Portrait, Lifestyle, Corporate Event, Travel Photographer and Production Services

Vintage Surf Vibes in Portugal


Whilst on our van-life travels (read more about that on our Emergency String travel blog) I got the chance to catch up with my friend Louise Jackson, a writer, journalist and blogger who lives by the coast in Portugal. She loves to surf so she always knows the best beach for every occasion. We arrived on a beautiful day and she suggested we meet at a beach which has a bar so we could catch up over a nice cold beer in the sun and watch the waves. 

When she rocked up in her vintage Renault 12 TS I knew I wanted to do a little shoot with her. The next day Louise had offered to take us to one her favourite cliff-top spots with incredible views so I persuaded her to pose for some shots. It sounded like the perfect spot to take some photos and it was!

The blues of the sky and the greens of the ocean really complimented the burgundy red of her car. 

But there was one problem; the sunlight was really harsh. I didn’t have any thing I could use to diffuse the light either sadly. However, I was up for a challenge… I just hoped it would all work out, as the shots in my head looked great… could I make it happen though?! 

Luckily I’d been reading a great article from photographer Ben Sasso not long before about shooting in harsh and direct light. If you’ve not read his blog post on hard light (or his blog in general), you should. He’s got some great tips and advice and he’s always willing to share. Armed with these I set about getting the photos I’d envisaged.

We had a great laugh shooting and Louise really relaxed into it as we got going. It’s always a bit awkward getting those first few poses out of the way, even when working with a friend I’ve know for years. And as much as Louise protests that she’s not photogenic, she is! 

I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out. In post-production I pushed up the contrast, and gave them a slightly sun-bleached tone to compliment the vintage feel.

Let me know what you think of the shots and feel free to comment, ask questions or share some advice in the comments section below. 

Using Format