Commercial Lifestyle Beach Photography in Santa Monica: Austin Lee
In fall 2024, I had the opportunity to work with fashion model Austin Lee for a commercial lifestyle beach photoshoot in Santa Monica at the beach during sunset. Santa Monica has been one of my favorite locations to capture lifestyle portraits of models. For this photoshoot, I only wanted to try using a few products and accessories (sunglasses and watch) and utilize as much time as I could in delivering dynamic photos.
As an outdoor photographer, I treated this photoshoot similar to a lifestyle beach campaign for these accessories - focusing on authentic posing and using natural light as a way to create cinematic portraits.
In this blog post, I will be sharing a selection of my favorite images from this lifestyle session and the process towards delivering these final photos. All of the photos were taken on the Sony a7R III with a mix of the Sigma 35mm and 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART prime lenses. The photos were also edited in Adobe Lightroom Classic.
PREPARING FOR THE PHOTOSHOOT
Austin and I worked together to agree on the perfect wardrobe for this photoshoot. He was able to bring sunglasses, a Fossil watch, and a stool to use as a prop for the photoshoot. Based on the images we developed for the mood board, a beach backdrop at sunset was the best location to produce this lifestyle photoshoot.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, one of the most important factors involved in producing any photoshoot is scouting the location in advance. The beach along the Santa Monica Pier is a familiar location where I have produced many photoshoots, so I already knew the spot where I wanted the photoshoot to take place.
On weekends (and especially during the summer), the beach can be crowded with locals and tourists alike during sunset, which can make producing a photoshoot difficult. Fortunately, we shot on a weekday when it was much quieter and had more range of the beach to explore without having to worry about distractions.
Lifestyle Photoshoot Beach Accessories
As a lifestyle photographer, I like to incorporate accessories into photoshoots because not only does it make the scene look a lot more believable, but it allows the model to try new poses that they might not otherwise be able to use.
In the beginning of this photoshoot, I rented a surfboard to use as a prop for the photoshoot. Unfortunately the store would close earlier than expected, so I ended up only using this prop for the beginning of the photoshoot when the lighting was still a bit harsh. Regardless I do think some of the final images turned out well.
One of my favorite products to photograph is watches, and Austin was able to bring a blue fashion watch that worked perfectly with the location. For most of these photos, you’ll see the watch in frame and highlighted in different lighting settings. From side lighting to front light during the sunset, I wanted to capture the watch with different setups to add diversity to the photos.
My favorite time to shoot the watch was after sunset - during blue hour. At this time, the blue color of the watch dial really popped and looked vibrant at the beach. Whereas the light from the sunset could have caused a harsh glare on the glass dial, the even lighting of blue hour made the photos easier to edit without having to drag down the highlights of the watch.
I like photographing watches from a variety of focal lengths and compositions. Rather than sticking to regular waist-up portraits, I think it’s interesting to see the watch being worn in full body photos, walking shots, and playing around with the composition to see if it sticks out in the photo.
Near the end of the photoshoot, we took some photos with Austin’s sunglasses as well. Even though the sun had almost fully set at this point, I think sunglasses always make for a nice lifestyle accessory at the beach since it’s not only a common product that people wear, but it also pairs well with other accessories like a watch.
Natural Light in Lifestyle Photography
Being able to master natural light for lifestyle portraits has been one of the most important skills I’ve had to learn as an outdoor photographer. While you don’t need to photograph during sunrise or sunset (golden hour) to get the most cinematic images, I had a particular ambiance in mind for the photoshoot and a sunset landscape was essential for me during this shoot.
When relying on natural light, it’s important to capture the model from different angles. Whether it’s front lighting, side lighting, or having the model backlit - it’s important to capture different lighting setups by moving around the location, and being strategic about your timing because you can’t control the light coming from the sun and how long you have left before blue hour.
One of the biggest obstacles in working outdoors with natural light (and especially when there are wardrobe changes) is making sure that you have time to get a variety of images with different compositions and outfits before the sun goes fully down. As a commercial lifestyle and advertising photographer, experience in creative direction and working fast came into practice.
Austin was great at being able to commit to a variety of poses in a short amount of time that also fit with the editorial mood of this photoshoot.
Final Words
I was more than happy with how the final images from this photoshoot turned out. One of the biggest lessons I have learned from previous shoots that I applied to this photoshoot was not trying to use too many accessories within a short amount of time. Austin kept the watch on for the majority of the photoshoot and the sunglasses weren’t used until close to blue hour.
I was able to focus on creating a variety of photos through posing, composition, and different lighting techniques, rather than trying to use different products. This was one of the reasons why I had a wider selection of usable images to edit at the end of the day.
Thank you for reading and until next time!
Feel free to explore my website further:
Sunrise Lifestyle Beach Photoshoot in Santa Monica
Outdoor Commercial Lifestyle Photography at Mount Hollywood
Outdoor Photography Campaign Ideas for Watch Brands
