Tigers, Leopards and Snakes, Oh My!

Tiger Time

This past week I had the pleasure of working with the most lovely and delightfully fun model, Nanci DoubleU (@ndu1on Instagram) again. Last year our shoot focused on beachwear and other concepts related to the beach. Even though we again shot on the shores of the Columbia River, this year I had the idea to focus our shoot on animal prints. Nanci did a wonderful job modeling the many outfits I brought to our shoot. She's a joyful model who brings a spirited vibe to every shoot. Her poses emphasize her great legs and torso, and she has a myriad of expressions that can change the mood of any shot.

Leopard on the Shore

We shot on a Tuesday and started earlier in the morning than my previous shoots on the island. The forecast promised a high of 88ºF so an earlier start meant we could beat most of the heat during our 4-hour shoot. Since the theme intended to evoke a sense of the wild, the shoot occurred in the woodlands dividing the beach from the access road.

I thought a Tuesday morning would be a better choice for avoiding the crowds that flock to the beach during the summer. Still, by the last hour of our shoot, we had lost several spots nearer to the beach to sunbathers seeking a shady area for their bodies and belongings. We moved deeper into the woods to avoid the curious looks and to avoid people in the background of our shots. For future shoots on the island, I plan to start even earlier if possible.

Expecting to shoot the full 4 hours, I chose to use the RF 24-105 f/4L lens on my Canon R5 instead of the much heavier RF 24-105 f/2.8L. I love both lenses, but for extended shoots in well-lit conditions, the f/4 lens works just fine, especially since didn't need a shallow depth-of-field for the shots I planned. That choice certainly gave my arms a break. The last time I used the f/2.8 lens for such an extended time, my arms trembled a bit toward the end.

Nanci truly gave me some great poses and expressions making the shoot a definite success. If you're a photographer and you ever get a chance to work with her, don't hesitate. I'm sure you'll be pleased no matter the concept you choose for your endeavor.

Sunning on a Log

Check out that Smile

Deeper into the Woods

Dangling Chains

Bikini Time

Butterfly Bikini

Peacock in the Sun

Solstice Shoot with Rebecca Fae

Ice Flame Blue Chains

The day turned hot by mid-morning. Today I had my first shoot with Rebecca Fae, a lovely lady with a great smile and a love of fantasy and science fiction. In other words, a kindred spirit. She had just returned to modeling after a long hiatus so I planned an outdoor fantasy shoot for our first engagement. We planned to start at 10 am, and by the time we finished our shoot, the temperature hit the 80s. 

With a hot forecast for the next few days, many people were starting their weekend beach plans early. The beach had a few people ensconced already when we arrived, and by the time we completed shooting, there were many more sunbathers on the shore.

Red Djinn

That, of course, meant I could hardly set a scene without someone in the background or walking into the shot. This is one of the reasons I like to shoot earlier in the mornings and earlier in the week. Unfortunately, not everyone has a flexible schedule like mine, so I shoot when the model is available, not vice versa.

It took only a few minutes to see that Rebecca had modeling experience. She could move easily from pose to pose and could vary her expressions appropriately. She was well pleased by my choice of costumes and we made some fine art together.

Rebecca had a great attitude, was eager to please, and willingly collaborated with me on each concept we shot. I enjoyed talking to her throughout the shoot and afterward. We're planning to shoot again this summer and I'll need to come up with fresh concepts for our next shoot.

Galaxy Silk

Elf Princess

Rhinestone Beauty

Warrior Queen

Amira Chain and Mithroden Sword

I haven't shot the Sword & Chains concept for several years. I love the concept. It combines fantasy art, eroticism, pinup, and glamour with the idea of a strong, warrior woman. Inspired by the art of Boris Vallejo, Frank Franzetta, Luis Royo, Julie Bell, and others, I conceived the concept when I found beautiful chainmaille jewelry for sale by a company located in New England. The concept further gelled when I purchased several Kit Rae designer swords from an online company that specializes in the sale of swords and knives. Chainmaille & More provides the fantastical jewelry in my images, while BUDK.com provides the designer swords and other weapons flourished by my models.

Nicole V. inspired me to recreate the concept. A well-known model from my area, Nicole has a body well able to convey the idea of a strong, beautiful warrior.  Besides, when I approached her with the concept, she took to it immediately. A fan of fantasy art and writing like me, we both found the collaboration intriguing. 

Dewdrop Chains with Dual Swords

We had great weather for our shoot, and a great location too. We used Nicole and her partner's property which contained a large field, a wooded area abutting a creek, and a a couple of small groups of trees that provided excellent backdrops for our shots.

Nicole helped me greatly by conveying the heavy swords across the slippery rocks of the creek, leaving me free to carefully make my way without falling on my ass. I pre-staged the remaining chainmaille outfits and swords in the other areas where I planned to shoot (I had previously mapped out the shoot location), so we wouldn't have to go back and forth for props and outfits.

