A few years ago I saw a
photo of a saxophone player taken on the beach -- not just any photo, but one that has as they say "impact." It sort of resonated with me. And it makes sense why. It was taken by Joe McNally, one of the best location shooters and lighting photographers working today. It was one of those images that you file away and always want to try, not that you'd ever really come close to McNally but even a poor man's attempt might have some sort of merit. After finding a model for this -- (Nicole, who I work with at UTMB) we scheduled a shoot and I invited two other photographers who I knew appreciated McNally and the sax image just about as much as I did -- Larry Patrick and Doug Haass. After some flash and ambient photos in the dunes, as sunset neared we headed for the water's edge and made our best effort (above). Perfectly fine image. Will it be in my portfolio one day? Maybe. Am I happy I made the attempt? Absolutely. Because any time you put yourself out there -- working in not exactly ideal conditions -- you learn and grow as a photographer. And that's the fun part of any vocation -- making those small steps in the evolution. 85mm, f/5 at 1/40 sec handheld; light from an Elinchrom Quadra from camera left.
I think you nailed it Steve. Your version of this shot was pretty close to what we saw with Joe's take on it. Love the color, full length with the curve of her body from lower right, curving inward and then back out at the upper right. Nice job.
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