My last two location shoots with Kat S were plagued by cold and poor light.  Naturally with an hour and a half drive to the location for an afternoon’s shooting on the side of a hill, I was hoping we’d get a little more luck this time.

As we set off, the sun was out and all looked promising, so you can imagine our dismay as the overcast built as we headed north, but then it cleared again and we arrived under blue skies and a hot sun.

The irony wasn’t lost on me, after two nude shoots where Kat had struggled with the cold she was to wear a heavy and very warm custom made dress, and the temperature was well on its way to 30C.

The second model for the shoot would be meeting us there.  She was Ebony, a large female Harris Hawk.

Jean-Pierre was the falconer that would be looking after Ebony, and his wife Tracey would be standing in as my assistant as Linda was unable to come.

Between the hawk and the potential for cooking my model in that dress, I probably wouldn’t have much shooting time, so I planned my angles and shots and balanced the flash that would be mitigating the harsh afternoon sun before asking Kat to change.

I struggled a little to get the shot I wanted, before eventually getting just the angle I wanted by lying flat on my back on the hillside, while Kat perched on a crumbling and none too stable dry stone wall.

Ebony performed wonderfully, no doubt helped by Kat’s confidence in holding her and encouraging her to spread her wings.

Because of my early dissatisfaction with the backgrounds I was getting, this part of the shoot lasted quite a bit longer than planned, and poor Kat was melting inside the dress by the time we broke for cold drinks.

The second part of the shoot was to be nude, but the dress had left is mark on Kat, so we were forced to laze in the sun chatting for a while and admiring the view over Bronte country.  It can be a tough job 😉

The nude work went faster, but Ebony was becoming restless so we finished the shoot without her.

As always, Kat delivered what I wanted, under difficult conditions.  After all that sunbathing really takes it out of you 😉

But the star this time was Ebony and her entourage. Jean-Pierre and Tracey.  Thanks guys.