- Bright
- Natural
- Underwater
- top down
- sunny
- simple
- shallow
- Natural Light
- natural frames
- Mid range
- calm
- lying down
- kissing
- intimate
- holding each other
- High Angle
- Harsh Light
- Front Lit
- Center Framed
- Water
The story behind the image
We started at 11am to shoot, the time was limited, as they had an appointment right after it. It was insanely hot, the sun stood high, the light was harsh and the conditions made us feel very insecure. We said to ourselves: ‘Let’s pretend we got this’
The funny thing is: these pictures turned out to be some of our favorites ever. So, lesson learned: It’s not about external conditions, it’s about whether you are willing to adapt to the situation and to go all in, or not.
We hope everyone can feel the love and their unique spirit through our Photographs.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
From the beginning we told them to be themselves and just have fun like usual. They were so playful and basically had the best time together. Both parties were fully open for creative ideas. As it was quite hot, they went to the water and we asked coty to float on her back, underwater her hair looked like a painting, Rodrigo came to her and they kissed. They dived under and we asked them to repeat the kiss several times to ensure we got the shot.
What did you say?
“try to hold each other as close as you can”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
objects underneath the surface look so fascinating, so we wanted to create a shot from above to get this interesting perspective. The couple was placed between some rocks in a kind of pool, that gave the image its natural frame.
Compositional Rules
None / Simple
framing
Center FramedClose UpHigher AngleIntimate FramingTop down
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
i used autofocus because they were constantly moving underwater. I placed the focus on their face, as this was the area that needed to be as sharp as possible, as the water creates its own blur.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
her face
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/1600 @ f/5,0 ISO160 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
It was noon, the sun was right above us, casting harsh shadows. At first we were insecure and would’ve preferred soft light. But in this particular case, the light was ideal, as the sun reflected on the water surface.
Light Type
Natural Light
Light Quality
Soft,Front Lit
Time of day
Midday
Weather
Sunny
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
We used our own preset and just had to adjust brightness. We didn’t want to overedit this image as our goal was to keep things as natural as possible. With the water creating it’s own layer, we also wanted to make sure that it was visible and one could see that the couple was in the water.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
own custom preset
Challenges
Heat, time pressure and harsh shadows challenged us.
Solutions
We moved around, tried different angles and often shot from above or down below
Location
Location Name
Baja California Sur
Location aDDRESS
San Jose del Cabo
Loation Type
Beach / Coastal
Country
Mexico
The day before we created a mood board filled with all kinds of photos taken at the beach. There were almost no couples in it, it was much more about fully engaging with the environment and bringing in nature. That helped us being present and focused.
