In August, I had a lifestyle photo shoot with Dayna at my studio in Madison’s Capitol neighborhood. This was the second time I had worked with her, although the two shoots were quite different. The first was a fitness catalog and marketing shoot for a commercial client, photographed in the studio. This time, we took a more lifestyle-oriented approach and incorporated the outdoor surroundings near the studio.

One of the things I particularly liked about this shoot was the use of textured backdrops. Being located in the Capitol neighborhood gives me access to a lot of interesting architectural details, lush ivy, brick, and other urban textures that can add character to an image without distracting from the subject. We used some of those elements to create a series of images with a more natural, editorial feel.

We were also incredibly fortunate with the weather. August in Wisconsin can be unpredictable, but we ended up with a beautiful day that was perfect for working outside. The combination of good natural light supplemented with my portable lighting, interesting textures, and Dayna’s experience in front of the camera gave us a lot of options to choose from.

It was also interesting to see how differently the second shoot came together compared with our first project. The fitness images were more commercial and purpose-driven, while this session gave us more freedom to experiment with posing, composition, and the environment. Dayna was great to work with again, and I think the familiarity from our first shoot helped the session move along naturally. We were able to concentrate on creating a variety of looks rather than spending a lot of time getting comfortable with each other and figuring out how we wanted to work together.

Overall, I think the project turned out wonderfully. The combination of natural light, the urban textures around my studio and a more relaxed lifestyle approach produced a set of images that feels very different from our first shoot. To follow more of Dayna’s adventures find her at: https://www.instagram.com/daynadiscoversmadison