Viking Photoshoot
I recently participated in a winter viking-themed photoshoot with the Ottawa Photography Meetup group and was able to work with, and capture some amazing shots of the models who went. A lot of effort was put into the looks for each model.
On this occasion, I had two cameras on me: the Lumix S1RII + Leica Vario-Elmarit 24-90, and the Leica SL2-S + Leica APO-Summicron-SL 50mm prime. I surprisingly found that most of the shots I “liked” the most from the shoot were with the SL2-S and APO 50 lens. The S1RII was no slouch though, and with the 24-90 I was able to capture many shots and crop in aggressively if needed. But the 24mp shots from the SL2-S, the colours from it and the incredible characteristics of the APO 50 prime made this a winner.
This was also a good learning experience. The biggest challenge at this particular shoot was the snow. Under the harsh direct sun, models didn’t look flattering and the snow tended to blow out exposure of the background. My favourite shots were the ones where I did a 1-1 with the model, had them stand in a slightly shaded spot using bounced environmental light for the face, with backlight from the sun to highlight their hair. In future, I will bring lighting with me to an event like this.
In this intimate portrait of Emmanuelle, I had her sit at a table in a shaded pavilion with the sun in the back highlighting her stunning red hair.
I did a similar thing with this medium standing portrait of Vanya in the middle of the snow-covered road, with the light to her back.
