We’ve had one hell of a cold, long winter this year here in North America. However, sunny days are coming and I couldn’t happier it because summer means outdoor swimwear projects begin, which is one of my favorite styles to shoot.

However, having been so bleak for so long this winter, have you gotten yourself prepped for this most popular of fashion and glamour photography seasons?

I’ll preface all of this with acknowledging that there is nothing more stereotypical than a poorly shot photo of a model in a bikini.

But, it doesn’t have to be this way – you really can make your swimwear photos stand out above the crowd if you take the time and effort to plan and pre-envision what you want to do.

While it’s not quite warm enough, even here in south Texas, to start taking on outdoor swim projects, I reasoned this is the perfect time to go through my checklist of things to do to prepare for the season.

Right off the bat, you need to know where your favorite locations are to shoot commercial swimwear work, be it in your city or town or anywhere in the world you travel to with any regularity.

When the client calls on you, it’s always best to have a handful of locations already in mind that you can recommend.

I love large, thick scrims because of the softness they afford me, but I just have to consider the stop or two loss they cause when setting up sets. Posted In:. Swimwear bikini sets 2016 calendar Brazilian Swimsuits. Many will say that the staple lighting set up for countless outdoor swimwear shoots is, of course, a dish with a strobe.

And since you’ll be shooting swimwear, your locations should ideally make sense with the world of bikinis and swimwear fashion pieces in general.

Naturally, there are no hard and fast rules about locations for swimwear photography, necessarily, but having a varied set of options, up front, is always ideal since you sometimes don’t have tons of time to take advantage of that perfect summer weekend weather when it happens.

It’s not always possible, but if you have a friend or family member who has a beautiful pool in their backyard that they will let you use to shoot in, by all means ask.

Even if it is not for a client job, practicing shooting swimwear in an environment where swimwear is usually shot will help you to start thinking about set styling and envisioning of your work.

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Shooting a fantastic model, in a bikini, in a random location can sometimes work, but incorporating a scene, or set, where the swimwear makes sense helps your images seem more intentional, and refined.

To me, outdoor portraiture of any kind comes down to lenses. Specifically, primes. I admit it openly, I’m a prime snob, and make no apologies for being so.

But the benefits of prime lenses for outdoor portrait work are so immense, I simply won’t choose zooms when shooting outdoor swimwear.

Pool, waterfall, backyard landscaping, a small stone staircase barely visible underwater in the foreground – these elements all came together to sell the idea of the model in the location we shot at, without any shadow of a doubt. We welcome all comments and feedback. Swimwear bikini sets 2016 calendar Plus, the price point is hard to beat. And don’t forget accessory details.

But why? Well, for one, prime lenses are far more along in their evolution than their zoom brethren.

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Some long-time photography veterans, such as my father who started shooting professionally in will confidently pit their ‘s era primes against any prime from today, claiming that prime lens technology hasn’t really changed much since then.

But, all you need to do is spy a few medium format enlargements from 30 years ago, shot with top grade primes, and you will see intense sharpness, clarity, color and contrast that easily compares to today’s primes in every way that matters.

Not to mention, if you are setting up your shot, in full detail, why bother with a zoom? Select the focal lengths you want say, 50, 85 and and run with it.

There will be a delightful consistency to your work, and you won’t get lazy on set. When you have to work to get the shot set up so you can use your 85mm or mm, you generally think it through in far more detail AND you benefit from the flattering shots you’ll get.

Suffice to say, there is a reason 85mm and mm lenses exist – they just work so damn well in any type of portraiture. Canon 2.

This shot, done with natural sunlight and a large scrim, show you why. I was pegged up against the fence on the other side of the pool, wedging my face near the bottom of it, in the dirt, to get this shot.

But it was totally worth the discomfort and soil down my shirt to capture this super sharp shot at such a flattering focal length and with such amazing depth.

The look that a mm wide open gives this shot would not be attainable by any zoom lens I had with me that day, or even close. The option to zoom in and out makes meat least, lazy on set, and uninspired.

In fact, a lot of times, the efforts and acrobatics I go through to make a prime focal length work for the shot I want often yield me images that make people say “How in the world did you shoot this??!

When I have a zoom on board, I tend to stand still and fiddle with the zoom ring, which is decidedly not hyper-creativity in the making.

Primes are sharper, more often, and at wider apertures than basically any zoom.

And that is never, ever a bad thing. In recent months, when I shoot outdoors, I have been prioritizing natural light over mixed lighting as often as I can.

I love large, thick scrims because of the softness they afford me, but I just have to consider the stop or two loss they cause when setting up sets.

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I also prefer white reflectors over silver ones most of the time, for the same reasons of softness. Last summer I also shot part of a calendar and poster project for model Aneta Kowal while in Florida, and I worked hard to see how much I could do with natural light.

I ended up strobing more than I planned on, but I simply had to improvise each set, each day, and craft the best shot I could envision based on location and conditions.

