Building a comp card for a model is serious business! A well built composite card is a models crucial tool. It's their business card and the image of their brand. We decided on the a few looks for this shoot. A formal attire and a casual fall fashion look which will be for the outdoor potion of the shoot since it's quite chilly out. Tarokh takes direction well and we managed some really good shots. The results show and he was more than happy to report that he's been getting much attention after this shoot! While Tarokh was getting changed in between I also took the opportunity to do a head shot for Mr. El Kurdi as well. That's my dad on the couch in the behind the scenes shot. I had him hangout with me for a few days because he was previously hospitalized the night before from hisGP doctor overdosing him on diuretics which put him in the hospital for dehydration. Tsk tsk,
Setup and Comments:
NIkon D7000 + Fujifilm X100 23mm(35mm) F2.0
Nikkor 50mm(75mm) F1.8 AF-D
For in studio portion I used 4 point lighting setup. A soft key light directly comes from my window with white curtains! Awesome right!? Gotta love daylight! A reflector and soft boxes were also used to control the shadows on the face. As for the outdoor portion, I used the Nikkor F1.8 D which has become the go to portrait lens for this Nikon body as it is one of the sharpest 50 lenses on the market when stopped down while wide open gives soft pleasing skin tones.
Photoshoot with a lovely Vacouverite from Austria feat. Maja
Maja is a creative and artsy young lady of Austrian descent who was referred to me by a friend. She had some experience in modelling when she was younger. She very much still dabbles in the art of photography herself as she showed me her Instagram during our interview. Essentially this was a test shoot to see how we do in collaboration. She's both very pleasant, open minded, down to earth and rides a Ninja! That's just awesome cause I ride Ninjas! While we were photographing we really got to know each others background. It's great to work with exceptionally friendly people now and then. We shot around Kits beach but boy was it busy and hot that weekend. We had trouble with parking so we ended up parking close to her home which also happens to be 20 minute walk from Kits Beach. The sun was high and was giving me harsh shadows especially since I didn't have a reflector to work with. My assistant wasn't around since we just finished another shoot earlier the same day. Fortunately, we're able to find a few good spots with some soft light to work with and we made some beautiful results!
Summer Shoot with Model feat. Christina Lange, CK Personal Styling & Dora Lee
Not all shoots go without hiccups. Hitting record highs of 31 degrees celsius here in Richmond, BC (Vancouver), what else can we ask for other than a beautiful day for a nice bridal themed shoot! It was really on the hot side but at least it wasn't raining. Originally I had scheduled a shoot with the lovely model Christina Lange and local makeup artist (whom I shall not name) who was going to loan a wedding dress from her contact and collaborating boutique Pure Magnolia Gowns. With less than 15 hours notice, I was told the shop had unexpectedly closed early for the day and she wasn't able to pick up the dress on time for the shoot. She would cancel or reschedule instead. I was furious as it was disappointing news to both Christina and I as I had to book a venue for the shoot and I was looking forward to working with them both. I told Christina to stay on hold with the clock ticking I fall back on my contact list of makeup artists who were willing to collaborate! Dora Lee an aspiring student studying at Blanche Mac Donald for makeup artistry was a life saver. Out of a whims notice she was able to make it to the shoot the next day to work her magic on Christina's hair and makeup. Fortunately Christina had brought with her two lovely formal dresses perfect for the summer themed shoot! One of the dresses was provided by Casey Kauffman from CK Personal Styling. With that set and the fury still pulsing in my veins I wasn't satisfied. I contacted another model Maja and setup another shoot the same day right after Christina except it will be done around Kits Beach instead. Maja is another spontaneous one! Just like Dora, she was able make the shoot on such short notice! Maja's shoot will be for another blog entry!
On shoot day everything went as planned. Everybody came on time! WOW! As far as photo shoots go, if you ain't punctual, you ain't serious, and if you ain't serious, you ain't gonna make it. So I was rather impressed with everybody's efforts including my lovely assistant(girl friend) who booked the venue for me and carried my reflector. Thank you Dearest!
Enjoy this set with Christina in two beautiful dresses.
-Dustin H.
Model: Christina Lange
Makeup: Dora Lee
Wardrobe: CK Personal Styling by Casey Kaufman
Many thanks to Casey for the dress, you can visit her Facebook Page HERE.
