julia trotti | youtube photography tutorials
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main account @julia trotti
personal account @juls.trotti
I also have some exciting news because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
You can also see all the final photos from this trip in my L.A. blog post & Malibu post.
model gabby @ chadwicks
film dan @ i make films
1. Pack light
When you're traveling, you usually spend most of your days walking from morning to night to see as much as possible. The last thing you want is to bring a massive photography kit that will add more weight to yourself that you need lug around all day. I like to keep it simple when I'm traveling and try to bring the bare minimum with me.
My favourite camera kit to bring with me when I'm traveling is:
- Canon 5Dmkiii
- 35mm f1.4 lens
- Spare camera battery
- Spare memory card
I would very rarely bring a second lens with me as this minimal kit is already pretty heavy for me to carry around all day! But if I have a car with me, sometimes I like to bring my 50mm lens to get a few shots with a different focal length.
I choose the 35mm lens as my favourite to travel with as it's such a good all-rounder lens. It's wide angle so it's great for getting beautiful shots of landscapes and cityscapes. It also a great portrait lens for photos of you and your friends as well as documentary street photography. It's also the lightest prime lens I own, so bonus points for that!
2. Carry your camera with you everywhere
I like to walk around with my camera on my neck and turned on. Sometimes the most interesting things happen around you unexpectedly and disappear after a few moments. A flock of birds flying past, an interesting person walks by you, sights you see while on public transport or traveling by car. I find it so important to constantly have my camera at the ready to shoot whatever I see as it happens.
3. Bring a bag
Going back on my last point, sometimes you need to put your camera away. Maybe towards the end of the day or at night, when you're traveling back home on public transport and you don't want to put a target on yourself carrying around expensive equipment for everyone to see. Even when you're just eating lunch and you need both hands, its handy to be able to put away your gear. I always bring with me a backpack or a big enough handbag that I can quickly put away my camera when I feel the need to.
Another little tip depending how mindful you are of your camera, is to pick a bag that doesn't look like a camera bag. This could be more useful if you are traveling to an unsafe country - look inconspicuous!
4. Wake up early
When visiting popular locations, I find it's so much better to wake up as early as possible and get to your destination before the tourists start pouring in. This gives you a chance to see some beautiful landmarks in gorgeous morning light, capture photos without mass amounts of people in your shot and in general it just feels magical to be somewhere that's supposed to be packed full of people when it's empty.
There have been a few instances where heading off somewhere really early has come in handy. One morning my friends and I woke up at sunrise and headed straight to Central Park in New York City. We went picture crazy as it felt like we had the park to ourselves and light was soft and magical. Later in the day we were walking back through Central Park and there were people everywhere. It was safe to say that the photos I took that morning were some of my favourite of the park compared to the shots I took during the rest of visits to Central Park. Again, when we were visiting the Empire State Building, we arrived just as it opened so we were able to go up to the top without waiting in line at all and didn't have to wait to get a great view as there weren't many people at the top. When we finished and were heading back down, there was already over an hour of wait time to get to the top.
5. Camera settings
I've spoken about the importance of shooting in raw in the past, but I could apply it even more when you're traveling and shooting on the fly. When you're traveling, you often don't have the chance to take the same photo twice. Shooting raw could save a photo that was accidentally over or underexposed. If you find it too time consuming to shoot in manual mode, you can also shoot with shutter or aperture priority.
6. Keep your files organised
As tired as I am when I get back from a day of adventuring and exploring, before I go to sleep I like to download all the photos I took that day in a folder named with the date and the location we went to and put my camera batteries on charge. It can be difficult to stay on top of this, the longer you travel, the more tired you are. But trust me you will be thanking yourself when you get home if you can roughly stick to this schedule! Instead of coming home to a giant pile of mixed up photos, you already have everything sorted by date and name which will make going through all your photos when you're home so much easier!
Another thing to keep in mind if you're downloading photos on the road and re-shooting on cards is backing up your files. I know they're not client photos, but your holiday photos are just as important in my opinion! If you can purchase a small, cheap hard drive somewhere at home to take with you, back up your photos whenever you have some extra downtime at your hotel or apartment.
