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Portfolio Shoot #3

Bridget Ford
Sep 2, 2017
2 min read

First Couple Shoot on the Beach

I had the privilege of photographing these two special people at Noordhoek Beach as a bit of an "engagement shoot" for them, seeing as they are engaged already and tying the knot very soon. This shoot had me stressing many nights before as it was my first shoot that would not include a horse of any sorts. My previous Portfolio shoots included horses and people and seeing as Equine Photography has been my only specialization up until now, that's where I felt most comfortable. Capturing the partnership between horses and their riders is easy for me as I myself am a horse-rider and owner. On the other hand, I was extremely excited about this shoot as I love challenging myself to do better, especially seeing as couple and wedding photography is another genre I hope to specialize in.

Amy responded to my plea for couples to photograph for my portfolio so I did not know either her or her fiance beforehand. They were both absolutely lovely people to shoot, as comfortable as could be with one another, happy to get wet and sandy when I asked, helpful with what they wanted in terms of poses and shots and overall incredibly encouraging to a nervous, and grateful, student photographer.

Just before this shoot, I had done the horse and family Beach shoot on the same beach and unfortunately the sun had risen far too much by the time I did this shoot for the dusky, soft lighting I had hoped for for both the shoots that morning. The lighting was therefore quite bright and made correct exposure for both the beach and the couple quite tricky. There were many lovely photographs that I shot that day,especially those capturing the lovey-dovey moments that were all to real. I learnt that capturing these moments were similarly easy to capture as between a horse and rider - all you do is catch them when they think you don't have your lens on them. This is when the sweetest and most real moments occur. I also know that the horse friendly part of Noordhoek Beach is definitely a perfect place for a relatively undisturbed photo shoot. The mountains in the misty background add to the quiet and peaceful ambiance of the beach and therefore in the photographs too. This will definitely be my go to beach for horse and couple shoots in future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this shoot and learnt so much from my experience! Thank you both for being excellent models and I wish you the best for your marriage in the future. :)