Ice Flame Blue Chains

We began our four-hour shoot in the wooded area starting with the Amira chains then worked our way through the Dewdrop, Raven, and Ice-Flame Blue sets. We shot the Ice-Flame Blue set and the accompanying blue sword with Nicole standing then kneeling in the shimmering blue waters of the creek. Each chainmaille outfit had a corresponding sword to go with it, and I think Nicole had great fun posing in each outfit.

We took a break after the woodland area shoot (mainly for me to rest) to hydrate, and then started shooting around a group of trees set near the west end of the field.  The remaining hours passed quickly. Nicole did an outstanding job with each set of chains and sword, and we rapidly completed shooting chainmaille sets. Nicole was in her element with the battle axe and Valkyrie chainmaille, but she also enjoyed all the chains with little bells that jingled.

Valkyrie Chains with Battle Axe

We had time left to shoot a couple of barefoot glamour and pinup concepts I had hoped to shoot and Nicole provided wonderful poses for those concepts as well.  During the entire 4 hours of shooting, Nicole made great suggestions and we had a wonderfully collaborative process. The images have turned out beautifully, and the shoot was one of the best so far this year. 

Rachel Leigh at Sauvie

Goddess of Green

Rachel and I had our first shoot today. We'd been planning to shoot for several weeks, and the weather and our schedules finally coincided. The morning dawned cool and clear with no rain in the forecast, a near-perfect day to shoot despite the morning chill. 

I met Rachel and her husband, J, at the Tri-met lot on the island and they followed me to the shoot site on the northwest side of the island. Getting my usual fall out of the way on the trail between the road and the beach, we quickly got set up for the shoot, a mix of fantasy and glamour. I started the shoot with outfits that provided more coverage, saving the skimpiest items for later in the morning when it warmed up.

J assisted Rachel with donning the costumes and provided assistance to me by handling the Photoflex reflector I brought along knowing I'd have his help. The river flowed high this morning. During my last shoot on the island with Daniel, it had been several feet lower. This necessitated shooting closer to the tree line, but we still had plenty of sandy beaches left for the shoot.

Rachel's experience as a model was evidenced by her poses and expressions. We quickly knocked out a series of poses with the first outfit. Rachel quickly became accustomed to my shooting style and by mid-shoot, she could anticipate my different pose requests. The two-hour shoot passed swiftly while we shot almost every outfit I had brought (I tend to overplan).  

While we were shooting, the day quickly warmed and the beach began to fill with folks anticipating a hot afternoon sunbathing nude on the beach. Some beachgoers provided positive comments, but we were otherwise ignored. An excellent shoot, with a fun model and her helpful husband, made for a delightful photo adventure. 

Crystal Goddess

June 2024 Shoots

So far, I have three shoots planned for the month. The 1st and 2nd are on Thursday and Friday of this week. Both shoots are my first with these models. Both are very experienced. Experienced models usually mean smooth shoots if the photographer is well prepared. I do my best.

Rachel Shoot Plan

I plan my shoots as far in advance as possible. That means deciding the concept, location, and model (if the shoot is for a client) as well as choosing the outfits and props. The key, however, to the best shoot relies on a written shoot plan that can be referenced during the shoot and remains flexible enough to change if necessary.

Thursday's shoot is with Rachel. I contacted her back in April hoping to set a shoot in May. Unfortunately, the weather and personal plans for both of us didn't work out, and we were delayed until this week. I've corresponded with her manager/husband weekly since our initial contact so the logistics are all in place, the plan is in place, and I hope the weather remains true to the forecast.  We'll be shooting a combination of my Goddess concept and some Barefoot Glamour.

Nicole's Shoot Plan

The following day, I'm shooting with Nicole. I've known Nicole for a couple of years since I've used her property for a few outdoor shoots. I've followed her and her photographer partner for even longer on Instagram and Twitter. I finally asked her about shooting last fall, but for the concept I wanted to shoot with her, we decided it would be best to wait until summer. We set a date back in April with hopes the weather would cooperate, and it looks like it will. We plan to shoot in the evening light at her place since I've already worked at a few locations on her property. Nicole will be shooting my Sword & Chains concept for me. 

I've included shots of both Rachel's and Nicole's shoot plans to provide an idea of how I put together a shoot. The outfits and small props will be placed in a large ziplock with the sequence number label on the bag. After each outfit gets used, it goes back in the bag so nothing get lost. Outfits get washed and props get wiped down after every shoot. 

I haven't finished planning for the 3rd shoot of the month yet because the model will be traveling here from out of state for a short visit and I'm unsure of the weather during that time. May and June can be volatile with cool temperatures and rainy part of the week and warm, sunny conditions the rest of the week. Fortunately, I've worked with Nanci before and I know how fun shooting with her can be.