During this shot, the only direction I gave them was to change their position from being face to face to have her go against his chest.
I then asked them to feel each other’s presence, skin and to forget about everything else. I spoke to them really calmly and quietly. The last thing I wanted to do was to disturb the moment even more than I was doing so just by being there photographing.
Alright, guys, I am loving this moment so much, I will just ask you to move positions, and I want Amanda to lean against your chest with her back, while you will hold her tight from behind. I know it’s probably overwhelming, but try to just be present, forget about anything else, and just feel each other’s presence and energy
Calm
This will sound crazy, but I never take into account much of the composition, but it’s probably because I am used to it already. I think in this case, I had them both pretty much centered in the middle. There were a lot of things going on there, but right where they are standing, the area is quite clean and clear. I shot this with a 35mm, allowing it to be wide enough, and I also used a glass to create the reflection there.
Center Framed
I focused on the faces of the woman, leaving the focus point on the camera mostly in the middle.
Live View Continuous
Single Point
The woman's face
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.
We had natural sunlight coming from the side. It was a little bit before the beginning of sunset, so it wasn’t yet golden hour, but it wasn’t as harsh as before anymore, also because the fence behind them helped with the shadows.
Natural Light
Indoor
I used my preset “Desaturated” (yeah, that’s the name) and added a little bit of contrast and warmth to it. I also changed the color of the highlights for it to be a bit more blueish to add some contrast to the image so that it’s not all that orangy.
I added a bit of orange/red to the mid tones too.
The biggest challenge was probably the water, as they were having a shower and it was tricky to get closeups without getting wet. Also the fact that they were naked, you always try to shoot without showing too much, and of course, it can be tricky at first to get the couple to feel comfortable.
For the water, I just used a 50mm and an 85mm lens to get the closeups so that I could avoid it.
For the fact that they were naked, I always tried to pose them in a way that they didn’t show that much, and to get them comfortable, we all talked for a bit before, and I think once we were all in the mood and used to it, it was all much easier.
Playa Viva
Playa Viva, Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Outdoor Shower
Mexico
I think, more than the technicalities, the most important thing I learnt was to respect the time and space people share with you. This shot was a gift, not many people agree on getting fully naked and being with their significant other taking a shower while you are standing there photographing them.
I would have changed the way I approached them maybe. Being a workshop, sometimes we don’t have time to connect, and you forget these are actual real human beings gifting you their precious time and presence.
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