The Sandia foothills (Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a wonderful place to capture some beautiful images. I swear New Mexico has scenic views in every direction.
In this theme, “Desert Rose,” I wanted to incorporate our beautiful desertscape. It was windy, freezing, and dark but oh so worth the effort. If you follow along I will cover how the images were captured and what inspired such an effort.
Behind the Scenes (BTS)
I wanted to showcase how I captured these images and the camera gear used. Disclaimer, I am not sponsored by or paid to say any of the following in regards to products; just wanted to provide my impressions of the gear utilized.
To capture these images I used two light sources, a main light (key light), and a rim light (hair light). I first placed the main light source to the left of the camera and at a 45 degree angle from the subject; I also ensure that the main light is placed slightly above and pointed down 45 degrees in relation to the model (see illustrations below). I enjoy using this particular softbox, Westcott Rapid Box Octa XXL, due to its convenience as it takes seconds to deploy, its durability, and ability to create soft light.
The main strobe light used is from Adorama. It’s a reasonably priced strobe that kicks out 600 watt seconds of power called the 600 Xplor made by Flashpoint. This strobe is great for outdoor sessions because of it’s power output and it has High Speed Sync (HSS). The price is hard to beat and I can’t tell you how many times my light has fallen over in the wind and the unit is still in tact and one of my go-tos. The rim light is a Flashpoint streaklight 360 and it is affixed to a standard Elinchrom soft box by use of an adapter ring. This light was positioned to the right of the camera, 45 degrees behind the model. I am incorporating this technique, the combination of a rim light and soft box, to slightly illuminate the hair and dress from behind, as it gives an image more dimension.
Camera Gear Used:
- Camera: Sony a7riii
- Lens: Sony G-Master 24-70mm f/2.8
- Softbox: Westcott Rapid Box XXL octa/Elinchrom softbox for rim light
- Key Light: Flashpoint 600 Xplor
- Rim Light: Flashpoint Streaklight 360
This shoot was in collaboration with a friend from Washington State. It centered around bringing New Mexico’s beautiful mountainous landscapes with her gorgeous, elaborate, flowing dresses. Dresses are linked; you can find them here. Lovemybumpcouture at https://www.etsy.com/shop/lovemybumpcouture?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=962009968
Thank you for letting me take you BTS and give you some insight to my work flow, lessons learned, and letting me share my visions and craft with you! 😀
Model: Lara Breeden @laaralin (IG)
Photography: Gilbert Duncan @gilbertduncanportraiture (IG), Gilbert’s Freelance Photography (FB) https://www.facebook.com/GilbertsFreelancePhotography/
