Fashionshoot at sundown - first time model - any tips ?

For the first time I plan to do a fashionshoot on the beach before and during sundown, any tips ?
I think I won't use a softbox, as the wind blows it down easily and less mobile, I will probably use the rogue flashbender or just the diffusor cap on my flash.
I'm also going to prepare some poses as it's the first shoot for the model.
Maybe I do a walk to check the neighbourhood first for the best locations.

Concerning lenses I always want to test my 50 Art, 85L and 135L wide open, but I'm not sure if a blow out background of a beach would be nice...
70-200 II is the most common lens I think for modelshoots, but I refuse to sell those great primes, time that I find where to use them best

CanonYouCan wrote in post #18102923
For the first time I plan to do a fashionshoot on the beach before and during sundown, any tips ?
I think I won't use a softbox, as the wind blows it down easily and less mobile, I will probably use the rogue flashbender or just the diffusor cap on my flash.
I'm also going to prepare some poses as it's the first shoot for the model.
Maybe I do a walk to check the neighbourhood first for the best locations.

Concerning lenses I always want to test my 50 Art, 85L and 135L wide open, but I'm not sure if a blow out background of a beach would be nice...
70-200 II is the most common lens I think for modelshoots, but I refuse to sell those great primes, time that I find where to use them best

The best thing to come to mind for me is to get that speedlight off the camera! I would use the rogue over the Stofen diffuser. If you have an assistant, the soft box is always nice.

You can shoot wide or close to wide open, but use HHS. You should be able to shoot at 1/800- 1/2500 to get great exposure on both the person and the background. Bump your ISO to 320 if need be to help control flash/background or be able to lower your flash power. (even 2.8- 3.5 would look great).

Slow down, never rush. Take a moment to think about the pose, composition and lighting. It is better to get a few great shots then a lot of shots with many heading for the trash bin.

The 50 Art or 85 should look great, but i really prefer a longer lens. I would try to stick with your 135, it is only a difference of about 7 or so steps, unless you are doing wide show the area shots. Be sure to check your chromatic aberration after shooting with the primes.

If on a budget, look into the Yongnuo 622 and 622 TX radio triggers, both for $80 USD and are capable of HHS.

Thanks, I think i'm going to use my beautydish, it's heavier and steadier against the wind in comparison with an octagon umbrella, like here
I hope it will be no hassle to drag around everywhere
https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=TV3jeJpOtsI

CanonYouCan wrote in post #18102923
For the first time I plan to do a fashionshoot on the beach before and during sundown, any tips ?
I think I won't use a softbox, as the wind blows it down easily and less mobile, I will probably use the rogue flashbender or just the diffusor cap on my flash.
I'm also going to prepare some poses as it's the first shoot for the model.
Maybe I do a walk to check the neighbourhood first for the best locations.

Concerning lenses I always want to test my 50 Art, 85L and 135L wide open, but I'm not sure if a blow out background of a beach would be nice...
70-200 II is the most common lens I think for modelshoots, but I refuse to sell those great primes, time that I find where to use them best

The longer the lens, the farther away you will be for your compositions, puts a lot of work on your flash for outputting enough to do whatever exposures you're planning (fill vs key), so remember inverse square law, it will really kick into play with those long lenses when it comes to stressing the output of your flash.

Sundown has rapidly changing ambient light. So your ratios between flash and ambient are going to change literally every few minutes. It will force you to open the shutter, or increase ISO, to maintain the ambient light look you may want. Keep that in mind, whatever exposure values you start with will not keep going all the way to the end.

I would take the flash off camera.
I would use a light meter to avoid wasting time.
Even at sundown, F1.4 & F2 will overexpose the sky real fast, at 1/200s. You may need an ND filter to help out (3 stop helps a lot).

Very best,

The best thing you can possibly do is a dry run with a friend or family member standing in for the model and see what works, so that you don't waste the time with the model trying things that completely fail (which makes you look incompetent, and doesn't get you usable shots). This time of year, the "Golden Hour" is more like a Golden 45 minutes where you are. You don't need to test at the exact location, just the right time of night in a place where you can see the horizon.

My recommendation would be to make full use of the available sunlight, starting with a reflector for fill when the sun is still up. You may need to have your model wait to open his/her eyes until just before the shot if the model is looking towards the sun. At the start of the golden hour, two 600ex flash will not be enough with any reasonable modifier, you need several hundred watt-seconds of strobe for full-body shots that compete with direct sunlight.

As the sun sets, you may eventually get to a point (near sunset) where the two 600ex-rt can compete, allowing shots where the model is backlit by the sun. It will be a small window of opportunity though, before it's too dark to work and the sun is gone.

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With a first-time model, my concern would be to make it fun for her and to keep her from getting bored or from feeling unskilled or awkward.

If there's WIFI at the beach, maybe take an iPad along; you could have her look up "beach photoshoots" and have her mimic posses and moves that she sees in the video - in a fun, lighthearted way, not in a way where she is seriously trying to perfectly copy the models in the videos.

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Tom Reichner wrote in post #18112474
If there's WIFI at the beach, maybe take an iPad along; you could have her look up "beach photoshoots" and have her mimic posses and moves that she sees in the video

+1

I usually make pinterest mood boards for shoots, and then print them out contact-sheet style and bring them on a clipboard to show the model. Inexperienced models are usually very relieved and excited to have a reference, as they can very easily blank on you if they are overwhelmed or nervous. Having something concrete to look at and mimic is usually a real gamechanger.

Also, check out the fashion catalogues like Venus Swimwear. Lots of good stuff from a posing/how to show off the outfit in there.