This past surprisingly sunny weekend in San Francisco, I got to test shoot with Sarah, who recently signed with Nomad Management in LA. She was looking to build her portfolio, and we met at the beach to shoot a couple of different looks.

I love test shoots because there is so much fun and experimentation involved when it comes to working with time/location/budget constraints. I get complete creative control over the shoot concept, and from there the model and I work with what we have. Most of the time I believe in keeping it simple. One light source, natural makeup, and a light breeze.

My vision for this shoot was just that. A location as versatile as the beach is a great place to meet a new model, and try out different looks in naturally nice lighting. I had Sarah do her own makeup, hair, and bring a couple of outfits to try. Usually I trust the model to bring clothes that would work for the shoot, but I also bring a couple basics of my own in case: a white T-shirt, a relaxed button-down, and an off the shoulder top for beauty close-ups.

We started off in the sand, and explored the area to find a couple different backgrounds we could use for contrasting looks. I also make sure to always bring a white and black backdrop to mimic studio setting portraits.