1 Hour 48 Minutes with Taylor Ahrend, Ace Noguera & the City of Miami Fire Department

Posted on August 22, 2014

by LaRae

LIFESTYLE

1 Hour 48 Minutes with Taylor Ahrend, Ace Noguera & the City of Miami Fire Department

I’m really excited about this post because 1) I finally get to share the images from my first shoot in Miami, 2) There are photos of hot firefighters, and 3) I get to feature images of another photographer showing the different way we each approach taking a portrait of the same model, with the same light, during the same shoot, and follow with different styles of post-processing (our “look”).

You’ll be able to see our respective work by looking at the watermark on each of the images. Ace will also be sharing images over on his own blog HERE. I’d love to know which shots you like, how you would have shot it and why. Of course, the best way to join this conversation is in the comments below the post!

My first photography shoot in Miami was by being invited to work alongside local photographer and entrepreneur, Ace Noguera. We had become online friends while I hosted CreativeLive, and after my move to the Sunshine State, he was one of the first photographers to greet and welcome me to my new city during a session with his radiant client, Taylor Ahrend.

On a perfect Sunday morning we met just after sunrise in Coconut Grove and had the streets to ourselves. At first, there were clouds, but then, sunshine started streaming through the humidity creating a delicate, romantic haze, then bounced it’s warm light brilliantly off of the pavement. Ahhhhh, the light here is SO different than in the Northwest! It dazzles me every day and I continually look forward to mastering it’s sparkle.

I had not yet met Taylor, but when she crossed the street towards us, she was a vision of happiness and beauty. Ace quickly got the shoot started by having her walk on the sidewalk towards him, while shooting into the sunrise.

Get your client excited at the beginning of the shoot by showing them what you’re capturing right off the bat! By doing this, you are also immediately earning their trust and building their confidence that will carry through the rest of the shoot.

Every model needs fun lifestyle images for promotional use and gorgeous headshots for personal branding. So I always shoot both, aiming to tell a story for the entire body of work, and always with the juxtaposition of seriously direct and beautiful in brilliance.

And while I’m off being serious, or contrived, Ace has this incredible approach that is so easy and fun to work with. He brings out the best, genuine qualities in his subjects!

Two photos above courtesy of Ace Noguera Photography

Photo courtesy of Ace Noguera Photography

While the above image shows Ace’s angle of viewpoint – shooting directly from and at the waist – I go for a different approach and lie on the ground:

Photo on left courtesy of Ace Noguera Photography

To catch some air!

It’s all in the details…

What I learned photographing hundreds of artists in Seattle during high-pressure shoots, is that when your sessions are on the street, you need to be open to spontaneous, collaborative ideas as a team. That’s pretty much what happens every time Ace shoots, and I can personally attest: it’s a blast!

On this morning, we happened to see a big fire truck being backed into the City of Miami Fire Department garage, and Ace goes: “should we shoot there?” Ummmm, yah!!!!! And what ensued was an incredible time hanging out with the heroes of our city, getting every prop we desired (hats, uniforms, boots, an ax, and even our choice of which truck!), and posing our adorable model with all the handsome men in uniform. It was seriously one epic shoot!