Wintery shoot for acting headshots

A model I had recently worked with asked if I would be interested in helping her friend get some shots for her acting portfolio. Jessi and I planned met on a cold, overcast Sunday.  I proposed the idea of using a stone or brick background for these images, and Jessi identified an awesome location near the City Hall in Methuen, MA.  Although it was cold and damp, Jessi was awesome at following directions for posing. You can check out her profile at www.jessimccarthy.exploretalent.com.

For the technical readers: I brought along my portable lighting gear, consisting of sealed lead acid battery powered Vivitar 283s, Cybersync remote triggers, and foldable softbox and umbrellas.  I had shot outside all morning with a model, and these lights never once showed signs of slowing down as Jessi and I worked till dark.  Check back soon for some upcoming technical posts on the gear and custom modifications I use.

Portraiture in the great outdoors

This past Sunday, Shannon and I braved a cold New England morning to create some amazing editorial shots.  We were at a historic farm in North Andover, MA, with the most amazing gardens.  While all was snow covered, this location proved to have a great variety of areas to photographer a beautiful model.  (I'll be adding this location of places to shoot in the spring and summer, as I can only imagine how gorgeous the gardens will be in full bloom.)

Shannon and I had recently worked together on a lingerie shoot, so this time we decided to go for a more editorial/lifestyle look.  Shannon brought a whole wardrobe of clothes to the location and made good use of many of them.  One of the lessons from this shoot, was that when shooting outdoors on cold December days, to bring plenty of chemical handwarmers for the model.  In the end, we got some amazing shots like the one shown here.  Perhaps someday soon, you'll be thumbing through a clothing catalog and see Shannon on the page, looking similar to this.