My Favorite Swimsuit Images and Why

 When I woke up this morning, I had a blog topic in mind, my favorite swimsuit image and I was gonna tell you why I liked it. Well, I been lucky enough to photograph some of the most beautiful models in Central Florida on the beach. As a photographer for Swimsuit Illustrated Magazine, I've probably shot more swimsuit than anything else and I couldn't narrow it down to just one. These two images stand out in my mind above all others and here's why. 

 In this image, I was supposed to meet Katherine for a surfing photography session. I love shooting surfing. As it worked out, there was hardly any surf and it just wasn't gonna happen. To not waste a trip for either of us, I asked her if she would like to shoot some under the Cocoa Beach Pier. The pier shaded us from the harsh sun on the beach and provided me the ability to be more creative. I placed a Nikon SB800 flash with a full CTO gell on it behind a shoot through umbrella camera right and there you have it. The CTO gell gave Katherine a warm look on her brown skin and my aperture setting or f4.5 made everything but her upper body go slightly out of focus giving the image depth.

This image required a lot more thought and a lot more flash. I scouted this location the day before and I made note of what time the sun would be right where I wanted it.  The next day, I had Krista Jean, the model, arrive 30 minutes early,and positioned her on the rocks. A small speedlight would not do the job here so I brought along my AlienBees B800 and a beauty dish. I like the beauty dish on the beach for two reasons, it doesn't catch much wind, one sand bag is usually all that's needed to keep it from tipping over. Also I don't loose much flash power when using it. When you shoot into the rising sun, you need all the flash power you can get. Here my aperture is set at f18 and everything is in sharp focus. You can even see two shrimp boats on the horizon. 

Summer time is coming. If you would like some swimsuit images like these, drop me a line. 

Senior Photography, Don't pass it by!

I had been driving past this door on an old abandoned house for years. Every time I would pass it, I would say to my wife," I love that door, one day I'm gonna shoot a portrait of someone standing in that doorway". Well this went on for years, I'm not kidding. I just never got around to it or had the right client. Awhile back Hannah wanted me to do her Senior pics and I told her that I had the perfect backdrop. She was game so we headed to that old structure, jumped out of the truck and shot a quick natural light portrait. The whole process took 5 minutes maybe. I love that old door. Maybe I'll use it again in a few years. Here are a few more from Hannah's Senior Portrait session. Senior Portraits are probably my favorite type of photography.

Senior Portrait Photography, My Top 10 and why I like them so much.

This may be my favorite Senior Portrait that I have ever taken. This image is not what it appears. It looks like Charis is pulling off a perfect glamour pose as the afternoon sun is shining over her left shoulder. Not so. It was actually rainy and cloudy. During a break in the weather, we dashed outside. I set up a Nikon SB800 camera left with no gel. I placed another Nikon Speedlight with a full CTO gel, camera right, slightly behind Charis. This is the result, a perfect sunset.

I love this Senior Portrait because Haleigh included her dog Clyde in her portrait. Her wardrobe matches the theme perfectly. 

One winter, a neighboring farmer planted rye grass in his field. This made for the perfect backdrop for this Senior Portrait. Amanda's blue dress looks great with the green background. The highlights in her hair are from the sun. 

This Senior Portrait of Jacob was taken in my living room. He brought his football uniform along for his session. I shot him on a black background. One flash in front of him and one on each side slightly behind him. My daughters assisted me by standing in chairs and spraying water to make it look like it was drizzling at a stadium. 

Caleb's parents behind him and out of focus show the strong unity of this family. I was glad he included them in his Senior Portrait.

Kate looks like a model in this Senior Portrait. Her connection with the camera is outstanding.

Color is the theme in Jacob's Senior Portrait. He pulls off the perfect pose in this all natural light image.

Here is Jacob again. This was another shot from Jacob's Senior Portrait session. I love the way the clouds and sun make Jacob a silhouette in this image. 

Meghan looks so happy in her Senior Portrait. I used the same field of rye grass at sundown and lit her with Nikon SB800 slightly camera right.

I call this Senior Portrait, the Corona commercial. Kate looks gorgeous standing on the boat dock. The boat house and single palm tree make the perfect background for this Florida themed shot. 

There you have it. My favorite Senior Portrait images from my portfolio. Feel free to comment and let me know if you would like to book a session.