I’m really excited about this shoot! Combining photography with my other passions is the best so I had a ton of fun on this shoot because I also love hiking a lot! This was another shoot I did for a Kwantlen Fashion Design student and (I’ve said it on every other Kwantlen student post, but I have to stress it again) the outfits were amazing! Patricia Mclachlan did such a great job of creating beautiful yet functional and practical hiking outfits. Here’s what she says about her line:
The Pacific Northwest is surrounded by natural beauty, where exploration flows endlessly. QUADRA is a collection that is inspired from nature, for women who are avid in the outdoors. The designs are based on the needs of women hikers who are searching for garments that can shelter them from the rapid changing weather.
QUADRA offers these women clothing that is figure flattering have the technicalities they need, and designed to compliment the movement of the body while hiking. Fabrics have been specifically chosen to keep her comfortable while she is exploring and creating new memories. There is a large focus on fit and function, always keeping the end use as a priority. Exploring and trekking through the outdoors is a feeling that cannot be re-created with technology.
The weather had been pretty iffy, as it usually is in Vancouver. We were totally playing it by ear on where we were going to shoot depending on what the weather was like and we ended up deciding on Quarry Rock in Deep Cove. As it turns out, we were amazingly blessed! As I drove there, it started raining. Sometimes it was only drizzling a little but once in a while it would start pouring and I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous about the weather because I didn’t want to be shooting in the pouring rain with my lighting setup I was using, and if the skies were flat and grey, it would make the photos less dramatic and a little boring. Thankfully, everything went perfectly! The rain cleared up right around the time we started setting up, the clouds were beautiful and dramatic, the rocks and forest was wet, which really brought out the colors and contrast of the location on such a grey day. As soon as we finished packing up, the skies opened and the rain started pouring down…we just missed it!
Take a look at some of the images I created…
Behind the scenes:
For the first set of shots, I just used the one light you see here with the 64″ soft silver PLM and the diffusion cover. I ended up adding another light coming from behind her to make it look more like the sun was breaking through the clouds over her shoulder…even though it really wasn’t that much. The Paul C Buff Cyber Commander came in really handy on this shoot so I didn’t have to keep climbing up the rocks and lowering the light to change the power. I could control everything right from my camera!
