As I mentioned in a recent post on my Pismo Beach trip, I had an idea that I wanted to play around with in the sand dunes, but I needed a model. Luckily, a local student, Kaelen, was brave enough to venture out to the Pismo Dunes with only a loose concept and the promise of some head shots to add to her modeling portfolio, which she’s developing for fun. In situations like this, where my concept really wouldn’t help the model get exposure or build their portfolio, I will try to capture some additional shots for their book.

I asked Kaelen to bring a few items from her closet that she has hung on to, but never really worn. One of the things that she pulled out when we were deciding what to bring out to the dunes with us was an odd-looking knit top that was long enough to be a dress. I immediately saw potential and we tossed that in with my gear, along with some scarves that she had with her.

We knocked out the shots that I needed for my project (which is still in my photoshop queue) and started playing around with some images of Kaelen for her portfolio. The natural light out on the Pismo Dunes was amazing that day. And I was right about the knit top.

(click to expand the photos below)