First Shoot with Astrid

Astrid and I had our first shoot yesterday. I had been following her work for a while and we had been discussing shooting for a few weeks. She had recently moved to the Pacific Northwest from Atlanta, and when I mentioned that I grew up near Atlanta, she knew exactly which town I mentioned.

I kept our shoot simple. I try to do that for first shoots, especially if I haven't met the model beforehand. We used minimal props, just a hat and a few pieces of jewelry. The primary focus of the shoot was the model's face, body, and poses. That way, I can better learn the model's best positions and expressions.

We shot at a spot well populated with driftwood logs on a sandy beach. The location also had easy access to woodlands and a field of grass, so we had plenty of options for backgrounds. The river made a nice background as well, and I included it in many of our shots.

Astrid has years of modeling experience and it showed in her poses and expressions. We worked well together and we easily conversed during the entire shoot. She segued from pose to pose with ease and elegance. Our two hours passed quickly and we got many fine images from the shoot.