Chris Korsak

Branding, headshot, and product photographer - Portland, OR

Model in looking into the distance with a pure blue sky in the background in Portland, OR

Sunshine Drama

July 17, 2021

Lately while shooting portraits I’ve been trying to come up with little challenges because it’s too easy to shoot the same way and go with what’s comfortable. Approaching photography (or anything) with a specific set of limitations/parameters is something that always leads me to being more creative. It’s a strange paradox, but it works!

For this set, I tried to create some dramatic midday sunshine portraits with Bunny, a model in Portland. Here was my challenge:

  1. I purposely scheduled the shoot to be in harsh, midday sun.
  2. I couldn’t use any light modifiers or flashes during the shoot.
  3. I used a couple of my cheap Craigslist-sourced film cameras, which obviously prevented me from reviewing photos as I went.

Here are some of the results:

Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits in full sun of a model in Portland, OR

I used the harsh shadow lines from buildings as compositional elements and also utilized light-colored walls as reflectors for fill light during this shoot. It was actually pretty nice to leave most of the gear at home and just concentrate on composition, posing, and the experience.

After that, we wandered around the outskirts of Lloyd Center, a mall in Portland. It wasn’t hard to find spots with little foot traffic because no one goes to the mall anymore.

Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR Dramatic portraits of a model outside Lloyd Center Mall in Portland, OR

I had a great time challenging myself with tricky lighting conditions and minimal gear during this shoot. I think Bunny had a good time too if I’m to judge things by the last photo. :)

-Chris