Video from my photo-shoot in Hamburg with Richard Wilkinson

Take a look at our video behind the scenes and how i retouched a photo from this shoot.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JiJt_OUtFw

A final image from our photo-shoot in Hamburg

I shot with my Canon 5D mark 2 - really considering changing to Nikon, need a new camera soon 

Richard doing what he does best!

Watch how i take this photo from the left to the right in my video of me retouching sped up.

How beautiful is she?? She looked so amazing even from natural make up to a smokey eye.

Behind the Shoot for Sand Copenhagen and The Book Magazine

This is an Editorial for The Book Magazine with all clothing by Sand Copenhagen.

I was in Copenhagen for two weeks with my dear friend Lena Lademann (blogger from Hamburg- http://lenalademann.com/) and between the fashion week schedule i thought i would squeeze a fashion shoot in. 

Its so amazing to be away from home and plan a shoot as you have to find new locations where you would want to shoot. When i shoot at home in Cape Town i have "comfort zone locations" like the beach or on the streets but when going to Copenhagen i literally went onto Google Maps and went up and down all the streets and wrote down some street names. After being there for a few days i knew i would prefer to do the shoot inside as it was just way too cold and i would feel bad complaining about the cold in 3 jackets when the models would be in a suit with bare skin. I decided we would do the shoot at the hotel we were staying in as the room was modern with decent furniture.

One hour before the shoot i decided it would be a good idea to walk 2km to get the clothing from the Sand store instead of just going on the train..really a stupid idea. My hands were literally like claws from the cold. So i made my mission back to the hotel carrying all the clothing over my shoulders.

The team arrived and i put some music on and we got everything ready to start the shoot. Of course my external flash was not working, it would work about 30% of the time otherwise it wouldn't fire..the joys of technology.

I am happy with the results of the shoot but wish i picked out some more clothing to choose from as we were quite limited.. i think the 4km walk with claws for hands made me just get 4 outfits for each model and nothing more.

Photos from the shoot are now on my website www.tornevelk.com

TIPS l HOW TO SHOOT FEMALE MODELS IN BIKINI'S

This is a post about shooting female models on the beach and what issues i have faced. Like in my last post i mentioned the model is everything so if she is confident and has a rocking body this is 90% of the image.

When its just myself and the model and i have arranged styling then the photo-shoot will maximum take one hour to complete.

TIPS FOR SHOOTING FEMALE MODELS IN BIKINIS

• This is a given..but the model having a good body kinda makes the image so its more of a challenge when the model is not exercising or in shape. Now i am not saying that if you are not a model going to gym that you cant post in a bikini all I'm saying is that the model is the main focus of the image and it will be easier to shoot someone who is well defined/toned. If the model doesn't feel she is in shape then its probably better to have her shoot in a monokini as they are less revealing. 

• If the model is a bit shy/new its better to shoot a more commercial vibe than a ""hot/sexy" shoot because you will immediately see the model is not fully into the mood and cant pull off the look you want. 

• BODY OIL/BABY OIL/COCONUT OIL..ANY OIL.Oil is so important for shoots or a lotion that glows/shines as the sun will give a beautiful glow on the skin 

• We all know the good old "hand on the hip" pose.. now everyone does it because it really does the trick with making arms look more toned.. There are many ways to do this without that over done hand on hip pose. You can get the model to turn her hand around on her hip (like the image in this post). You can have one arm going out with her elbow on her hip and the other hand holding the arm. Usually when a model has her arms against her body it gives the impression that her arm is bigger than it is just because her arm is actually pushing against her body.  When using your arms you need to make sure when you hold your body that your hands are on your hips and have your body 3/4 to the camera. 

• Self tanner or bronzer as no one wants to hurt there eyes and plus.. a good tan makes any one look good ;)

• The light... I once did a photo-shoot at 10:30am because the model was 2 hours late (cant believe i waited). I cant even explain to you how bad the light will look on any model in this situation. The light is making black shows and this is very unflattering. You want light coming from the side which would mean a morning shoot or an afternoon shoot. I have done a shoot at midday with a stunning model named Lera but we couldn't just shoot at any angle on the beach, we would find shaded areas with a little bit of light hitting the back of her head.

• make sure there are no people walking behind the model as thats extra work and that being said.. find a beach that is more quiet. There is nothing worse than a packed beach trying to find a gap and people making childish comments and then the model feeling uncomfortable.

• Making the model standing on her toes to elongate her legs and shows muscle definition

• The models face should be more up than facing down because of shadows that will show under the eyes and no woman wants that!

• Having a swimsuit that fits is also a biggy! You dont want the model wearing a bikini that is 10 times too small and things going wild!

• Its never the best idea to shoot the model from above as you are making her look short and just..unflattering

• If the model is having issues looking towards the bright sun, have her look away, down or close her eyes every other shot or so, until she can get used to the brightness of the sun. The closer the sun is to the horizon, the easier it is for the model to look towards the light (not into the light directly mind you!)

• if you can take props with then that is also cool! Like a Coke bottle with a funky straw, a towel to wrap around her head or a cool watch.

And lastly.. Stick your booty out to accentuate your curves. Be conscious of the 'S' shape you want to be producing. 

West Coast

West Coast sunsets are so delightful

Ibiza

More photos from Ibiza staying at the Me Hotel Ibiza which is right on the beach. Capturing some moments on our way from Sol Beach House to Me Hotel in a colourful van.  Couldn't be more grateful for the incredible people i met here from all over the world.

with these two crazies in Ibiza