The winter took a day off at the same time I’m reading Elizabeth Messina’s “The Luminous Portrait”, so I took the afternoon to shoot in the style she touts in her book. She’s a natural light film photographer and while that’s not at all my style, there is something deeply romantic about it.

When I photograph Christina, it’s not uncommon for us to spend 8-10 hours on-set (usually with a pizza break) and to end up with 1000+ images. This time, though, I wanted to treat it like film and be completely intentional with my shots. Over the three hours we walked and explored, I exposed just over 100 images and selected and printed 24 of them, totally unretouched, to show her by the end of the night. It was a tangible experience that was as close to film as I’ve gotten this decade.

The remnants of last Fall’s greens and reds framed her in beautifully.

The overcast afternoon was a sharp contrast to the cloudless sun we had earlier in the day. Working in full sun in the middle of the afternoon is something I’ve always loved.

Working in a different style is a growing experience for me. When I try to see the world through someone else’s eyes, I like to find pieces to take back to my own work.

Christina makes it easy to work without retouching.

The goal of my personal work is to stretch me and prepare me for any situation I find myself in with a client. While studio lighting and retouching are my comfort zone, there’s something freeing about working only in the moment with what’s available.

I think I’ll do it more often.