Marissa: Dog Mountain
Photographing in the snow is probably one of my favourite scenarios to be photographing in. There is something so peaceful and methodical about walking through the snow and just finding that perfect spot. The snow muffles the sound around and it's really just you and your camera.
Who's the red head?
Ever since i've been posting photos of Marissa on my Instagram, I think this was the most asked question I've been getting. She's kind of been stealing the spotlight on my feed and rightfully so. Her beautiful smile and stunning red hair would stop anyone from scrolling down their Instagram feed and make them look twice. Lucky for me she is super natural in front of the camera and we just do our thing.
This outing wasn't a planned shoot or anything. Just out having fun and I brought a camera.
She says she is a shy person. I still don't believe her.
The white snow provides mother nature's greatest reflector. Light is just beautiful when it is reflected in all directions back at the subject. This makes all the shots evenly lit and very soft shadows.
For me, the process of photographing portraits is much more than simply meeting someone and going to a location to shoot. There is a certain connection one has to establish before you can get a truly great portrait.
Don't get me wrong, any half-decent photographer should still be able to get good portraits in any situation. Whether you know the person you're photographing or not.
But to me a great portrait tells a story. Anyone can appreciate a good photo. But a great photo is when there is a bit of intrigue and mystery.
To me this can only be achieved if there is a connection between subject and photographer.
This is my favourite photo from our day together. It just oozes with wonder and mystery.
I hope you enjoyed these photos. Whenever I feel a bit burnt out or uninspired, photowalks like these always help me get back on track and help remind me why I love photography.
Always make the most of it.
A lot of thanks to Marissa for always being so patient with me. I can imagine, all the times I suddenly tell her to stop and look over here, over there! One day it will start to annoy her and she'll just walk off, but she hasn't yet! So we are all good!
Here is a video I cut together. It's rough and wasn't really planned.