Lifestyle Photoshoot with Janice Sui
Janice was a rare gem of kindness and selflessness. I was amazed by her attitude. To begin with, she wasn't even a fan of being soaked in seawater, but she gladly accepted my proposal.
While I had already done several beach photoshoots with bikinis, my idea for the photoshoot was to demonstrate that a lifestyle beach shoot could be done without a bikini, monokini, swimsuit or any other form of swimwear. The water element would add some sensual feel to the artwork. I would keep it elegant eventually.
It was a "last minute" discussion before the photoshoot on the next day, which she would excuse herself during the gathering with her friends. Due to the short discussion, I initially had worries about our communication and her comfort level. I wasn't even sure if she was firm with the photoshoot and I figured out she was mainly a little worried about not being able to perform and thus "wasting" my time - her beautiful heart was concerned about me.
On the actual day of the photoshoot, I was actually worried about being unable to locate her at the beach. While she was having fun with her friends, her replies to my texts were instant. I saw her responsibility.
The birthday girl, Alicia, accompanied her to the washroom to get changed and bring her clothes back so that both of us could set off to the exact spot of the photoshoot immediately from the washroom.
The greatest challenge of this shoot was to create a gentle feel under the clear sky, without using my lighting. It was near impossible to use any soft and non-direct flash when we were inside the water.
Janice proved herself to be one of the most cooperative models ever. With all the constraints, I had to work on limited spots and angles, and she didn't hesitate to follow my directions.
I wasn't really sure of her boundaries and thus I decided to play safe and keep the photoshoot very simple. Hence, I didn't focus on her good figure and instead try to capture her elegance.
She was daring enough to try things out. For example, when I passed her some flowers that I had found on the sand, she was creative with them. Somehow, she was very natural to the extent that nobody would expect it to be her first time doing a photoshoot.
We had an enjoyable time playing with some dogs. Unfortunately, we were out of our "comfort zone" where the harsh sunlight hit us directly to create unflattering shadows on her face. On top of that, we didn't have the luxury of having a makeup artist adjust her hair while she was playing. When I told her the photographs weren't to my standard, she didn't insist on them.
Having a conversation with her was comfortable. I loved it when she asked me questions about the photoshoot, including my past experiences. When I mentioned to her the story of a makeup artist friend who was pestered by some weird "photographers", she guessed the album without any clue, except that it was a test shoot for my new equipment. Thereafter, I realised she had made the effort to read the write-ups for some of my old work, which would definitely help her to understand me and my professionalism more.
Being able to work with people like Janice keeps my passion going.
Featuring ↬ Janice SuiHairstylist ↬ Janice SuiMakeup Artist (MUA) ↬ Janice Sui
Wardrobe ↬ Janice SuiCredits ↬ Alicia
Camera ↬ Canon 6DLens ↬ Canon 24-70mm F2.8L IILighting ↬ Natural light
Place ↬ Tanjong Beach, SentosaDate ↬ Year 2020
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