Jason The CreativeI had the opportunity to collaborate with another photographer on a swimsuit portraits concept.
This shoot was to feature 3 local models in summer swimwear near a swimming pool. The concept was easy especially since it was in the middle of summer.
We lined up a residence with a private pool in north Dallas and got all the details together for the collaboration. It was the middle of summer and I knew we would have a great time.
Swimsuit Portraits Shoot
The goal of the shoot was to capture the models in a variety of swimsuits and other summer styles.
The leaned more towards fashion and lifestyle imagery but we wanted to make this very colorful and fun.
The weather was perfect, and the water glistened in the mid-day sunlight.
Shooting natural light was going to be difficult because of the harsh light so we both brought along speed lights to help lighten the shadows of our subjects.
Normally I would recommend having a stronger off camera flash strobe, but this was all I had at the time. I made it work and mixed ambient and flash for most of my portraits.
Sony a7ii and Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Portraits
For this shoot, I used my Sony a7ii mirrorless camera paired with my Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss lens.
 | Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Lens |
This combination gave me a chance to get wide shots for this collaboration without having to get too far back from the subject.
Shooting portraits with a 35mm can be tricky if you are standing too close to the model.
Make sure you are taking a few steps back so you can minimize the distortion in the subjects face or any parts too close to the edge of the composition.
The Sony 35mm f1.4 Zeiss lens is a very sharp lens that has been in my camera bag for the last 2 years. It’s a heavy 35mm lens compared to my Sony 35mm f1.8 lens.
The size and weight difference are pretty hefty but I still wanted to see how the Sony 35mm f1.4 performed.
Godox V860II-S Speedlight – Off Camera flash
I knew the harsh light would be an issue since the mid-day sun was so bright and not a cloud in site. So I brought along a small speedlight to fill in shadows.
I used my Godox V860II-S speedlight and Godox trigger. I had the speedlight in a 24in x 24in portable softbox with double diffusion.
If you’re interested in this speedlight you can check it out here for current pricing.
This helped add a more even light to the models as I was shooting off camera flash portraits.
Comparing natural light and speed-lights
I choose to switch between speed-lights and natural light so I could see the comparison. I was using a small speedlight from Godox for the flash shots and this was more than enough to fill in the shadows.
The light was pretty harsh as we were shooting in mid-day but I still thought the small speedlight did pretty well in balancing with the sun.
I kept my flash and soft-box very close to the subjects (within 2 ft) so I could maximize the light on my subject.
Swimsuit Models
Our models for the day were Kristi Lynn, Jolesa, and Juliana. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Juliana and Jolesa on previous TFP shoots, but it was my first time working with Kristi.
Make sure to check out these models on Instagram if you get a chance
Jolesa – https://www.instagram.com/jo__queen/
Juliana – https://www.instagram.com/juliana.m.6/
Kristi – https://www.instagram.com/kristilynn_le/
Overall, all the models did great on this portrait shoot. We had music in the background and everyone having a great time.
Swimsuit portraits – Speed lights & Modifiers
Jason The Creative
Capturing vibrant colors
I am very fond of shooting natural light portraits. Especially when I have a chance to get bright and vibrant colors in the backgrounds.
For much of this swimsuit portrait shoot, I also shot natural light. The concrete and water were acting like natural reflectors for the sun so I didn’t have too much harsh shadows in the areas I chose to shoot.
I did have to raise my shutter speed in order to get a balanced exposure when shooting wide open at larger apertures.
In hind-site I wish I had stopped down to around f2.8 or f4.0 in order to get detail in each frame.
Swimsuit Portraits – Natural Light Gallery
Don't Miss This
More Natural Light Swimsuit Portraits
What I learned from this shoot
My speedlight was not very powerful and needed time to recycle before I could get to the next shot. I learned pretty quick I needed to slow down and take my time with this equipment.
I loved the natural light photos but I think they came out darker than my flash sets. This was because I was positioning my models between me and the sun most of the time.
If I had kept them more towards the light or had a reflector on hand, I could have gotten more highlights on the face.
Final Thoughts on these swimsuit portraits
After reviewing the overall photo session I think I got some great shots for my portfolio. I know everyone had a great time on location and I hope that we can do this again very soon!
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