Critique Sunset Swimwear Shoot

[rtracyphoto]

(Thats a lot of S') Two from a recent swimwear shoot I did. Overall Im happy (and more importantly she is happy) with the photos but would like to get some other opinions on the work.

Amplifying Information: These were taken during the hour before sunset. It was very windy and because of that I had to use the Profoto B2 without a modifier because I was dumb and didn't bring any weights with me (that problem has been corrected). I did my best to limit the hard shadows but I know there are some.

Technical Information: Nikon D500 w/ 70-200 f2.8 VRII. Profoto B2 w/ bare head. Color Profile created using xRite Colorchecker Passport. Edited in Lightroom.

1) 1/250, f4, ISO 50

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

2) 1/160, f4, ISO 50

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

 

[jbailey930]

I think they are great, Russell! Love the warm color glow. Kinda throwback style suit. How would a BW conversion look?

 

[Mitchell]

Striking photos. Just a few comments:

#1 - The crop is just a bit too tight for me. A little more headroom and enough on the sides to include both of her hands would really help. Her skin also looks blotchy. Some of it is the blotchy makeup application on her face, but she also has red patches on her let shoulder, arm and chest which look almost like mild sunburn. The bare bulb did pretty well, but the pinpoint catchlight in her eyes cheapens the shot. I shoot with a large beauty dish on the beach which helps and is pretty tough for the wind to blow over.

#2 - I love the golden backlighting you caught in her hair. She has that same skin blotching on her left shoulder which is accentuated due to the pose. Another thing I wrestle with at the beach is placement of the horizon. I prefer it not bisect the head like you have in this photo. This can be tough to avoid with either you kneeling or somehow shooting down on the model. There's also a bit of yellow fabric peeking through her bottom which is distracting.

 

[Summer Bowen]

Very nice pictures. It has been always a challenge to do swimwear shoot. I must appreciate your work and dedication. You can find different website online, which has variety of models wearing swimsuits.

 

[Randy]

Perfect