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The above album contains photos from my European photography trips.
The genres most appealing to me are female fashion modeling, bikini, lingerie, portraits, both color and black and white photography.
These trips were done backpacking style with model scouting starting back in Hawaii weeks before leaving.
Traveling as a freelance photographer, being on never before seen unique locations, working with interesting new models on every shoot guarantees diverse photographic results.
When a photographer is constantly challenged every photoshoot becomes a learning experience as well. Some planning is needed but improvisation and capturing the unexpected usually yields the best and most favorite photos.
I found Russian born model Yuliya while browsing through new faces at a modeling Agency in Berlin. Most modeling agencies will let photographers do photoshoots with their beginner or amateur models for the purpose of portfolio building for both the model and the photographer.
It is great fun to walk into an agency and look through the portfolio books of beautiful models.
To me Yuliya is a classic Russian beauty and I was very happy to be able to arrange a session with her.
I found Alexandra on a Belgian modeling web portal. She had just a polaroid photo but her beauty was apparent immediately. The white winter coat, pearls, lingerie and big dark sunglasses concept was planned before the shoot based on some of Alexandra's personal wardrobe.
I already knew the Antwerp harbor had industrial parks and docks available to the public. We found nice generic locations with backgrounds that matched our themes.
Alexandra did great for her first photoshoot! She was confident but not a diva, prepared, rested and looking beautiful, a true pleasure to work with.
Related article: Why I love Photoshoots with First Time Models
Getting rained out on a Belgian cow field does not stop a photoshoot! Shortly after Angelina and I arrived to an attractive patch of field with the perfect cows it started raining the the cows went home.
Improvisation always saves the photoshoot, we decided to do an impromptu lingerie shoot inside Angelina's car. I was shooting from the driver's seat but there was enough room and a wide enough lens to frame the photos effectively. The setting was intimate resulting photos we both liked.
An abandoned industrial park provided the backdrop for a fashion and lingerie photoshoot in Berlin.
I found Danny the German model (who really did not look German but both her parents were) in the same modeling agency in Berlin.
Danny's figure was perfect for bikini and lingerie modeling photos and with nobody around the photoshoot had the quiet and intimate atmosphere which I have hoped for.
I sneaked into a closed construction site on a Sunday with this beautiful blond Finnish born model Nina who was referred by the same German agency where I found models for my other Berlin shoots.
This scarf shot was taken towards the end of our photoshoot after taking fashion and lingerie pictures.
The construction site had an endless variety of angles, forms, shapes and textures. The dominant color being cement gray provided simple backgrounds - fantastic, I could not have planned it better!
My friend's apartment building where I stayed in Berlin's Tiergarten area had a courtyard which was surrounded by the building on 3 sides and had a white structure across the open side. The reason why this arrangement became a perfectly lit studio for us is because the 3 walls added 3 completely different backgrounds and the white wall across was reflecting the sunlight as soft diffused light onto the set.
Ivana who is from Slovenia has a beautiful face, engaging eyes and symmetric features. We shot a lot of nice photos in that courtyard. As it often happens an unexpected prop was found adding a unique element to this photo. And the props in the photo are 2 "brooms" used to sweep the leaves in the courtyard. What a great prop, what a find!
To break up the brown earth tone color scheme of the walls of the court my friend's pink dress from Thailand was used. Many of these freelance photography projects start with little but mushroom into well rounded projects and photos that are way better than what the initial resources would have suggested!
Many of my photoshoots could be summed up in the following steps:
My fashion photoshoot with Tanja Dexters had all the elements of a great project. A location with character in a Belgian brewery, Miss Belgium herself, expensive clothes, jewelry and professional makeup from an earlier TV show appearance.
We had a chance to borrow a friend's chihuahua which turned out to be a fantastic addition for a couple of reasons. The color of the dog exactly matched the color of one of Tanja's dresses. This could not have been planned better and of course it was a complete coincidence.
The chihuahua added the cuteness factor to the photo but the photo was not posed, it was completely a candid moment which makes it even more special.
Another shoot in the softly lit German courtyard with Yuliya. The walls provide great backdrop, something that would have to be painted as a studio background. The make the model "pop out" bright loud colored outfit was chosen. Only basic directions were given to the model and I let her pose comfortably and naturally while still getting an eye catching picture.
Due to the camera's tilted angle many diagonal lines can be found in the photo including the pattern on the wall just above the body of the model.
This type of composition utilizes the Fibonacci spiral and the Golden Ratio rendering the scene dynamic and exciting while still remaining pleasing to the eye.
There are at least 2 points in the photograph where the eye can enter and explore the picture. It is not a must but can be beneficial with people and modeling photography to have entry points and lines leading to the main subject so the eye can wonder around smoothly discovering details in the photo.
The simple ingredients: a beautiful German model, eye catching red lingerie, a typical doorway in a European abandoned factory and quiet mood. The bricks were red the rusty door was green so I thought the red lingerie was a good match for this photo. Nice soft and diffused light was perfect in the shade providing side lighting subtly bringing out the curves of the model.