7. Take candid photos
While it's great to have posed photos in front of landmarks, don't forget to get candid photos too! I love candid photos as they remind me more of the atmosphere of the day rather than just showing me where I was. So snap away at your friends walking around, take pictures of interesting characters you see on the streets and keep it natural!
8. Get photos of yourself!
Being a photographer taking all the pictures, you usually miss out on being in them! If you're traveling by yourself it could be a good idea to bring a lightweight tripod that you can set up and shoot on self timer if there aren't many people around (you wouldn't want to set up a tripod in a busy area in case someone knocks into it and drops your camera to the ground). If you are daring enough, you could ask someone who looks trustworthy to take some photos of you too!
If you are traveling with friends or a partner or family, I like to set up my camera settings (usually by getting a photo of said friend or family member in the spot I want a photo - then you both have a nice photo there yay!) then handing the camera to them with all the settings set and ask them to take a few photos of me. When I do this I get a few posed photos then walk around a little to get some more candid looking photos. This can feel a little strange sometimes but if you can just act silly in front of your friends and laugh it off it's worth it to get some nice photos of yourself.
Sometimes this system doesn't work out amazingly. With a lens that shoots with a shallow depth of field and handing a foreign camera to someone who hasn't really used it before sometimes you can end up with blurry photos of yourself, but in the end run those photos can be cool too!
9. Wander
The first thing that I love to do when I get to a new city is get out there and walk. You ground yourself, start understanding where everything is a little more and it really sinks in that you are somewhere new, very very far away from home or anything you know. Some of my best photos happen when I wander around a city without a destination in mind. I find when I wander, I spend more time taking in the details and taking my time when shooting pictures. On the other hand, when I'm on my way to a particular destination, I can often forget to stop and walk down a random street or notice the little things. It's important to take your time! Something I need to remind myself sometimes too.
10. Share your story
We've all seen countless photos of the Eiffel Tower and the view of the Empire State Building from up high. When you're traveling it's important to get these photos, but also remember to shoot the things in between - the moments that made your trip your own. Take pictures of your friends, the food you ate, a door your found interesting, encounters with strangers. Take pictures of the things that speak to you and that mean something to you.
I wanted to leave you all with one last thing. This isn't a tip, more something I'd like to mention. Don't forget to leave your camera at home sometimes. While I want to absorb everything I can with my camera, sometimes it's important to let it go, leave it at home. Explore and see everything you can with your eyes instead of through the viewfinder. Get out there and create stories!
I also have some exciting news because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week.
j x
model megan emmett
makeup lisa fahey
flowers chanele rose flowers
clothing credits
stripy jumper motel rocks // sunflower shorts motel rocks // denim dress motel rocks // green top motel rocks // kimono age of intimacy // bodysuit age of intimacy // black bralette her pony // swimsuit black milk clothing
all indoor photos edited with my sun splendour + wild bird lightroom presets // outdoor photos edited with my london lightroom preset
I love New York City in all it’s moments in between.
Early in the morning the streets are cold but the sun shines warm in between the buildings. There are cars and people on the road but they are silent and pre-coffee. There is a peculiar calmness in the air that you don’t expect. The city never sleeps but on occasion it slips into a quiet, beautiful lull for a few moments before the day begins.
We rose early on a few occasions to experience this quiet bliss, once was when we caught an uber somewhere downtown in New York to join the line that wrapped around the block at Ansel Adam’s Bakery. There we were waiting to try our first - and in this case - famous cronuts. While we were waiting, we watched the dogs in the park playing fetch with their owners. The line moved at the slowest pace, but we were eventually inside marvelling at the beautiful hand drawn & written chalk menu and all the wonderful pastries. It reminded me of a scene out of the Grand Budapest Hotel.
In the day the summer sun was at it’s hottest and the streets at their busiest. We would walk through the sea of people on 5th avenue to get to our destinations, and we ate a giant slice of pizza on the streets in the heart of Times Square. The deafening sounds of police and fire brigade sirens echo through the streets - and as they get stuck in traffic and you try to outrun the sound by walking faster.
