About the Image
This advertising lifestyle image, shot just north of Miami, Florida about 20 minutes after sunrise, captures a beautiful moment between the models.
On this morning, the sun was tucked behind clouds, turning the entire sky into a giant softbox. Normally, by 20 minutes after sunrise, the light becomes way too harsh for shooting, so I plan for a window that starts 15–20 minutes before sunrise and ends about 15 minutes after. Fortunately, the clouds stayed with us that day, extending our shoot window. Although we had a few brief moments of hard light, the sun mostly stayed behind thin to medium-density clouds.
I always prep the day before a shoot. I check the cameras, put the lens and camera assembly into the underwater housing that has a huge glass dome port, then make sure everything works.
On the day of, I’m up at least two hours before meeting the models. A key part of my routine is checking the weather forecast again—if it’s changed for the worse, I immediately email and text the models to cancel.
We usually get into the water 15–20 minutes before sunrise, hoping to catch the warm glow when the first rays hit the clouds. Honestly, you never really know what you’re going to get.
“In the water” lifestyle shoots are some of the most physically demanding for both me and the models. Fortunately, on this particular day, the ocean was calm, with small swells instead of big waves that usually toss everyone around in the wrong direction.
These projects typically start about 45–60 minutes before sunrise. There’s a lot that can go wrong—flat tires, car troubles, getting lost (GPS can still mess up sometimes) and I also want to give the models time to get comfortable with each other. Most of the time, they’re meeting for the first time at the location. I remind them that for a boy/girl lifestyle shoot, they need to be physically close—touching—and need to make me believe they’re a real couple.
Another bonus to shooting at sunrise: the beach is practically empty. Maybe one or two people might be around, but they’re easily edited out in post.
I truly love shooting these types of lifestyle images. On the East Coast, I only shoot them at sunrise to capture this kind of light. Mornings are ideal because bad weather is rare early in the day; once the heat builds, it pulls warm, moist air into the upper atmosphere, which often leads to rain, wind, and lightning.
One of the big advantages of shooting near Miami is the huge pool of lifestyle models that are readily available.
Feel free to share: stpvd.com/25/10
There is zero artificial intelligence used in this image. I used the old fashion AI… Actual Intelligence.
I see things differently, which is an advantage to my clients. Being inspired by the beauty of light, motion, and atmosphere… my work reflects the same creativity and attention to detail I bring to every client project, commercial or editorial. Whether you’re looking to elevate your brand visuals, tell a compelling story, or capture unforgettable moments with impact, let’s create something visually extraordinary together, stills, motion or both. Get in touch to discuss your vision today. E-mail is by far the best way to contact us as we are traveling on average 175 days a year and some times well out of cell phone range.
For Photographers
The Gear: Canon digital camera set to 1/400 of a second shutter speed, 100 ISO and a Canon 16-35mm zoom lens using 35mm set to f2.8.
The Light: Sunrise with the sun in a cloud.