Commercial and portrait photographer, Stevie Chris, shares his story on creating these cheeky beach photos.
I had been thinking of a set of images I could market towards the travel, hospitality and tourism industries that would be both impactful and fun with a lighter feel, but wanted to approach it with a more humorous twist. I conceptualized three images you could envision being used for billboards in these markets, and got my team together.
I use a mix of lights but Einstein flash units are my go-to workhorses. They are always consistent and on the money, easy to control, and great for dialing in just the right power for each head. I used six Einsteins for these images all in a very similar setup, with minor adjustments. I knew the consistent color temperature would match the one o’clock daylight light I would end up shooting when getting my backplates. I had to depend on that consistency.
My main light was a bare bulb raised up high to mimic the sun and its position. I also had three Einsteins behind an 8×8 scrim, along with a ceiling bounce fill and a kicker, all set up making sure the model had room to move around. The sand itself acted as another subtle source. I had to make sure the lights hit it just right to keep it natural. That said, I had to really dial in the harsh sunlight feel, but still keep control for the details I know I’d need in the end composite, and the Einsteins were perfect. After all that, I worked on the composite with my talented friend Taisya of PictureBox Creative finishing everything up!
LIGHTING TIP FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Study your idea before setting up a single light. Make sure you know what you’re lighting for and why. Control it for the mood and message you’re trying to create whether it’s one light or ten, a beauty dish or huge scrim. Don’t use something just to use it. Sometimes it’s just a quick smack your forehead kind of moment realizing you ONLY need this or that. Also, ALWAYS have good music playing to go along your vibe when shooting.
EQUIPMENT USED
Einstein™ Flash Unit
About Stevie Chris
Stevie Chris is a commercial and advertising photographer with a propensity towards the slightly (or very) surreal or dramatic. Simply put, Chris wants to create eye catching, fun and/or meaningful work with incredible teams!
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BUFF BASICS 