenging and often the rewards are greater because when you nail the shot you can truly capture the essence of the natural world.

I'm fortunate to live is such a beautiful area of the country, and even more fortunate to have a wonderfully supportive wife who modeled for me for many years, and who still supports my passion for photography with few complaints and much encouragement. I'm also luck to have a good friend who lets me use his property for shoots almost anytime I ask. He often helps me with reflectors, props and by shooting the behind-the-scenes images.

Let's not forget the models. These ladies gallantly hazard stinging nettles, mosquitoes, bees, poison ivy or oak, sand, dirt, gravel, freezing water, and sunburn to help me get great images. Some I've shot with only once, while many of them have become my friends through multiple shoots.

Lindsay at Sauvie Island
I'm winding down my model shooting this year and focusing more and more on different genres. I have a few shoots to complete during the summer shooting season so that I can wrap up several projects. Other shoots are at the request of models that really want to be part of one project or another that they particularly like (yes, Floofie, you will get to be a fairy).  Finally, there will be the shoots that support a model or two in their commercial endeavors.

It appears that this summer will be warmer and drier than last year's so my shooting opportunities will be expanded even if I'll be shooting fewer models overall.  With any luck, I'll get my lovely wife to do a few shoots with me as well.  I've also promised to shoot with a couple of friends this summer and I hope to be able to fulfill those obligations as well.  As the summer progresses, you can watch this blog to see what the lovely ladies and I are able to accomplish.