This shoot has been years in the making. And as per usual, the outcome is nothing like what I was originally going for. Every shoot becomes its own entity and I simply roll with the photographic punches, if you will.
This is Kelly Purpura. If you frequent this blog, you’ve most likely seen her before. She gets shot by me often. I’ve had the plan of taking pictures of her on a beach with some wispy, gauzy manner of dress in the nice breeze, but today, we had this bright floral number.
Bright floral number inspired very different pictures.
To get these shots, we sat around on the beach jabber jawing for hours. The beach was pretty high traffic that afternoon, given that we went on a Sunday and those pesky bastards at some Travel Publisher had recently named Crane’s Beach as one of the Top Family Beaches in the country. Still, we walked out onto the sand bar and sat for a few hours. I hoped the time might clear out some of the rabble rousers and perhaps a thinner crowd would make photography easier. I mean, I totally want the back hair of some shirtless family man in the background of my shots, but most back hair clad gentlemen prefer to keep their Grizzly Adams ruggedness for the wife at home.
I was correct. Though, by the time we finally packed up to head back to the car, parks rangers were driving the beach with a message of forewarning, “We’re about to lock your car in the lot.”
Good times.
Sunset was worth it. I don’t care what bright blue eyed ranger says! Though he said it with only the kindest of tones, so no hard feelings there.
Though I DO have hard feelings for the bastards who were getting married that afternoon up at the Crane Estate. How dare they get married where I want to get married one day? Well, not how dare they in general, but how dare they on a day when I showed up to take pictures!? Bastards.
Despite the aim of shooting in the sunset, we did get some shots before the sun was completely heading for the horizon. I was quite pleased with the whole shoot, actually. And though the flowing gauzy ideas are still yet to be realized, that results in further shooting! No complaints here!
All the more reason to go back. All the more excuses for me to go in the water – fully dressed.
Yeah, I was wearing pants.
I won’t be judged for my “run-in-the-water-fully-clothed” tendencies anymore than for my “”run-into-the-water-naked” tendencies. Sadly, the latter said tendencies are very rarely realized. One day, I will own a beach house and these tendencies will see their day. Until then, pants will have to do.
And let’s be real, it results in the rare opportunity of driving pants-less.
Good times.
Dude, the sky is gorgeous in this shot.
I freakin love me some sunset. Thank god Kelly and I had stuff to talk about for four hours. Or was it three? I’m not sure, but holy holy was that sunset worth it.
I kinda feel a hankering to go back in the water. It’s a beautiful day out today. The temptation is brutal. The last time I ventured into the ocean was over a year ago, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where I was brutalized by enormous waves, all whilst holding my daughter’s hand as she giggled hysterically with every enormous crest.
Yes, I was wearing pants then as well.
There are no pictures of me in such a state, but there are many of all else I happened upon here.
Now back to Kelly.
This water was freakin perfect. Perfect temperature, perfect temperament – it would have been almost impossible for me to go waterside with my camera were the waves in a tizzy of any kind. I might be daring, but I’m not stupid!
Oh, I should mention the fact that I recently discovered the magnificent process known as Photoshop Actions! Yes, that’s right, gone are the days when you do a bunch of stuff to a picture, make it look hoity toity, feel all accomplished, then close the thing only to realize you have to start all over again! Well, no more! (I can tell many of you are thinking, “wait, Caitlin didn’t know this?”
Even more of you are probably thinking, “Photoshop hurts my brain.”
No worries, ladies and gentlemen. It hurts mine too. And I am always learning.
As you can see, I made both of these pictures greenish. It just adds a little something, in my opinion! Yet, unlike the days of yore, now when I wanted my picture to look green, I pressed two keys, watched it become awesome, then saved the thing and myself three minutes!
Photoshop Actions, ladies and gentlemen. Promoting laziness one picture at a time.
Still, Kelly looks fabulous green.
(And if you are interested in learning more about Photoshop Actions, but are the kind of person who enjoys instant gratification and can’t bring yourself to wait for the blogs to follow, try Deviantart.com, and search Actions. Many other artists have recorded and shared their own processes for you to steal and use to your hearts content!)
(Believe me, I did.)
Now I thank you for dilly dallying long enough to get this far and as reward, share one more picture.
We hereby revisit the ever illusive jump shot.
Live Long and Prosper.
Very good.
It was 4 hours