At dusk, we were walking in the rain and I felt a sudden surge of appreciation and a strange sense of nostalgia for being in New York City. The streets doused in the soft last light of the day and the building lights just starting to shine made the city look magical. We went to Broadway to watch The Book of Mormon the musical and it was great. We saw Jason Alexander walking on the streets, saw the glow from Times Square anytime we were anywhere near it and visited Gallows Green - a whimsical rooftop bar jungle. On our last night in New York City we headed to Top of the Rock to watch the sun set and the lights in the city turn on just one more time. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend our last moments in this city.
photos from the window of our uber.
walking through madison square park.
looking like a real tourist to stop and watch the squirells every time we spotted one.
first glimpses of the flatiron building.
sights exploring new york city by foot.
i couldn't have wished for a better last night in new york city than by spending it watching the sun go down and the lights turn on at top of the rock.
All photos edited with my new L.A. Lightroom Preset. New colours for video also available now! The below video was edited with the Waves Premiere Pro Preset.
I've always loved documenting. Having my camera dangling around my neck and taking it with me everywhere, snapping. A bird, some fallen leaves, a stranger I pass on the sidewalk. I never want to forget a moment.
Dan and I flew to Melbourne for a job one weekend last year, and this was no different. We took a day to explore the Great Ocean Road and spent the rest of our time in Melbourne exploring the city and its suburbs in between jobs, meetings and shoots.
We spent our first evening exploring Fitzroy Gardens.
Late nights driving through Melbourne.
Early mornings. This was our view from our apartment balcony, the whole city covered in fog.
We spent an afternoon after a job driving around the suburbs and stopping on pretty streets to take pictures.
Our hire car for the weekend.
Behind the scenes of a collaboration shoot with Caitlin May. You can see all the final photos in my blog post Rose Tinted.
We photographed and walked through the rain.
Flying back home.
all photos edited with my The Essentials Kit Lightroom Presets!
Before my year of endless summer (so over a year ago now!), Dan and I took a trip to Melbourne, Victoria. We hired a car and drove down the Great Ocean Road chasing waterfalls along the way.
all photos edited with my Melbourne Lightroom Preset & Disposable Film Lightroom Preset
Where do I even start with Joshua Tree? My time there was a change of pace, a breath of fresh (and sometimes dusty) air amongst the craziness of our trip so far and the craziness that was still to come. The air is still, the heat relentlessly hot, but I felt at peace and a sense of overwhelming calmness and inspiration when I’d sit at the front of our house watching the landscape around me. My eyes were constantly glued to our car window and I felt a sense of nostalgia the moment I was there for a place I’ve never been to before. The best way I can describe Joshua Tree is magic.
Maybe the magic there lies within the fact that the further you’d drive away from the city of Los Angeles, the more it started to look like a different world. That when we first started to see the span of the desert and the mountains and nothing else, that I had to pull over to soak it all in. Or that when I first got out of the car the realness of being in the desert sunk in, the heat was like no other heat I’ve experienced before and I could taste the dustiness of the air every time I breathed in. Or maybe it was that we arrived at our home in the desert in the almost-dark and didn’t get to realise where I was until I woke up at 5 in the morning to watch the sun rise, all the while hearing coyotes howl in the not-so-far distance and watching the jack rabbits and chipmunks come to life when it was cool at night.
Visiting Joshua Tree has been on the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I have always wanted to visit the desert, see the sunrise, watch the stars and just be in this beautiful place. We left New York on the 4th of July, dragging our feet during the long lines at the airport on two hours of sleep. When we landed in Los Angeles, we tetris-packed our rental car with all our luggage and headed off on our roadtrip to Joshua Tree. I drove the entire way there as it’s something I have always wanted to do. The longer we drove the more the city and suburbs disappeared into a dust storm. We took a few wrong turns and missed exits, but we finally got to our first destination in one piece - the world’s biggest dinosaur in Cabazon. It was here that I got my first sense that I was really doing this, that I was really headed towards where I have always wanted to go. The heat was relentless and almost suffocating. But I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
We headed off for the next leg of our trip. By this point we were passing Palm Springs, entering Yucca Valley and the roads look just like they do in the movies. Sam was filming and taking photos for me because the views were incredible and I didn’t want to forget a single moment. The road winds and turns and we drove towards and through the mountain until we ended up in the town of Joshua Tree. We pulled over on the side of the road to take photos with the setting sun, dust flying around us with every car that zoomed past while we were wandering.
