Blue Hour: a short series
I’m sure I’ve mentioned this in other recent blogs, but I took a step back this year. I’ve shot medium format film a handful of times this year, and I’ve only done it for very specific projects. The project I’m writing about today, is one of them. And it’s been my favorite so far in 2022.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rielle (@not_rielle) once before in 2020. We went for a cinematic vibe and shot with CineStill 800 T (film photographers will know exactly the vibe I’m talking about). That was actually my first time shooting film during nighttime, and to my surprise, I didn’t fuck any of them up. In fact, the photos from that shoot are still some of my favorites, and some that have gotten the most attention on my Instagram page. One of them was reposted by CineStill and Think Very Little. That was pretty awesome.
Rielle and I recently connected through IG again, and I pitched a similar concept but during blue hour. Now shooting during blue hour can be tricky cause, well, you get an hour to make shit happen. So you need to act quick before the light is gone, and you miss out on those cinematic blue tones in the sky. In terms of location, I already had an idea of where I wanted to shoot. The Sepulveda Dam, yep….. A pretty played out spot, if you will. Commercials, shows, and music videos have all been filmed there. I’ve seen apparel brands, models, and photographers shoot there as well. But I hadn’t seen anything shot there during blue hour. So that’s where my interest was sparked.
Normally I don’t carry any equipment to shoot cause I mostly shoot during daytime. But I wanted to be prepared, so I brought everything you can possibly imagine; a tripod, shutter releases, LED lights, light stands, endless batteries, etc., etc. The only downside to being so prepared was having to carry things back and forth in 90 degree weather.
The day of the shoot, we both got to location early. The sun was still harsh at that time of the day, but we didn’t want to waste time. We made our way towards the destination. En route to the dam, I saw potential for some photos next to the dried out river that led the dam. Rielle had a black umbrella to protect herself from the sun; her wardrobe was also all black, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate the umbrella as a prop. We got a few shots in, which helped us get the creative juices flowing for the main event….Believe it or not, I’ve lived around the Van Nuys area for over 17 years, and I had never been to the Sepulveda Dam. Seeing it up close for the first time was dope; it got me hyped; it got me inspired.
We set our things down, and played with the sun rays that were beaming down in between the pillars of the dam. Once the sun was gone, I mounted my camera on the tripod, set up the LED lights by Rielle’s side profile, hooked the shutter release cable to my camera and…… well, how about I just show you everything?
