Day 8 of the 12 days of photos is a set of pictures taken with my amazing friend and model “Xanthe Rose”.

Firstly it’s time to wish you Happy New Year, and all the best for your health, happiness and photography in 2023

I always enjoy working with Xanthe Rose, we have done so many shoots and workshops over the years that it’s such a relaxed and collaborative process to create photos together.

Over the course of 2022, I was fortunate to photograph her on multiple occasions and in several locations resulting in very many pictures of her in my Lightroom catalogue. It was a huge challenge to narrow down the options to those that are in this post, and even then I have the most pictures of any post left in.

March 2022 – Suffolk

We were in Suffolk for a 1-2-1 tution session of portraits on location with a photographer who had joined us for a similar group session in London some years earlier. Seaside and March in the UK are not a guaranteed recipe for sunny looking shots, but the weather was on our side providing sunshine that at least looked warm even if the wind was a little strong a chilly at times.

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.8, ISO 100

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.8, ISO 100

For this next shot, the spot in the sand dunes allowed me to setup a Lastolite Halo compact reflector with a soft gold tone on it to provide fill light back towards the model and add a little more warmth in the skin tone.

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.8, ISO 200

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.5, ISO 100

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.2, ISO 100

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/2000s, f/2.2, ISO 100

  • EF 135mm f/2L USM
  • 1/5000s, f/2.8, ISO 100

On this beach there’s a lone tree trunk that stands, and being just after midday there’s no place to avoid the midday sun, except in the narrow sliver of shade on the unlit side of the tree. You can see how harsh the light is by the sharp line of the tree on her hat.

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/1600, f/2.8, ISO 100

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/200, f/2.8, ISO 320

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/200s, f/4.5, ISO 100

August 2022 – Chiltern Hills

I booked her for an evening with a camera club group, and managed to fit in a shoot before the evening started, and then we did another one the day after too.

  • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
  • 1/800s, f/2.8, IO 125

  • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
  • 1/800s, f/2.8, IO 125

  • EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
  • 1/1600s, f/2, ISO 125

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/1600s, f/2.8, ISO 100

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/6400s, f/2.8, ISO 400

  • EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
  • 1/5000s, f/2, ISO 200

  • EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
  • 1/1600s, f/2.8, ISO 200

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/2000, f/2, ISO 100

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/640s, f/2.8, ISO 100

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/500s, f/2, ISO 160

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/3200s, f/2.8, ISO 250

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/3200s, f/2.8, ISO 250

December 2022 – Surrey

In almost a duplicate of last year we did get to do one “end of year shoot” just before Christmas. With a fresh log on the fire, the initial shots in this location had a natural smokey feel to them. She had the perfect evening dress for the pictures.

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/80s, f/2, ISO 800

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/80s, f/2, ISO 5000

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/80s, f/2, ISO 800

  • EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
  • 1/100s, f/2.8, ISO 4000

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/160s, f/2, ISO 400

  • EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
  • 1/160s, f/1.4, ISO 640

  • RF 28-70mm F2L USM
  • 1/40s, f/4, ISO 800

You made it to the end, but I’m pretty sure that when I’m writing these photo posts next year Xanthe Rose will be back in there as we already have a plan for more shoots in 2023.

Day 8 of 12 done, see you tomorrow for some more photos.

 

About the author

Full-time photo tutor and photographer. I love to share my knowledge and skills to make photos, videos and teach others. I write books and articles for photo magazines and I always have at least one Speedlite flash in my camera bag