I’ve really missed being able to shoot during the lockdown. In the last few weeks I’ve finally been able to get back to distanced, outdoor shoots.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending some time shooting Kristiina and her son Isak in Leeds.
Shoot location
For this shoot we met at Roundhay Park. The park offers a huge variety in settings and backdrops for a portrait session. We spent a lot of our time in the Coronation Garden and amongst the trees in the Canal Gardens.
Working in harsh sunlight
Despite a forecast of overcast skies it was a particularly sunny day. The direct sun can be challenging and produces harsh shadows and strong contrast so I took every opportunity to use the tree cover to soften the light.
Shooting portraits whilst maintaining social distancing
In the current climate it’s important that everyone involved in the shoot is safe. We shot exclusively outside and for the majority of the shots I relied on my trusty Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM.
This allowed me to get close to the subjects whilst maintaining a safe distance. Successful portrait photography is all about making a connection with the subject so it’s definitely an added challenge to have to maintain distance.
We had a great session, and finished our time together with an ice cream. You can’t really ask for more than that.
“Simon is brilliant. Really easy to get on with and made us all feel at ease. Even though weather and lighting were different to anticipated he adapted and the results are lovely. Cannot recommend enough and will definitely use next time I have photos done. Excellent.”
Kristiina
