Although I enjoyed out long hot summer as much as anyone, it does make finding quiet locations more difficult. I had long given up using my local beach as the last time I went it was too busy to shoot by 10am and this was a weekday in term time.
I started looking for new locations. The first thing I do is study the ordinance survey map of my local area. I can look for likely spots and then check to see if there a footpath or right of way to get to them. Then I inspect them in person. What I was looking out for was a stretch of coastline that was wild and had a feeling of space, and the path from Dell Quay to Chichester offered lots of opportunities.
In terms of equipment I’m limited to what I can carry over a 20 minute walk, so light stands and sand bags are out. But I found a strip of land that is in shade for most of the morning but still gets soft light from the western sky. So the light has direction and is not simply flat.
I decided to shoot film as that is my preferred option for black and white work, and the square format of my Hasselblad is great for shooting portraits in wide open spaces.
When it came to finding a creative to work with Irida was a great fit. Experienced and professional, she was more than able of interpreting my mood boards and adding her own spin to them. One of the things that can be tricky with photography is creating a good working relationship with new people, and creating decent work straight away. Irida was very easy to work with, and it was incredibly easy to take good pictures of her. The first five or ten minutes were the warm up and after that I think images really started to work.