The paved road eventually stops and turns into a dirt road along the way to our house. We drive up a small hill and our home is waiting for us. It is an incredible place with an amazing view and big windows to see it all. We unpack our things, take billions of photos in the last light of the day and make a quick dinner. I still can’t believe I am here.
I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Happy 4th of July, America.
—
Another three hour night of sleep and I am woken by Sam grabbing my arm, who was woken by Nat to see the sunrise. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw the amazing colours brewing in the sky, I jumped out of bed and grabbed my camera to sit outside. All we could hear were small sounds of wildlife as we stared at the vast, purple tinted openness in front of us. With no sounds other than a bird whistling a little tune, I watched the sun rise over the mountains in the distance. Something I have always wanted to experience.
The sun was already warm as soon as it trickled over my skin. By the time our house was in the sunshine by 7am, it was 31°C.
—
Joshua Tree is amazing in the summer. We had a couple of recommendations from locals that we started conversations with that it's better to come in October (when the park is busiest) beacuse the days are warm and the night cools your skin. But we loved it in the summer. We had time to laze around guiltlessly during the day in our beautiful home, we went for hikes in the afternoon in the setting sun and the nights were cold enough to make you forget how hot it was during the day when you'd take out your favourite jumper to snuggle in while watching the shooting stars. In the summer Joshua Tree National Park and the town is so lovelily empty. It felt like we had the whole world to ourselves.
—
I will never forget my time in Joshua Tree. Hiking through the desert, seeing the wildlife, spending my birthday there, feeling so small in a place so big. I remember so fondly the drives back to our home after being in the National Park all afternoon. The sky a dim marvel of subtle colours and the car headlights twinkling in the distance like stars.
In some current news, I'm excited because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
The World's Biggest Dinosaur, Cabazon
Experiencing my first sunset in the desert.
The drive from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree.
Seeing little snippets of Joshua Tree for the first time.
Our cute AirBnb rental property - a little pink house in the middle of the desert.
This was our little lizard friend, who we think was dopey from the heat but would always hang out with us when we were outdoors.
Planning on where to go exploring in Joshua Tree National Park. The heat was too intense during the day so we had to wait until the afternoon to go hiking.
I would stare out the car window in awe as we drove through the National Park.
Spending early mornings filling in words for my travel journal and flicking through my polaroids after watching the sunrise.
Celebrating the 4th of july in the desert.
Our AirBnb house had gorgeous windows which spanned from the ceiling to the floor - perfect for gazing out to watch the clouds and animals scurrying around in the bushes when it was too hot to go outside during the day.
My friends and I were all obsessed with seeing squirrels around New York, we couldn't believe how cute a chipmunk was when we saw three of them running across the road!
Pulling over on the side of the road to take pictures at sunset.
We barely saw another car or other people - it felt like we were at Joshua Tree all by ourselves.
There was a hike with desert flowers we wanted to do, but just as we were about to get out the car we realise the were HUNDREDS of bees surrounding us. We sat inside the car looking at them in disbelief (taking pictures of course) and we unfortunately missed out on this hike. Maybe next time!
Dusk in the desert.
Joshua Tree's main street.
all photos edited with my new joshua tree lightroom preset!
editorial for white magazine | issue twenty-seven
photography myself
model lauren @ chadwicks
hair + makeup abbey love
florals jardine botanic
videography dan
While I was in New York, my friends and I always made the effort to walk to our destinations so we could soak up every second of the concrete landscape towering around us. Every time we had the opportunity, we would plan our path to our destination so we could walk through Central Park. Aside from the beautiful trees and the lush greenery in Central Park, some of my favourite moments include seeing all the happy dogs getting taken for walks, the quietness of the park early in the morning, watching the squirrels, seeing the contrast of buildings against the trees and having the feeling in some moments that you weren’t in a city at all.
the edge of central park. i love the contrast between the two sides of the road!
coffee before adventures.
my friend, natalie.
this is sam.
so many dog statues!
and jess!
a lady was showing us her dog could high-five her.
all photos edited with my new L.A. lightroom preset!
campaign for hello molly
model michaela wain
makeup lidija j
I'm excited because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
an afternoon shooting the new collection for hello molly
model steph smith
hair & makeup lidija j
I'm excited because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
Visiting The High Line is up there in the top 5 day trips we experienced in New York City. The High Line is a two kilometre park running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street. The most interesting part about The High Line is that it's an elevated park built in Manhattan on an abandoned train line. I just love how they've transformed a piece of industrial infrastructure into a sustainable green park for the public. My friend's and I explored about half of The High Line, walking through the contrast of green against brown buildings, marvelling at the busy intersections from a high up perspective. I'll let the pictures I took tell the rest of the story.
