Faking the Sun

There are times as a photographer, where the client may present you with an idea on the spot, and that particular idea may present specific challenges that are beyond beyond your control.

Sometimes the locations do not work out, sometimes they do. Such was the case with the provided photo.

We shot mostly in studio, but she wanted to capture the dress in a more colorful environment. I did not have any colorful backdrops in studio but what I did have was a small patch of trees and brush right next to my building.

Behind the fence was a huge parking lot filled with vehicles. The vines, trees along with careful camera angles and composition hid the parking lot behind her. The sun was fading so we had to shoot pretty fast. Luckily there was a white reflective retaining wall behind me and we were able to pick up the reflections in front of her as the light was quickly disappearing on the horizon. The sun started hitting the horizon so I was able to get some sun flares before it went away. Adding a little strobe with a CTO gel and some additional lens flare in post production helped bring what could have been a flat light looking shot to something more engaging.

Photography does not have to be wrong or right. It is whatever fits the mood, story, vibe or intent of the shoot. Sometimes it is not just about being creative, but having to the ability to problem solve on the fly.