Wind, Hair and Weather Challenges

I must admit that one of the things that I've always wanted to experiment with in fashion photography was hair. Fans are fashion photographers best friend's when it comes to creating dynamic hair images. But what about wind? Oh! I'll tell you... That is very different! You really cannot control in which direction that wind blows, so capturing something other than a mess can be incredibly challenging. This past week I had a crash course on wind as our beach location welcomed us with 20mhp winds!  I had no idea how wind could really impact a photo shoot. Honestly, up to this date I'd worried about rain and harsh sun, but wind... Well. That just wasn't on my radar at all, and I got my butt seriously kicked. Thank goodness there was this old beat up piano abandoned on the beach, just so my team could hide behind it between shots (I hope assistant and friend Stefanie Renee has a behind the scenes shot of this :)). Everyone was wrapped around in blankets, towels, and whatever they could get their hands on, to keep the wind from freezing their brains off!

We braved it, though. And as you can see in my recent blog posts, we managed to turn things around, by trying to make the best of what we had to work it. Sometimes we were able to use the wind to our favor, sometimes we weren't. But every single time we tried regardless. There was no winning at all. Everyone was great! Personally, I had Tim Gunn's voice in my head the entire time: "Make it Work. Make it Work."

This shot here was taken near our home-base above the beach where the weather was mellower earlier in the day. It is a favorite of mine because it actually looks like we used a fan! Funny how that goes, right? Sometimes we need a fan to make it look like wind, and sometimes we need the wind to have more of a fan look (or a controlled look). For what it's worth, I'm counting this as my first "fashion hair" shot! What do you think? :)

Have you ever been faced with a difficult weather challenge on a shoot? What did you do to make it work? Please share your stories and images with us.

Comments

[Vibram]

Thank you for sharing

[Marcie]

Not nearly as exciting..nor as dramatic - rain can be a challenge or a best friend:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/6/17/lonesome-lily.html

[Kat Sloma]

I love your whole story! Rain and wind have been weather I've shot through, but I've never had a specific requirement like you had. Nicely done! Definitely count it as your first "fashion hair."

[Elizabeth Crocker]

Excellent post! Love the results, great work! I sent a Facebook friend request via the blog :)

[Puna]

What a fantastic shot! It's stunning!

[Patricia Davidson]

Excellent post and photo! Would be fun to try and do some model shots!

[Doris]

This shot is fantastic! Love it.Love the beautiful model and love the composition and love the wind in her hair.

I have a couple shots that fit this theme. This is one taken before I started blogging and is a favorite of mine:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drdesigns/3743777812/in/photostream

This is one I did blog about – my cat on a windy day:

http://dorisrudddesigns.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/april-29-2010/

[Chantal]

I have had plenty of rain, Holland hey... and I also had severe cold... but always tried to capture what I wanted.

Like here, severe cold, but manages to capture IR winter scenes: http://chuijbregts.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/ir-setje/

[Brooke]

Worst weather challenge was being rained on twice in the same session. Not sprinkles but crocodile tears falling from the sky. We were completely rushed but after having already rescheduled twice, we had to get it done. Not my best work but it was portfolio so I wasn't as worried.

[sonu]

Cool. Interesting place I must say. I just ended up finding this place while browsing the internet for some assignment. Its a great job you people are doing. Keep Up the great job. I'll be visiting this place frequently.

Thanks

[David Cameroon]

I loved your wonderful story! Expert composition of "Rain and wind have been weather" that has been shot through, I had never thought a specific requisite like you shown here.Beautifully done!