St Dunstan in the East Church Garden Model Photo Shoot

Having shared photos from one of the London Fashion Week shows with some of the participating models on Instagram, one of them, Erika, was keen to collaborate and do a photo shoot together.

In this situation it’s best to ask the model what they’re looking for with the photos - whether they have a theme or a mood they want to capture, or if they have a particular location in mind. There was no preference, so I did some research to find somewhere that was accessible, in a public space, outdoors, and provided a variety of interesting backdrops.

I settled on an old church ruin garden near Monument in London, called St Dunstan in the East Church Garden. Erika was happy with the suggestion, and we settled on that.

A couple of factors to consider were the time of day and the weather. An early morning would mean less crowds, and a lower sun - could create a lot of shadows, and provide less natural light. Without the use of a flash, I decided to go with an overcast day to keep the lighting flat - no harsh shadows or over/under exposures. We were limited to weekends regarding availability, so we went for an early Saturday morning, which wouldn’t be affected by shadows due to the cloud cover.

As we were shooting portraiture photography, I only used my Sigma 35mm lens, which was perfect for full body and close up shots. The ability to use a low aperture also helped with ensuring the shots had enough exposure in the morning light.

I arrived early, to do a recce and pick out good spots for photos. The ones I liked I did some test shots, to make sure I knew what settings to use in advance. I also took some sample photos using my phone to show Erika. She arrived with an assistant who helped her with hair and makeup checks, and also had a few different outfit looks for her to put on. We had a brief friendly chat and I talked her through the shots I had in mind, which she was happy with.

When taking photos of a model, it’s important to develop an understanding with each other, sometimes through dialogue - reassurance of a good shot, changing a pose or a look, or even suggesting subtle adjustments to the hair or any loose fabric. The model, if experienced, will change a pose or look after they hear the camera shutter, which presents the photographer with a new pose to work with. If they don’t, then a clear and calm instruction on what to do next will be fine. Fortunately Erika was experienced and it was very easy to photograph her, allowing me to comfortably get a variety of shots. As it’s a collaboration, it’s also important to listen to what they have to suggest. Even if you don’t think it’s a good shot, you should still take it and decide later if it’s worth using or not - it might not be of use to you but maybe the model wants it for their portfolio.

After shooting at a few different spots, Erika changed her outfit. With each outfit we tried to match it up to the setting, whether it was the colour palette, or the design/pattern matching a particular backdrop. For example we matched up her smart white suit with her holding the white flowers of a tree.

The lighting was generally very good. Some shots worked really well with some rim/side lighting. For example Erika was perched on a stone window, and there was a slight golden glow of the sun hitting her face from the other side which made the shot look quite angelic, especially with a warmer white balance - apt for a church setting! I mainly shot with a minimum shutter speed of 1/250 to ensure shots were in focus, and a low aperture of f1.4 - to let as much light into the lens as possible, but also have more focus on the subject (the model) to contrast with a blurrier background.

Gradually I could notice Erika feeling comfortable with my style of photography, and she eased more into it. We had a good understanding with each other, which made for better and more creative shots. We spent an hour and half doing the photo shoot, which was very enjoyable and a good experience in a new setting. I was able to edit and pass on the photos to Erika the following day, and she was very happy with how they turned out, posting several photos on her Instagram page. St Dunstan in the East Church Garden is a fantastic place for photographers and models, and it’s these sort of unique settings that can help make photos stand out from the rest.

View more photos from the shoot here