Portrait Photography How To

With the first day of summer just two weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about shooting photographs at the beach. And what better way to do that than with a pretty model in swimwear?

In this quick behind-the-scenes video, Dublin-based fashion photographer Anita Sadowska demonstrates five tips in less than five minutes for shooting images that will make you and your model proud. And best yet, you can achieve these results without lugging around any supplemental lighting equipment.

Sadowska says she likes to keep things “natural looking and raw,” so she avoids perfectly coiffed hair and sophisticated makeup. Instead, she typically photographs a model with wet hair and a bit of oil and sand on her body. She also explains why it’s best to have the model keep her eyes closed until just before the shutter is tripped.

Sadowska prefers to shoot with a minimum of gear, so she leaves her reflectors at home. Instead, she often has the subject stand in the surf, using the water to reflect light back up to the model and fill in the shadows. Time of day is critically important with this type of photography, and Sadowska explains when she does her shooting for the most flattering results.

You can find more helpful tips on Sadowska’s YouTube channel. And be sure to look at another tutorial we posted, in which she demonstrates how to best pose models when shooting boudoir photos at home.