Diagonal lines are dynamic compositional elements conveying excitement, drama and other non-static emotions so angling the shot really worked as opposed to composing the model vertically standing.
The right props and background can elevate a simple photoshoot to new levels; in this case the designer dog carrying bag, the cute chihuahua and the stainless steel brewing cylinders of a Belgian beer company.
I mention this because attention to detail is one of my "pet peeves" especially when I look thorough endless modeling portfolio photos shot in a parking lot of one particular modeling agency with telephone poles coming out of the model's heads, curbside painted white and parked cars as the background.
So for your viewing pleasure here is my very special collection of MODELS IN PARKING LOTS:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 plus bonus.
This photo was taken while still on the Belgian field and it was time for close ups since there was limited space in the back of the car anyways. Angelina has sexy, dramatic and strong features which very effectively captures the viewers attention. I know this for a fact because when I show my portfolio to someone her photos always get the most attention.
The sunglasses, the leather interior and Angelina's hair are black so I though it was a good idea to include one more black element in the form of the choker with the silver lock. I especially like chokers they are one of the greatest accessories.
Portrait photography of a beautiful model in soft light can result in fantastic images!
The perfectly lit German courtyard provided the "free soft box" for this and many other nice photos from this day. The sunlit white wall across the yard placed a perfect and large catch eye into the model's eyes.
A Russian fur hat nicely frames the beautiful face of a young first time Belgian model. Alexandra can be photographed with many different hats and other accessories which frame the face, one can just tell that she will take consistently good photos, she has beautiful lips, a lovely nose, defined jaw line, natural and cute eyebrows.
I had her stand in front of a mustard yellow freight train container, I felt that this kind of yellow complemented the other colors in the photo.
An old Belgian brewery was a visually interesting location for my fashion photoshoot with Miss Belgium Tanja Dexters. Many networking emails are sent out until a chance to do an exciting shoot like this comes about. Tanja's manager provided the most excellent location in a form of a famous Belgian brewery in the city of Antwerp.
Once again a great prop which was completely unplanned: the red hose laying around instantly caught my attention!
European architecture guarantees even simple doorways are fantastic sets. Some models just know how to pose and Nina is definitely one of them. It was a rainy day and the overcast sky provided excellent diffused light. I especially like the color scheme of these photos.
This location was chosen on a random side street to avoid too many people staring at us and was next to a construction site with we fully utilized later that day after sneaking in for some lingerie shots.
The way we found this great neon back lit location is once again due to rain. Seems to be an ongoing theme, rain starts, the model and I scramble, unexpected situation comes up, great photos are taken.
These photos were taken in Dusseldorf, Germany where a modeling agency provided a model for me to do a test shoot. Finding random locations without knowing the brand new city the photographer just arrived to calls for improvisation. When rain starts the options for accessible indoor locations become limited.
We almost gave up and as we were walking back to the agency we passed a gallery with this neon lit hall. It looked like a studio set up just for our white dress yet to be photographed.
We were given a few minutes only but with the help of this elegant dancer model I was able to take enough good photos that the white dress was shot and the rainy day was saved.
The German fashion and lingerie model in the above collage was very relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera moving from one pose to another effortlessly. When a photographer is blessed with a natural model like Ivana many good shots can be taken in succession and photo series or collages like this can be created. I really love the graceful, subtle variations of the model's poses in the photographs.
The photos were taken in my friend's apartment in Berlin where we made the best of the decoration of the room; the soft light coming from the window provided classic side lighting!
The elegant, natural beauty of Belgian first time model Alexandra shines through in many different photoshoot settings, let it be innocent, sexy but classy, sophisticated or cute theme.
Her confidence, eye contact and connection with the camera is a true gift especially considering this was her 1st photoshoot!
The overcast sky provided soft light nicely giving Alexandra hair light. The setup and location is casual and snapshot-like but I was careful to place her in front of a dark background so her hair light and bright sweater would have enough contrast for a good separation from the background.
Smoking is bad for your health but it sure can make a photo edgy, sensuous and provocative. This picture was taken during break time which is a great time to catch some candid, intimate and relaxed moments which can make the outcome of the photoshoot more versatile.
None of the components of this photo were planned and that aspect of photography is what's most appealing to me, it keeps things moving, alive and interesting. I could have not known that out of one of the handful of items Ivana would bring one set of bra and panties would perfectly match the wall of the hallway.
A nice composition takes advantage of the slim figure of the Finnish born model. I like the black and white outfit in front of the gray cement background, the lack of color accentuates the skin of the model, almost like when a certain part of a photo is colorized while the rest of it is black and white.
The several layers of the large plexi walls at a famous architectural complex in Paris created the set for this photo. As I was composing the photo I was moving around to get the best reflection in front of th models face. As I lined up the white building with its dark window openings people appeared on the top of the escalator. This photo taken at that moment turned out to be the best one of the bunch.
This portrait of a Russian born model was cropped in a square format from the same set that the first picture of this page is from. The Russian born model has beautiful facial features not to mention a great taste in buying that pink dress!
