I had the fun opportunity to photograph Nefertiti, a very talented dancer, singer, and artist, on the beach. The interesting part was that it was one of the last days of the warm summer in October! The leaves were already beginning to change color, so it was more difficult to create the illusion of being on a tropical beach on a beautiful island. We met and shot at Carson Beach.
We started shooting with an off camera flash against the sunrise. I was hoping to light her up with the flash, have a warm glow around her, and capture the wild reds and oranges of the sunrise steadily climbing over Thompson Island.
It was difficult to get the flash strong enough to illuminate the model when the sun broke through the early morning clouds (last photo on the right). As the sun grew stronger and brighter in between clouds, the reflection on the water also grew brighter, often blowing out the exposure.
Once I saw that fighting the brightness of the sun was becoming a losing battle, I turned Nefertiti toward the sun and used some beach grass as foreground. I was hoping the grass would help it look like a real tropical island.
I also found some yellow late summer weeds that looked really summery and made the model pop! The flowers in Nefertiti's hair were perfectly accented by these tall yellow plants. I couldn't believe how well the yellow weeds worked for fore and background!
If you'd like to learn more about the amazingly beautiful and talented Nefertiti, my model, please visit http://www.etniafusion.net/. Nefertiti is a stunning performer, entertainer, and teacher.
Here is just a little taste of her business and crafts:
"Welcome to Etnia Fusion by Nefertiti
a company dedicated to promote culture from different ethnic groups through functional art, instruction, dance performances, martial arts and weaponry."
Interested in modeling for our photographers? Please don't hesitate to reach out to us: sacredharborphotography@gmail.com.