This is Taylor with Brand Models. I just love her eyes and her innocence. I used one light and that is it. I used my small umbrella that is white inside. I used my 100 mm lens, my favorite of course. 
Beautiful fashion model
so this shot is blurry but so what? It kicks ass !
For this shot I used the sun to back light the models and my assistants used the large oval reflector to front light them. Shoot low up close and wide. I used a 28mm lens on this and was about 5 feet from the models. It creates a sense of surrounding. This is an editorial look.
Yes facing the model into the sun with shadows on the face is fine. It’s a look, a style. The only people that don’t like shadows are modeling agencies. For this shot the models were facing the sun. I put sunglasses on them for styling. There are shadows on their legs and arms but so what. It looks cool ! The sky was colored that light green in post, and my retoucher desaturated the whole shot and boosted the contrast.
Hi everyone ! I apologize for not posting in such a long time. Been busy shooting. I think you are going to love these photos from a recent fashion editorial. So as you can see I had my team, wardrobe, hair, make up, assistants. It was 105 degrees and dry ! Under those conditions everyone really has to be extra aware to be on top of their game, even me lol.
On this shoot I had my two assistants holding a 6 foot tall oval shaped reflector bouncing the sun back into the model. I used an 85mm lens. The hazy look is the result of me letting some of the sun bleed into the shot. The model is Elicia Perkins from Next Models. Any questions please ask !!!
Don’t be afraid to shoot outdoors with ONLY the sun ! I hear it so many times, photographers tell me they like studio light more because it is more beautiful or consistent etc. Well what they are REALLY saying is that they are afraid of shooting outdoors in natural light. If they knew how to manipulate the natural light I am positive they would agree with me that natural light can be so friggin beautiful ! I LOVE shooting outdoors in natural light. Yes the studio is more controlled, no wind, no clouds no dust etc. But you know what ? Don’t always take the easy way out. We must continuously challenge ourselves otherwise we can’t move up that ladder of success.
Imagine a client calls you and asks you to do a shoot outdoors on location and it’s a BIG payday. I’m talking 50k or more. Wouldn’t you like to be able to take that job and produce great results with confidence ?
Ok so look at this shot. The model is back lit by the sun of course. So now you ask how did I get light into her face and body? I wore a white t shirt, that’s it ! Just a plain white Haines t shirt that cost me 10 bucks or whatever it was, lol. I was acting as the reflector ! So the next thing I did was make sure my meter in camera was set for center weighted. What that does is meter the center portion of your scene and takes into consideration the strong back light. Now granted, her hair will be blown out but you can control that with your exposure. If you did not want her hair to be blown out, you scrim her. But then it starts to look like a portrait, blah boring !
Ok so now days you shoot digital so you can see if you exposed correctly right away ! You have NO excuse to get out there and try it. If you don’t want to embarrass yourself by taking a model out there at first then here is what you do. Find a tree, a big oak tree or any tree that is large in circumference. It doesn’t have to be a tree but the color of the bark is close to skin color and it is not shiny or metallic. So make sure the tree is being back lit by the sun and shoot away. When you dial in your exposure with the results you like then your ready to take a model and shoot. Make notes of your exposure etc. Please don’t be afraid to ask me more questions or share your thoughts !
So here is something I am very proud of. I used my Canon 100 2.8 macro and just two lights with one silver reflector under at chest level to give that catch light in the bottom part of the pupil.
I will say it over and over again, if your photos do not evoke emotion then you have not done your job as a professional photographer. This is my friend Crystal Allen again. We shot these after the beauty shots. With minimal make up and just a big sweater and natural light, these photos capture the many different sides of Crystal. Aside from getting your lighting down, you must always be ready to snap that shutter ! That means keeping that camera up to your eye constantly. You never know when your model is going to just give you that perfect face. 
So I recently shot my actress friend Crystal Allen. I shot this on the balcony of her apartment which overlooks the beach. The walls and floor of the balcony are white. Late in the day the light hitting the balcony is soft and beautiful. I placed her just a bit out from the door jam so that the light from the white floor hit her face and eyes. On an 85mm lens my exposure was f/5 80th of a second. My ISO was 200. Choosing an f stop of 5 allowed the background to blur out. She was standing a good 12 feet from the inside living room so that allowed it to go dark thereby focusing all the attention to Crystal. At this time of day you don’t have very long to get your shots so you need to direct your model very well. Crystal is an actress so that made my job very easy. I just gave her adjectives to act out. For example I would say, give me vulnerable, shy, nervous, strong, confident etc. This image has not been retouched and it really does not need much because I exposed so well. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions or comment.
I love lips ! lol So I shot this with my Canon 100mm 2.8. Now of course this was retouched. NO ONE has lips like this naturally. So I lit this with a small umbrella above the model, her face was tilted up looking at the umbrella. Right below her chin I placed a 36″ white foam core board. I was standing above the model on an apple box. If you would like to see the before shot please email me.
