Florence Dunes Shoot

Hey guys!! I know, it’s been SO long since my last blog post! I’ve been keeping busy, and I hope you have been as well! What have I been working on? Well… quite a bit, actually. There were a bunch of weddings this summer, couples sessions & engagements, and portrait shoots, and over the last month, I have done two AMAZING editorial shoots!! Let’s start with the one from the beginning of the month: the dunes editorial shoot.

How did we get here?

Through several Facebook groups, I found three models for the shoot we’re talking about today at the dunes on the Oregon coast. Initially, I posted looking for models to fit three dresses I have that I made years ago as a collection. Several people reached out to me regarding one of the dresses specifically (one even wanted to buy it!!), and the woman I chose to model it then knew someone who wanted to wear one of the others. Unfortunately, the last dress didn’t fit the guy who came to try it on, BUT he had a jacket and pants that were totally perfect!!!

AND WE’RE OFF!

The shoot took quite a bit of planning. We decided on a Sunday at the beginning of November, hoping for the best weather (I know, it’s Oregon). Tina and Ryss did their own makeup, and Tina did Chris’ as well! Through a photographer friend, we had a hidden dune spot (not spoiling the secret, sorry) all to ourselves! We had driven 3 hours from Portland, they took about an hour to get ready, and then we were off! Chris brought a couple of props, as did Ryss, so we had some extras to play with. Frankly, they KILLED IT.

I have never shot with models who are so in tune with each other and who also follow directions so well. They all had their own stellar ideas and were so fun to be around!!! Don’t get me wrong, the models I have worked with and my clients are amazing, but there was just something extra about this group. This editorial shoot was the first time any of us had shot at the dunes in Florence, and it was magical. The light was perfect (thanks, foggy PNW weather!) and the sand smooth.

DUNES SHOOT? TELL ME MORE!!

We played with different props (human skull, anyone?) and poses, climbing the beautiful dunes along the way. This Dunes editorial shoot was truly one for the books, in every way. I have never felt SO creative and so strong as a photographer!!! Not only was I creating stellar images, but I was also photographing dresses I had made a decade before in high school. I’ve dreamt about photographing this collection for YEARS. And it finally happened!!!!!! MY DREAM ACTUALLY CAME TRUE, GUYS. When does that ever happen? Never, ever, ever.

LUMINAR, BITCHES!

When editing this shoot, I started using Luminar AI, a Skylum product that I am totally crazy about!! Can you see my photography leveled up editing-wise since my last post?? Don’t get me wrong, I still love Lightroom (fuck Photoshop, its performance is shit) and will continue to use it for things such as engagements and weddings, but for creative shoots and portrait shoots, it’s Luminar all the way for me! You guys, I can’t tell you how amazing this software is!! It’s light Lightroom and Photoshop combined with superb AI and much faster performance than both Adobe programs. The one thing I wish it had was the ability to append metadata. I have to figure out the best way to do that so I can add keywords to my Luminar workflow. Otherwise, it is perfect. In the future, I hope to speed up my workflow and create the right presets to match my light style so I can use the software for weddings, but right now I’m not editing hundreds of images for my portrait shoot so there is no need for a faster workflow at the moment.

Well? What do you guys think?? I hope you like this shoot as much as I do!! Check out my other creative work in the meantime, and check me out on Instagram for fun and exciting content like this!! Don’t forget to peruse Tina, Ryss, and Chris’ Instagrams as well- they are fucking awesome!!

xx Taryn