All photos edited with my new L.A. Lightroom preset!
It was 5am when I was driving down the deserted streets of Los Angeles to return our rental car and get on our plane. We took a five hour flight and landed in JFK airport, New York.
my friends and i woke up early one morning to go on an adventure to the american natural history museum. i've been to the london natural history museum a few years ago and it was amazing, so i had high expectations this time around. we set our alarms for sunrise, woke up and got ready. we decided to walk to the natural history museum through central park so we could do a little sight seeing along the way to our first stop in new york. central park was beautiful early in the morning, there was barely a soul around and the light was perfect - but that's a story for another blog post! here is our day at the museum. a definite must do from me if you ever go to new york city!
after spending an early morning walking through central park, we arrive at the natural history museum before it opened.
we walked around the streets to do a little exploring and to hunt for some coffee.
we found coffee!!
we were all obsessed with the squirrels! we don't have any in australia, so every time we saw one we would stop in our tracks to watch it scurry around.
we purchased a new york city pass to do all the touristy things in new york. we savde a few dollars buying our tickets this way instead of individually at each attraction.
i absolutely adored all the displays in the museum. there was so much detail in these displays and the museum as a whole was just huge!
the displays were so realistically that my friends and i joked around that i needed to sneak in some of these photos (like this one for instance) into my poland blog post in the future and the display of the squirrel into my yosemite blog post!
up to my favourite part of the museum - dinosaur bones! there were some really interesting creatures on display. i loved reading all about them and looking at the intricate models.
at the space section of the museum. our ticket included a movie to do with the galaxy. however after landing so late the night before, waking up super early and being fairly jet lagged, the four of us felt like falling sleep in the comfy chairs and the dark cinema room!
the beautiful view of the streets from the museum.
This blog post includes some of my favourite photos I took during my time in Japan with the S5II. If you want to hear my complete thoughts and review of the S5II capabilities for photo and video, you can watch my review video here.
In November, I was invited to Japan by LUMIX to attend the LUMIX Global Summit for the announcement of the new LUMIX S5II. Paired with the new camera body and an array of lenses, Dan and I took to the streets of Tokyo, Japan to film our review video of the camera body.
In November, I was invited to Tokyo, Japan by LUMIX to attend the LUMIX Global Summit. They didn't tell me what was going to be announced, but I was very excited to find out because it sounded like it was going to be something big. On the morning of the event, I met Pav and we went for a little photo walk around the streets of our hotel. For this trip, I decided to bring the LUMIX S5 with me to test it out for photo and video.
In November, I was invited to Japan by LUMIX to attend the LUMIX Global Summit for the announcement of something new. I left Sydney with Dan, Aaron and Simon in the evening and we landed in Toyko, Japan the next morning. We were all a little tired from the overnight flight, but we decided to head out and explore Tokyo since we had a free day before the event.
We set off the loop walk around the lake and it was such a stunning stroll. I loved every minute of it and kept stopping to take photos. I was contemplating coming here for sunrise but I'm happy we visited in the afternoon. The second half of the lake was all backlit and I captured some of my favourite photos where you can see the moon plus the jagged peaks of the mountains. Austria is SO incredible!
It's been a long day starting at 4am for sunrise landscape photography, then a trip to Lake Gousau and finally a stop in the town of Hallstatt. I have visited Hallstatt a few years ago during the spring. It's strange on that trip I was wearing a thick turtle neck jumper and on this trip just a light dress!
As I was getting ready to go to bed for a sunrise start the next day, I noticed the moon outside our bathroom window. It was in a crescent shape during blue hour and headed towards the jagged mountain peak. Dan quickly set up the tripod for a timelapse while I snapped a few photos. I started with a closeup shot of the moon with my 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 OSS lens.
I set my alarm for 4am, Dan and I hopped in the car while it was still dark and drove to our first location. We had scouted a couple of sunrise spots the day before. This spot was a nothing place - not a landmark or a viewpoint. It was by a little carpark for an army base just off the side of the road.
