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Yesterday's shoot with Alex

Added 2025-02-05 18:37:36 +0000 UTC

Dear paid member,

Here are the first two retouched shots from yesterday's brief shoot with Alex Shanks.

It was indeed a brief shoot - just two hours - and I find myself in the unusual position of not being able to share that much enthusiasm about it.

To start with, Alex was unhappy for me to shoot videos, be they reels or behind the scenes videos, so there will be no videos at all from this shoot - only stills.

I blame myself for not checking in advance about videos, but it was all arranged at very short notice - at least that is my excuse.

Normally, when a model says "no videos", my response is "no shoot". This is because, more often than not, objection to videos suggests that the model is either lacking in confidence or is uncomfortable with her own body. Either way, it is not a solid foundation for a good shoot.

The second thing which I was not happy about was the lack of natural light in Alex's apartment, notwithstanding the large bay window, which she had mentioned when we agreed to shoot.

We started at 3.30pm and the light disappeared by 4pm. Anyways, the first image in this set is with natural light. I did use a portable continuous light to light her front.

I was on public transport so I couldn't carry any bulky lighting equipment so I ended up using the small portable light to start and then my Canon speed light - which I only use very very rarely. I tried not to throw the flash directly onto the model but it was hard to light her properly without it, as the ceiling was very high.

The second shot in this post involved using the speed light - I threw it on the ceiling above to diffuse it and I think it has worked reasonably well. Because of the very high ceiling, even with the flash I had to use ISO1000.

The last two images are screenshots of the same photos with all the information about the camera and lens settings, for the benefit of those interested in photography technique.

So, it's not always as good as I aim for and I am reminded yet again why in the UK I do prefer to shoot in my home studio than anywhere else. Without enough light, it all becomes an uphill struggle.