Lona Lusso provides photography workshops all around Sydney. Each workshop is uniquely different from the last and has new models each time so the students can get a wide range of models and scenarios for their portfolio. This week we had a Beach Vibes Workshop at Bronte Beach. This workshop consisted of three different scenarios for the students to capture. Bikini Model, Beach Fashion Model and Beach Picnic.
We arrived at Bronte Beach at 3.30pm to set up the picnic setting and scout the best locations along the beach that would not annoy the beach goers trying to enjoy their Saturday afternoon. To our surprise there was no one on the beach at all. The Australian Government closed every beach in NSW because of the risk of CORONA VIRUS and the fact that Australians will not listen to the Government unless it is a written law. Just the previous day 20,000 people went to Bondi Beach for a party after the government told everyone to stay away from big crowds.
So now we had a workshop but no where to apply it. We scoured the horizon looking for empty places on the grass amongst the thousands of drunk Australians partying in the sun. We settled on a small grassy place near the cliff side for the picnic setting. There was a gorgeous white fence for the bikini model to lean against and a beautiful grassy area for the fashion model. After explaining to the students the dilemma we had with not being able to use the beach at that time we began the shoot.
Danica sitting amongst our beach picnic theme.
Danica was our picnic model and we set up an adorable setting with a blanket, picnic basket, some fresh fruits, croissants and a jug of fruit punch. The backdrop was the gorgeous Bronte Beach shoreline and surrounding rocky cliffs. In a shoot like this it is important to capture the props so that the story is told through the picture. It is easy to forget this and concentrate soley on the model and background, but this will not give any context as to why she is there.
Ivy modelling our beach fashion theme
Our fashion model scenario was played by Ivy. She wore a long white dress that matched perfectly to hair long blond hair. We also gave her a small flower banquet as a prop to help with her posing. The style we were going for was a dreamy sort of effect. This is achieved by slightly over exposing the photos to give a soft appearance to her features. Shooting back into the sun can help with this also.
Ana modelling our beach bikini scenario
Our bikini model was Ana. She wore a stylish bikini that fraughted her athletic body and emphasised her natural curves. For this scenario we had her posing along side the white timber fence that operated the beach from the grass. She posed amazingly for the students and was much appreciated by the passing public as well. For this scenario we instructed the students to concentrate on maximising the contrast between highlight and shadow on her body that would help exaggerate her bikini body.
Towards the end of the workshop we had the opportunity to venture onto the beach for 15 mins and shoot on the sand. We then all went back to the picnic setting and shot all three models together enjoying the picnic as the suns set over the beach.
this will be our last workshop for the nearest future as the Corona Virus regulation from the government makes it impossible to meet in public.