But I always liked side-paths, little dark back-alleys behind the main road- there one finds adventures and surprises, and precious metal in the dirt. – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I never really paid attention to alley ways nor crumbling structures with even worse facades. To me, they seemed more like a stain on a city with beautiful neighborhoods, areas best left to be avoided, never paying any mind to using them as locations for a downtown photo shoot.

Photography demanded a change in perspective once I began to take it seriously and to see these particular places from an artistic point of view. With the addition of an attractive model, these undesired locations are transformed into dramatic backdrops and begin to take on a life of its own often times determining the direction of the shoot itself.

Model: Jaslyn Diaz / Instagram: Jaslyn Diaz

In early November, Jaslyn and I found ourselves downtown in what was to be our first time working together. I had already scouted the location earlier in the week and was confident it would produce the results we wanted given our discussions about an edgy, gritty, fall-esque shoot. While the location itself was suitable, the weather itself was not.

The day started out very windy and continued to be so up to the moment of shooting. This was also coupled with fast moving clouds which changed the lighting without a moments notice. Despite having my camera settings adequately dialed in for one shot, the next photo would be completely overexposed and useless. Knowing it would be easier to adjust for shutter speed, I had my ISO set to 100 and my aperture at f/2.8. For about the first fifteen minutes, I had quite the carousel of underexposed or overexposed images not to mention the wind enjoying having a field day whipping Jaslyn’s hair wherever it fancied. This day taught me to develop a quick trigger finger for the shutter dial once I began to see increased light or shadows creep into the viewfinder.

For the first outfit, thigh high boots, cropped red sweater, and black shorts were chosen against a background of red brick walls, dilapidated doors needing a serious coat of paint, and crumbling concrete steps. One thing to keep in mind about sweaters is how they love to attract particulates, not just in the dryer but especially outdoors. A keen eye is a must. From stray strands of hair to bits of leaf blowing about, it’s important to pay attention to your subject during the shoot in order to reduce post editing time afterwards. This shot was also complimented by beautiful wavy brunette hair wrapping around itself as if in a dance while gently resting on her shoulder while the cropped sweater allowed for her tattoos to peak out ever so subtly in certain angles.

For a day filled with challenges in regards to lighting, we were able to use it to our advantage by creating stark contrasts of light and shadow in the image.

Though a few did not come out as tack sharp as I would have liked them to be, I still went ahead and included them in the editing process if I liked the pose or how the hair looked. Aside from some slight skin retouching, I went for medium contrast and a little increased brightness.

I strive to learn something new with each photo shoot and with this one in particular, I learned to not just to adapt quickly in sporadic lighting conditions but to use it to my advantage to create some truly artistic and unique photography. Overall, I was extremely pleased with how this photo shoot turned out and was able to produce some really good photos given the weather.

Sometimes, the best work comes out in even the least desirable of circumstances.