- afternoon
- Car
- city
- Cloudy
- cool pose
- looking outwards
- Outdoor
- palm trees
- road
- Soft Light
- view point
- vintage car
The story behind the image
We decided to split the shoot in 2: indoors + outdoors; and for that last part we went far from the madding crowds and ended up on one of the LA hills.
The whole setting of a warm summer evening + beautiful golden light, skyscrapers rising as a backdrop, palm trees, and a vintage car felt like a scene of an old movie.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I asked Christine to sit at the back of the car and Jason to lean against it.
After I took some pictures of them sitting apart, I asked them to have a single point of connection and suggested to her to rest her head on his shoulder, if it’d be comfortable.
What did you say?
“Alright guys, let’s have you now have a single point of connection and if you can, Christine, tilt your head to the back and rest it on Jason’s shoulder. Find the most comfortable position and relax your body. Breathe in and out, deeply, listening to the music.”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I tried several angles while doing this shot as I wasn’t convinced about the palm tree in the back. From the majority of angles Jason’s face would be too close to the tree trunk and that’s what I wanted to avoid.
So I finally found that perfect angle and also shot from a little bit down so that their heads appear against the clean backdrop – sky, and not the skyscrapers.
framing
Center Framed
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I focused on their shoulders (where they touch against each other).
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
shoulders
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/320 @ f/2.8 ISO800 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
We had a soft golden light, which is always easy to shoot in. No harsh shadows or contrast.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Cloudy
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
As I wanted to recreate that retro american movie feel, I played with highlights quite a bit.
I decided to go for the golden highlights (almost the same tone as the car) and added more warmth + deepened the blacks.
Editing Software
Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
My own presets
Challenges
Composing the image having in mind all the elements I wanted to keep in the frame: LA backdrop, car, palm tree + couple’s connection.
Solutions
Moving around a lot in order to find the perfect perspective.
Location
Location Name
Angel's Point
Location aDDRESS
Angels Point Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90012, United States
Loation Type
Hill
Country
United States
Preparing for your shoot thoroughly is the key. When all the elements such as location, outfits, props, part of the day come together to create the story and the feeling you want – you create the best images.
Even though I do always prepare for each and every shoot, it’s crucial that the couples are also explicitly involved in the process. It’s important to educate them and reinforce the message that photography is always a collaboration.