This is the last part of my mammoth blog series from my time in Prague, Czech Republic. I have recently been loving shooting on 35mm film again, specifically with point and shoot cameras. I brought the Contax T2 and Olympus Mju-ii with me on this trip and I used both those cameras to take the photos in this blog post. I used 2 film stocks including Fujifilm C200 in the Mju-ii and Portra 160 in the Contax.
Our final day in Prague included another sunrise start. The best way to capture stunning shots of a city in the middle of summer is to get up before everyone else does haha. This morning we decided to head to the Prague Old Town Square. WOW it was beautiful with the bright, sunrise light streaming through the buildings.
model annika @ viviens
makeup emmily @ depths of beauty
collab with caitlin may photography
all color photos edited with my disposable film lightroom preset. black and white images edited with oxford lightroom preset.
The Canon 5Dmkiv is a DSLR camera that I am using for portrait photography with the Canon 35mm f1.4 II. I recently upgraded my 35mm from the Canon 35mm f1.4 mark 1 and I am absolutely loving the focusing speed and sharpness of the final images.
model annika @ viviens
makeup emmily @ depths of beauty
collab with caitlin may photography
all color photos edited with my disposable film lightroom preset. black and white images edited with oxford lightroom preset.
I captured these photos of Megan Emmett for the Candice Lee Femme Collection. You can see more of Candice Lee’s bridal gowns and hair styling work here.
Today I am sharing a set of photos captured during blue hour. For this portrait photography session, I am using the Sony A7RIV with the GM 85mm f1.4 lens.
This set of photos is a portrait photoshoot I did on the streets of Sydney using the Canon 5D mkIV + Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8 lens.
The A6700 is an APS-C hybrid camera body with a 26 megapixel backside illuminated sensor. This camera features the new AI autofocus system first introduced by the A7RV. This means the A6700 has real time recognition autofocus since it features an AI processing unit just like the A7RV. It's great to see this new AF tech in an APS-C body especially considering price point of the camera.
The Nikon Z8 is a 46 megapixel full frame camera, featuring a fully electronic shutter. During this portrait photoshoot with the Z8, I am using 2 lenses. The Nikkor Z 35mm f1.8 S and Nikkor Z 85mm f1.2 S. Watch my behind the scenes video to see the SOOC unedited photo at 100% crop. The photos in this blog post are my final, edited version of the images from the Nikon Z8.
Should you use a Mist filter for your portrait photography? During this portrait photoshoot, I take side by side photos using a Pro-Mist Filter vs not using a filter. I organised this portrait session with Wiktoria while I was travelling through Poznan, Poland in the summer.
The Sony A7RV is a full frame, 61 megapixel camera for stills and video. In today’s portrait photography session I am using the Sony GM 135mm f1.8 lens. For this portrait photoshoot, I am using natural light and making use of different parts of our location to create a series of photos.
The Tokina Firin 100mm f2.8 Macro is a prime lens for Sony E-mount. I am using this lens on the Sony A7IV in the studio. I wanted a minimal look for today's beauty shoot so I am using the Silvertone backdrop from Superior. I styled Bella in an off the shoulder top so we don't have any outfits or fabrics distracting from the portraits.
During this photoshoot on the streets of Sydney, I share 5 composition tips to improve your portraits. I take you through my thought process when taking portraits in busy locations and share what to look out for to capture beautiful portrait of your subject.
The Sony GM 400mm f2.8 is a large aperture super telephoto prime lens. This lens is typically used for the likes of sports and wildlife photography, but I thought it would be fun to test it out for portrait photography. Using the Sony A7R4, I am taking portraits of Heidi in a natural light, outdoor location.
heading to l.a. from sydney.
pastel skies over venice beach as we landed.
flying to l.a. | the first thing we did when we landed was eat in n out burger | a house we passed on the street
sunset at griffith observatory was magical.
watching the mountains disappear into the l.a. haze.
instagram photos: 1. rodeo drive 2 + 3. griffith observatory 4, 5 + 6. visiting the getty centre 7, 8 + 9. universal studios 10, 11 + 12. disneyland
the happiest place on earth! when i got back home after watching the midnight fireworks over the disneyland castle, i scrawled in my travel journal "i'm smiling the widest smile i have and my insides are made of butterflies. it was one of the most magical days." and promptly passed out of exhaustion as shown by my pen scrawl off the page from the last letter.
