Wrap-Up: Surfing Photography on location in Malibu with model Daniele Morkel
It was a win-win when I asked friend and fellow creative, Daniele if she would like to participate in a surf-inspired test shoot for me. A native South African with a surf background was coincidently seeking fresh content for her growing Instagram page.
We headed to the famous El Matador beach in Malibu to capture action and environmental portraits of her. One of my most favorite images in my entire body of work is the image at the top of this post. It captures her in a perfect candid moment running out of the surf with her board in hand. A sense of pride and confidence exudes from her. I think any viewer would agree that I’m not making an exaggerated statement when I say that.
We shot as long as we could that afternoon. It began around 4pm and lasted well into the blue hour before finally wrapping. There are many favorable aspects in a photoshoot like this: the location, the time of day, the concept, and the model’s optimistic energy. We had the best of all those factors. It was the moments of her running out of the surf and me tracking alongside that were so exciting to capture. The creative process becomes “live” like a sporting event. I must follow the athlete carefully and compose intently to get compelling, natural images that are bring the viewer into the moment. I felt like we accomplished that successfully in that particular series. In addition to the portraiture, both made for a great collection of images she was exciting to post online. It was a session that I will remember with pride.
—
A sampling of the images can be seen below. If you’re interested in commissioning my services and want to learn more, contact me.
Session Details:
- Time: Late Afternoon
- Duration: 2.5hrs
- Location: Malibu
- Camera: Canon 5D MkII
- Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II