markvelasquez

Stormy Weather, Pt. 18

Though she had been freezing for most of the day, these shots we shot last seemed to be the best. She looked strong and fit and powerful, and she didn't look remotely cold or uncomfortable.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 17

When she was finally warm enough again, she changed into a grey bodysuit and once again reluctantly headed back out into the weather. Thankfully the wind had softened, and temporarily the rain had stopped coming down, so I quickly assured her we could take a few more shots and then be done. I felt bad as though i were torturing her, but as she said, "We're already out here, we might as well keep going!"

Stormy Weather, Pt. 16

But finally she couldn't take it anymore, needign to go into the truck to take a break and get warm. She stripped off her wet clothes, took her boots off, and wrapped herself in her blanket for a few minutes. I advised her to hug one of the larger warm water bottles I had brought, and doing so helped ease her shaking a lot.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 15

I saw this shot before I took it, begging her to hold still long enough for me to get a few version of it. By this point she was shaking furiously, and only when she was moving around was the weather bearable for her. And yet, somehow she appears soft and delicate and elegant here, one of her true talents.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 14

She continued to find her strength, owning her discomfort, and she once again reminded me of why she's as good of a model as she is.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 13

With everything fighting against her, jenna still managed to look graceful while cold and under strain.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 12

In hopes of getting her out of the freezing wind a bit, I had her walk up an embankment near some trees. Though they didn't shield her much from the wind, it helped a bit, especially when I fetched her warm scarf again. I think this is one of the few photos where you can see how much she's struggling with the cold.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 11

Despite how cold she was, I couldn't get over how well she was keeping it together for the camera. She is such a beauty, and definitely dedicated to making the best images possible.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 10

Next she changed into another bodysuit and jeans, hoping the pants would keep her a little warmer. When I once again poured warm water on her (this time not pouring as much as I previously had in hopes she wouldn't freeze too much), she simply said "Well, let's see how long this lasts!" in her most reluctantly hopeful tone.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 9

I liked this image so much, that I included the color version. Which version do you like better, the color or the black-and-white?

Stormy Weather, Pt. 8

You could see here that the water was splashed onto her in an uneven manner here, but i don't think it detracts from how strong of an image it is.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 7

In order to avoid the "rain drop look," I had brought along several bottles of hot water. At first Jenna looked at me suspiciously, but when she felt that warm, comforting water pour down her chest, I could see she was feeling much better. I was able to catch a few shots before that warm water eventually turned cool in that harsh wind, making her colder than she had been before.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 6

I decided to use the wind to my advantage, having her turn her face into the wind and letting it catch her hair. This was about the time that I noticed that the rain drops were leaving little dark dots on her bodysuit, which I didn't think looked too great. Fortunately, I had planned for this moment.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 5

She couldn't get over how cold it was, and I could see by the skin on her legs that her circulation was starting to suffer. She tried not to complain, but she definitely was not enjoying herself as much as she expected.

On a side note, isn't the tone of that bodysuit matching her skin tone exactly?? Crazy, huh?

Stormy Weather, Pt. 4

But eventually it was time to take off the scarf, and she immediately began shivering even more. Jenna is great and did her very best not to show in her face just how cold and miserable she actually was. You can see the rain drops coming down in this shot.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 3

At first she tried on this bodysuit she had ordered and loved, a flash-colored, striped number that looked great on her. but she was fighting the cold, so I let her stand in the wind with her large and thick blanket-like scarf around her for a little bit while she acclamacclimated to the weather.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 2

Wehn I first brought up the idea of shooting in the rain, Jenna was all for it. She was excited to try something new, and now that she had her own oublic modeling account on Instagram (@JennaLeos), she was eager to create some new work to share on it.

Unfortunately, the moment she stepped out of my truck on that deserted road, with the wind howling and the rain coming down, she immediately began to shiver and question her decision.

Stormy Weather, Pt. 1

It doesn't rain often in drought-stricken California, but when it does, I try to talk one of my beautiful friends into posing out in the gloom. Here is one such example.

-

Find this brand new set at the $25 Level!

Hidden Away!

 Valentine's Day isn't a lot of fun for most people. When you're alone on this day when eveyone is sharing their love, you might feel like you want to run away and hide. So in honor of that, here's a shoot in a beach cave from a long while ago that most people have never seen. Enjoy!

-

Find this rare shoot at the $25 Level!

Hidden Away, Pt. 33

We walked away as the sun was finally setting. It was going to be a beautiful evening, and we talked and laughed at the silliness of our afternoon, cementing a new and solid friendship.

-

If you like Sid's photos, please leave comments or questions in the boxes below the photos. Thank you all for your continued support, you make my life and work possible!

Hidden Away, Pt. 32

Our last shot of the day. Wet and shivering, Sid never complained, so I thought I'd risk her hypothermia and have her take one last shot laying on a nearby rock. As soon as I got this shot, I told her to go change into warmer, dryer close, and she rushed off while I carefully wiped sand and muck off my camera.

Hidden Away, Pt. 31

As we were leaving, the tide finally started to clowly come in, so I asked her if she'd be down to get a little wet, and of course she was. We walked down a few meters to another cave structure and I went fairly far out in the water to catch this reverse angle shot.

Once again, her arch was incredible, but I love that she is actually looking at the three or four on-lookers we had acquired when exiting the cave.

Hidden Away, Pt. 30

Now that I think about it, these photos were taken only a month or so after she had graduated high school, which makes me sometimes feel slightly inappropriate. She was 18 and legal and blah blah blah, but still. May we all feel just a slight bit of nervousness enjoying these photos, haha.

Hidden Away, Pt. 29

The shoot had been really successful, and I couldn't have felt more satisfied with it all.

Hidden Away, Pt. 28

I did learn something about making a fire in a cave: Don't stand up for long. She and I had both been staying low or sitting due to the cave not being very tall inside. With the fire burning for almost half an hour, we both hadn't noticed that the smoke was building up. When she stood to take a few of these image, she got lightheaded, and from then on I advised her to just stay low.

Hidden Away, Pt. 27

Her arch, due to all her athleticism, was fairly impressive.

Hidden Away, Pt. 26

Once again, she looked radiant in that fire light.

Hidden Away, Pt. 25

Finally, I had her put on a black bikini she had shown me earlier, and I stoked up the fire again.

Hidden Away, Pt. 24

But still, I had to take at least a few shots of her in it. She called this her "80s Cosby Sweater."

Hidden Away, Pt. 23

She also tried on a sweater she had shoved in her bag, and though I liked how her backside hung out of it, I didn't think the look was what we were going for.