Hortenzia has a timeless, elegant, classically beautiful face. The way I arrived to this photo in this form involved some manipulation. The original shot which this photo was cropped out of had the model laying on a couch. Turning the image clockwise resulted in a dramatic but well balanced composition.
Perhaps her face was naturally more relaxed while laying down, some facial muscles smoothened out but for whatever reason her expression is calm and relaxed resulting in an intimate photo.
It is still raining on the cow patch and we are back in the car with Angelina who has great features and of course everyone takes notice of her lips. The photo is quite simple and straight forward; her pink lips, pink necklace and pink corset looks nice against the black leather interior of her car.
The red leather couch was in the penthouse of the Dusseldorf modeling agency which referred the dancer model to me for a test shoot. I placed a red fashion book next to the model which does get lost a little because it is the same color as the couch but gold goes good with red so the letters fill that corner effectively.
The straight edges of the book also compliment the other diagonal lines of the couch.
The model has strong features and a toned body so a sweet smiley photo would have been unnatural and probably awkward to take. The slightly rigid pose and the expressionless face works best for this setting in my opinion.
I am a big fan of strong jaws and chins on female models but shot head on those features usually are not complimentary. The model was asked to tilt her head to the side which brought out her fantastic jaw line making her looking a bit doll like in the process.
A 100 year old Dutch castle gives countless props, angles, backgrounds, textures, shapes to work with. I love the lines in this photo, all the verticals of the heating unit, the window frame and the curtains are offset by the figure of the model. The model is truly put inside a frame for this shot.
I asked the model not to try to pose to much or try to give too much to the camera, instead attempt to portray a quiet, peaceful intimate mood. As usual there is a surprise gift to the photographer namely the trees outside the window; the added green outside perfectly compliments the brown and rust color earth tones of inside.
This calm, nice shot was taken during a fashion and lingerie photoshoot while the model was looking at herself in the mirror. Just like in the above photo a touch of green is added (unintentionally) to compliment the color scheme of the rest of the photo. When I say unintentionally I mean accidentally because some or many of the details are accidental in my photos.
Not having a professional studio and stylist to work with leaves some of the details just impossible to control. Even if these details are not consciously and systematically worked out when the photographer looks through the viewfinder he or she can see if things look right. That intuition ensures the photographs turn out to be great and lack of it ensures mediocre results.
Things I watched out for this photo: leg and thigh form nice lines for eyes to follow, side lighting of face illuminates left eye.
A true diva shot of Hortenzia, a Slovakian model from Germany. The composition seems quite balanced to me, comfortable pose and the closed eyes present peacefulness. I am realizing I do not have many photos where the model's eyes are closed. It is a nice feature.
The blond model in black body suit on a black leather couch makes a nice color and texture combination. I like the seriousness of the model's expression, I hardly ever ask my models to laugh or smile, if it happens it happens but it is never required.
The blackness of the bodysuit might blend in her body with the couch a bit too much but it still works for me. The couch swallowing her? ... something to that effect.
I actually did not see the shapes and lines of this fantastic symmetric arrangement until the model sat on the antique couch of this 100 year old Dutch castle. It was one of those shots when everything fell into place, symmetry, lines, color scheme, light, composition; and the model looks like an angel, she has wings! How great is that?
A curious horse, the background made of dark storm clouds and the matching colors of the model's out fit and the horse made the photo memorable and worth posting here. Colors look more saturated against darker backgrounds so storm clouds always make a nice backdrop. We got a little help from the farmer who kept the horse nearby but seems like the animal was intrigued with the happenings anyways.
This photo will always make me laugh because of an inside joke. Having used bamboo forests of Hawaii for photoshoot locations I was hard pressed to find the tropical exotic equivalent in Germany. I think corn did the job very well, it was a lot of fun!
The colors of the antique furnitures of the Dutch castle and the models clothes were perfectly matching for this shot. I was a bit lost about how to compose this picture when Angelina laid in this particular angle on the large foot rest (yes, rich people have big foot rests).
So I just framed the photo as it felt most interesting and dynamic using several diagonal lines of the floor tiles, the furniture and the fireplace. All (diagonal) lines are leading to the model (even the lines her legs create) so the eye is directed to the main subject quite effectively.
After taking many different shots of the model in front of the wall of an old building in Berlin I decided to break up the stability of the horizontal lines. By having the model hold the umbrella in an angle a diagonal line was introduced which added a dynamic element to the photo.
Once again a fortunate coincidence that the courtyard of my friend's house color matched her only large umbrella in her apartment.
The Russian born model Yuliya was fun, comfortable and very natural in front of the camera. These series of shots were taken one after another as the model was changing poses.
A visually interesting modeling collage is created by the model having a nice body, her being comfortable in that body, having fun personality and imagination. These photos do not look as forced poses to me so I love them all!
This chihuahua is not as friendly as he seems with strangers but I know the owner and I had been in this same apartment with the dog for a few days before taking his pet portrait.
The key to intimate portraits is the chemistry between the model and the photographer. In the case of this dog our twice a day trip to the dog park ensured that chemistry and trust! :)