early morning drives around l.a.
wandering the streets of beverly hills where the roads are paved through a tunnel of trees and there are picture perfect houses with picture perfect lawns.
on our last night in l.a. before flying out to nyc, we went to see ben folds live at the greek theatre. it was the perfect way to end our trip, watching my favourite artist perform under the stars.
i was obsessed with all the brightly coloured flowers that painted the city of l.a.
after new york, we had a few extra days to spend in l.a. so we stayed in a little house next to venice beach.
walking along the venice canals.
on my birthday we went to the cheesecake factory and six of us chose six different flavours of cake to try. they were all delicious.
i didn't take my camera with me when we were exploring venice beach, so all i have are a few iphone photos.
a bit of shopping on our last day in l.a.
visiting el matador state beach in malibu. you can find that blog post here.
runyon canyon with dan and hayden where they filmed part of hayden's music video at the top of the mountain with l.a. glistening in the background.
the last pit stop in l.a. before driving to san francisco was the charmed house! we stopped by in the morning the four of us - sam, dan, hayden and myself super excited to see it in real life as we all grew up watching the show when we were younger.
we departed cold wintery sydney early in the morning one day in july to get on a mammoth 12 hour flight to l.a. when we landed, we picked up our hire car and it was my first time soaking it all in and driving on the other side of the road. it was magical being somewhere new. we spent four days in l.a. where we did lots of shopping, exploring and taking hundreds of photos before getting on another plane to spend a week in new york. when we got back from nyc, we got straight in the car and drove to joshua tree to spend my birthday in the desert (i'm so excited to share those photos with you!) and back to l.a. where dan and hayden joined us after spending time filming his new video clip and jess and nat went back home.
i miss the sunny days in los angeles, the big streets, the interesting people, all the amazing food, i even miss the highways and the traffic and crazy drivers. my favourite moment was being at the griffith observatory watching the sun go down, watching the lights turn on in the city. pink, blue, yellow, orange, purple, white, it was stunning. i couldn't unglue my eyes from the sky. somehow i drowned out the noise of the mass of people swarming everywhere at the top of that hill and i breathed in every second of the moments that passed as if i never would again.
i had so many people tell me that l.a. is boring and gross and after spending some time there i came to the conclusion that l.a. is so not magical that it is. it's dirty but quirky. the city is covered in a layer of grime and it's coloured in a soft pastel tone with the most wonderful sunlight you could imagine. while driving around, my eyes dart to the brightly coloured bougainvillaea that climbed, crawled, twisted and relentlessly grew itself to any thing it could hold onto. i noticed that l.a. isn't just one place or a city centre like sydney. it's huge and it's everywhere. i feel like i need a lot more than a week to get to know this place better. l.a. you were a wild ride and i can't wait to visit again soon!
I also have some exciting news because I've started sharing more fashion shoot behind the scenes videos + Lightroom & Photoshop Tutorials on my YouTube Channel! Be sure to subscribe as I upload 2 new videos every week x
all photos edited with my new lightroom preset L.A.!
fall campaign for ladyluna boutique
model sabrina @ balistarz
hair + makeup abbey love
i loved shooting the fall lookbook & campaign for ladyluna earlier this year. our day started bright and early in the studio where i set up my lights and backdrop to spend half the day shooting the lookbook images. you can find those pictures on the ladyluna website if you'd like to have a look! once we were finished with the studio lookbook, we sat down to eat a healthy lunch before packing everything up and heading out to shoot the campaign.
we all drive and meet up at our beautiful location for the rest of the day, centennial park. the sun was shining bright after what i remember being a week or two of miserable rainy weather in sydney, so we were very lucky and appreciating every moment of sunshine that we could. we start shooting in our first location and eventually packed everything into one car - four girls + dan, lots of clothes, camera equipment and more and drove around, continuously stopping at different locations to shoot.
if you'd like to see some behind the scene photos from the day, i stole a few of the lovely iphone bts snaps abbey love took on the day and put them all together in a blog post! you can find that blog post here.
all photos edited with my Summer Haze Lightroom Preset.