If I can get away with it for the look I want, this is my go-to set up for outdoor swimwear. Additional lighting gear comes along on every outdoor shoot – just in case.

For the most part, if I do use a strobe, I use only one and work with it and the sun for various two light setups.

And when headed outdoors for swimwear work, I never leave without these modifiers:. There are times when a strobe look is preferred, of course.

This set of Leslie Fontaine for Playboy Venezuela found me using one strobe with small octobox on a yacht on the Tacoma waterfront in WA. Many will say that the staple lighting set up for countless outdoor swimwear shoots is, of course, a dish with a strobe.

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Diffused or not, this is about as common as it gets for outdoor swim shoots, and for good reason: It works. And works well. Not to mention, dishes tend to be a tad more wind resistant, which is always a good thing.

I use my dish tons for swim shoots, and always make sure it’s in my kit before heading out. I’ve recently been impressed by Paul C. Buff’s new 18″ Omni Reflector and triple baffled diffuser, and am about to purchase one for this year’s summer sessions.

First and foremost, when it comes to selling the shot, don’t discount the little things. If you go through the trouble of procuring an amazing location, be sure to showcase it, at least somewhat, in your images.

After all, why work to get permission to use a resort’s private beach if you’re just going to shoot your subjects on a concrete wall or against a flat blue sky?

You could accomplish the same thing almost anywhere. You’ve got to incorporate your location to sell the idea of where the heck your subject is, and why it all makes sense in the context of a swimwear shoot.

To each side of this pool were problems. To camera right was the half-constructed neighboring house, which looked exactly like you’d imagine not good.

To camera left was a somewhat small patio, yard care equipment, and ahem most of my team’s shoot gear – everywhere.

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A wide shot wasn’t going to sell the pool scene because of the distractions to either side, so I opted for a very long focal length from way across the long side of the pool.

My goal was to ensure I sold the idea that she was in a very nice pool, and showcasing the stairs behind her leading to a summer kitchen was ideal.

Pool, waterfall, backyard landscaping, a small stone staircase barely visible underwater in the foreground – these elements all came together to sell the idea of the model in the location we shot at, without any shadow of a doubt.

This beautiful pool and backyard couldn’t take precedence over Caitlin, but accidentally avoiding or minimizing the scene would have created far less impact.

Further, a blue, green, turquoise and yellow suit was chosen to match the mutlicolored, pebbled pool bottom, which also married well with the stonework, foliage and hints of blue sky.

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The goal was to avoid simply shooting “a beautiful model in a bikini” and to craft something with a little more intention. And don’t forget accessory details.

If you are charged with the task of styling the shoot, don’t just assume “bikini” and be done with it. Nothing enhances swimwear shots quite like accessories on the models.

Usually, for client work, this is considered up front and often a stylist is part of the shoot personnel. Or perhaps you have a stylist for these types of things already.

Regardless, some of my favorite swimwear images are properly accessorized beyond just the swimsuit.

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If you travel frequently, and ideally to amazing locations, you are almost required to shoot on as many gorgeous beaches as you can. I know I have my bucket list of beach locations to shoot, and look forward to working for the second time in Puerto Rico next month, at a little 5 day seminar I happen to be hosting.

Apart from giving the biggest photography class of my career while there, I also am thrilled to be working on some fantastic projects during my visit.

And in the realm of shameless plugsif you want to have an experience like no other, I will add there are a couple of photographer spots still available for the seminar still.

Senior Writer Nino Batista’s work is regularly published in lifestyle and men’s publications all over the world, and he is regarded as one of the premier fashion and glamour photography and retouching educators in the U.

Check out the Fstoppers Store for in-depth tutorials from some of the best instructors in the business. Do you think we could get a writeup for your use of the PLM?

Tons of amazing places to shoot swimwear Well, that’s the rub, isn’t it? There is something to be said for working hard to be as creative as you can with less-than-ideal locations.

Obviously, you can’t just waltz into any place that looks nice and assume all will be ok.

In fact, some beautiful locations anywhere, not just beachesmight even offer their property to photographers for a small fee or just signing of a permit on a regular basis From beaches to old buildings to arboretums to pools to hotels If you’re building your portfolio, it’s a decent idea to invest what you can in the appropriate personnel for your shoot, and permits if needed for your sets.

Driving a little bit to find the right spot is often worth it as well. Shooting swimwear in unexpected places can work very well too.

Downtown on a public street, for example.

There are no real rules. Nino, I gotta ask. Seeing as how this is THE dream job of every guy in the world, does it actually pay money?

I can only imagine every swimwear designer being bombarded with the resumes of a hundred photographers each day, vowing to work for free in exchange for the privilege of having these lovely young ladies in front of their cameras!

Without a doubt. Like anything, its all about the hustle work you put into it. And often, traveling is vital – you almost never are able to do this type of work on the regular if you stay put in your city or town.

The work is out there, but you have to chase it!