Had a fun time this past weekend at the beach, shooting models Cameron, Kaylin, and Candy. It was Candy’s mom who suggested the venue to showcase Candy’s new swimwear. We were also scheduled to shoot Paul with Kaylin, but a family emergency called him away at the last minute. Kaylin was a tad disappointed, but we arranged for her to do a future duo-shoot with Jake, to which she readily agreed. Back to the beach for that one too?
It was a family affair as my wife, my 3-month-old son, and my 2 older sons also came along for the day of fun at the ocean. It was baby’s first trip to the coast, and he seemed genuinely unimpressed, and responded by fussing for awhile, and then sleeping the rest of the afternoon off, much to the appreciation of my wife. The older boys busied themselves with digging large holes and burying themselves in them, in an apparent attempt to impress Candy and Kaylin (didn’t work).
As usual for Northern California, the coast was overcast and cooler (with temperatures nearing 90 degrees inland, I had hoped that it would be somewhat warm at the coast)… which makes for excellent lighting, but cold models! All 3 models braved the cooler temperatures (only Cameron didn’t reall
y seem to notice the cooler temperatures), and had a wonderful shoot.
Candy was first up, but having been ill all week, wasn’t 100% into it, so we came up with the fewest number of pictures of her. Her mom said she had been practicing posing, and it showed. The only disconnect was that some of her poses made her look unnaturally older than her 9 years. Since I really haven’t had time to digest the entire shoot yet, we’ll see how that settles after the shoot has been in the can for awhile. I know in previous posts I have railed against model sites that over-sexualize young girls for the sake of titilation, and I’m worried that with some of the poses with Candy, I have done just that. Fortunately, there is a lag period between the time the pictures are taken and the time that they are published. In time, we’ll see how that settles.
Next up, we did a brief shoot with Candy and Kaylin together in matching casual-martial type outfits. I used my telephoto lens to step back from the action somewhat, and see how that would affect the shoot. What resulted are some beautiful moody pictures that evoke an imagined past time; with the dress, lighting, and wind in their hair, it almost sugges
ts the orphan myth. Here is a sample- perhaps you can see what I mean.
Kaylin was next, and, as in the shoot before, she showed the poise and talent of a model twice her age. In one of her wardrobe changes, I had her put on a unique batik wrap-gown, at which she balked. She apparently felt that the top piece wouldn’t fit or look good with her physique. After a bit of t
alking her into it, she tried it on, and voila, it was stunning! Reviewing the pictures with her afterward, I think that she really appreciated it in hindsight. I also think that this set of pictures came out wonderfully as well!
Last, but certainly not least, was Cameron. He had spent the non-shooting part of the day digging holes, collecting rocks, and enjoying his beach afternoon. During his wait, he definitely showed his impish side, as my wife reported after the shoot- repeatedly sneaking up behind his mom and putting twigs, sand, etc. in her hair. Remembering as best I could how to shoot with him in the moment, he accepted more direction in posing than last time, and also added his impish flair to some of th
e shots. He seemed very excited about trying on new wardrobe, and this seemed to be the highlight for him. I hope you enjoy the shots we got from Cameron.
After the shoot, we all retired to a nearby pizza parlor, where we reviewed photos, visited, and ate dinner! (we were all very hungry at that point) All in all, another lovely day at the beach.