Little Beach Photoshoot with LakeGirl

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/2000@f4.0

For our first photoshoot of 2014 back in January, I had the opportunity to collaborate with LakeGirl, a model I met through Model Mayhem.  This was a short swimwear photo session we did in the morning at Little Beach in Makena with the assistance of her husband Luke. The swimwear was provided by Wicked Weasel.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/2500@f4.0

The parking lot was empty as we were the first ones to the beach that morning, and the sun was just starting to peek out from behind the clouds. We started our shoot at the top of the cliff that separates Big Beach and Little Beach, where we attempted to capture some of the early morning light in the background.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso200 1/500@f4.5

To light her up against the morning sky we used a Canon 580EX flash triggered with the Phottix Odin.  A silver California Sunbounce Pro was held just out of the right of the frame to bounce back some of the flash to fill in the shadows.

We next headed down to a lava rock area away from the beach.  This location gave us some nice clear views of the horizon as well as some spots where the waves would crash and give us some nice effects.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/1000@f4.0

Once the sun got high enough in the sky to shine down on the spot we were shooting in, our lighting for the rest of the day's shoot was mainly the morning sun filled in with the silver California Sunbounce Pro.

Tried a few other shots like below where she was lying down on the rocks, but we were getting hotspots from the sun on the upper part of her body.  If we had a 2nd assistant available for the shoot, we could have held a scrim over her to block that out. Instead, we moved her closer to a spot in the shade.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 85mm f1.8 iso320 1/1250@f2.8

Little Beach is actually a really nice location to shoot at.  Gonna have to think about shooting here more often.  Nice variations in scenery to use.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/2500@f4.0

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/1250@f5.6

There was a spot on the rocks that we would get some really nice and large wave splashes, so we positioned our model right at the edge and waited.

For some reason while we were shooting, the paddle boarders and boats in the background seemed to congregate right behind us. . .

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/2500@f4.0

So it took us a while to get the shots we wanted without the background distractions.  But it was worth the wait.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso320 1/1600@f4.0

We moved to the sand and did a few more shots with the black bikini, being careful to hide the growing number of nude beach-goers in the background.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso200 1/3200@f4.0

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso200 1/1250@f4.5

To finish up, I had Luke join her in the water for an impromptu couples shot.

Canon EOS 5DmkII 70-200mm f2.8L IS II iso200 1/2000@f4.0

Loved working with these two! Thanks you guys for making the first shoot of 2014 so much fun!