Urban Portrait Photoshoot: Architecture, Parks & Evening Light
Urban Portrait Photoshoot with a Fashion Influence
This series became surprisingly varied even though we photographed one person within the same city. We changed both the styling and the surroundings, moving between the clean geometry of modern architecture, glass and metal, city streets and green parks, with the light becoming warmer and quieter later in the day. We also made a few portraits at her home, which gave that part of the session a much more intimate mood.
She was not a professional model, so I did not build the shoot around complicated posing. It was more important to give her simple direction — how to stand, where to look or what movement to try — and then leave enough freedom for her to feel natural. The result was a broad series of very different portraits, ranging from more polished, fashion-influenced city images to quieter and more relaxed photographs.
In many of the outdoor scenes I added off-camera flash. The purpose was not to make the photographs look like studio work, but to gently lift the face, soften deep shadows and preserve shape in bright or contrasty available light. This is particularly useful in a city, where buildings, trees and reflective surfaces can change the direction and quality of natural light from one spot to the next.
An individual portrait session does not require modelling experience or professional posing skills. What matters more is finding the right light, surroundings and angle for the person in front of the camera. I am now based in Nha Trang, where I photograph individual portraits and urban photoshoots using city streets, modern architecture, parks and other suitable locations.