I had this idea for a Red Riding Hood themed shoot in Stern Grove, a park in San Francisco's Sunset District. It's a quaint little park that was renovated several years ago with stone structures and a huge stage. Every Sunday afternoon during the summer months there are free concerts and performances held in the park, from ballet to opera to various bands.
Honey Baby88 and I decided to shoot on a Saturday morning in the park, first with a dress that she'd be dying to shoot in, and then afterwards a Red Riding Hood theme.
I've always liked foreground interest in photos, and so when this opportunity popped up suddenly I had to capture it.
ISO 400 56mm Lens f/1.2 1/180sec
I really like the pose Honey strikes in the above photo. And the look in her face implies strength, at least to me. What do you see in the photo? I chose black and white because the blend of green and pink (the actual dress color) seemed to my eye to be more of a distraction.
ISO 3200 56mm lens f/1.2 1/180 sec
I again chose black and white for the above photo because I wanted to blend all of the colors together, in particular wanted her to match the color of the stone. And there's a somewhat sad look on her face in this photo that oftentimes black and white tends to enhance.
ISO 1000 56mm f/1.2 1/60sec
I decided to play with the colors here again. My shutter speed was really low this time, but for this photo I was aiming for sharpness in the image so I need a lower ISO which meant lower shutter speed. I made sure to brace my arms as well in order to hold the camera as steady as possible. For this photo, I wanted to create the impression of a statue or mannequin wearing a dress.
After a quick costume change, we headed off to another part of the park for a theme change.
ISO 400 56mm lens f/1.2 1/800sec
Shifting away from black and white and now moving to a sepia-like color, here I'm trying to create a sense of place and time. What is she running from?
ISO 400 56mm f/1.2 1/950sec
And what would a Red Riding Hood-themed shoot be like without an iconic shot of her in the woods with a picnic basket in hand as she skips off to grandma's house?
ISO 400 56mm lens f/1.2 1/1700sec
No, this isn't the big bad wolf, but a rather friendly dog going for a stroll with his owner. Honey's day job is as a veterinary assistant, so she immediately was able to tell that this friendly fellow was part mountain dog. So awesome that he was playful and even high-fived her.
It was a good day and another fun shoot with Honey. I'd managed to get some great shots and was also able to shoot the theme that I envisioned. There were two shots that Honey and I tried to do, but we were unable to find the right props before the shoot, so we may try to shoot at this location in the future.
Gear: Fuji X-T1 and 56mm f/1.2 lens.