Having a good interaction with the subject never fails to give out exciting results; the more I shoot, the more I prefer having a natural expression over any elaborate pose that otherwise, makes the person look stiff and unapproachable. Portraits showcasing an emotional response seem to stretch a brief moment in time!

I’m always thrilled to meet with someone like Veronica; a stage actress and visual artist from CT with strong camera presence and a bohemian flair in her personality. Our first photo shoot took place on a sunny and breezy day in a public park. The pictures on this post were taken with my electronic SLR camera using Kodak TriX 400 and developed with D76 full stock solution. I used a 50mm F 1.4 and 85mm F 1.8 lens with fast shutter speeds and mid-range apertures on hard daylight. Then, soon after, I applied the sunny 16 rule in cast light near the stonewall at 125/sec and F 5.6.

I didn’t begin to shoot with film until nearly 45 minutes from the moment we started with digital. I’m glad I brought a book to serve as a prop, which I think adds a point of interest and narrative layer to some of the film pictures. The setting stood out to me from the moment I arrived and scouted the place while waiting for Veronica; you can’t go wrong when there are stonewalls and decayed wood panels nearby!

The hard noon light was becoming problematic, so asking Veronica to turn her back to the sun was the best solution I could find. That said, I realize that underexposing highlights would have given me better detail and perhaps a tad more of dynamic range. Overall, this photoshoot served with an excellent opportunity to respond to the subject and aim for natural body language, which was my initial goal.

Follow Veronica online at http://veronicagracedesigns.com, and on Instagram: @theveronicagrace