The Bonneville Salt Flats are a fun location for portraits. It has been a few years since I last went out to the Salt Flats and it was worth it!
Maya is from Chicago and her job has been affected by covid-19 and so she has been doing some bucket list activities. One included a fashion photo shoot on the Salt Flats
There are several websites online that will rent fashion for a lot cheaper than buying a dress. This is true for bridal gowns and almost anything can be rented. So we have a unique red dress with flowing fabric. We even had a friend throwing the fabric in the air and ducking out of the way.
A behind the scenes of the photo shoot. My lighting setup has improved since my last Bonneville Salt Flat photo shoot.
And here we have the edited photograph where I have removed my light. I have enough sandbags to secure a small village. And the light helps add a bit of flare and drama to the scene. It was very bright to begin with, and we had to do the 1-2-3 open your eyes technique.
One other tip before a photo shoot, don’t wear sunglasses for a few weeks before the photo shoot. If you wear sunglasses a lot your eyes aren’t accustomed to bright sun and you squint a lot. So that’s a great tip!
Most of the people I photograph are not professional models. Professional models practice poses in front of a mirror so they know angles and what to do with their body, head, and hands. Since this was Maya’s first fashion shoot I was able to coach her on posing legs, hands, and head. The big take away is bending joints. No straight arms. Cross your legs. I’ll make you look your best.
And the Salt Flats cry out for epic wide shots. We have a pure white ground. We had textured clouds in the sky. Distant mountains help with some horizon detail for scale.
And I photoshopped the “assistant” throwing the dress in the air and running away.
July & August are the best months to photograph. The salt flats are dry and support a car, however, bring beverages. It can be 100ºF!
dav.d
