This was my fourth shoot with Rachel this year and she always brings so much emotion to every shoot (and pose). This was another one of my quickie shoot: two looks, thirty minutes. It never ceases to amazes just how much can come out of a mini session when everything is clicking.

Though I’ve experimented with using slow shutter for years now, I’m lately changed up the way I use the technique. Before I would be the one moving, as I swiped my camera back and forth during the quarter-second exposure, creating painterly streaks of light. Now I sit still and direct my subject to make the movements, this time with a longer exposure of a half second or longer. My favorite moments are when I get the timing just right and capture a crisp profile mixed with ghostly streaks of movement. A balancing act between sharp and soft.

The other balance I was after was one of color temperature. I’ve been working with warmer color temperatures in many of my personal shoots this year— lots of reds, oranges, and yellows. In this shoot I decided to introduce a bit of cool blue to offset the warmth.