Emily's portfolio shoot Part 1: Old Stromlo Observatory
It was such a pleasure collaborating on this boho-inspired shoot with local Canberra model Emily on the weekend. The shell of the old observatory is such a atmospheric and visually stunning place to take pictures.
I had only been at the Old Stromlo Observatory one other time, about 2 years ago (and it was midday), so I wasn't quite sure what the light was going to be like for the shoot. It turned out to be absolutely gorgeous, with interesting light streaming through the side windows, and the white walls acting as a 360 degree diffuse reflector so that the late afternoon light just glowed on the model's skin.
And Emily's red hair, blue eyes, and pale skin just looked spectacular with the light grey and rust tones of the Stromlo Observatory interior. What a gorgeous colour palette!
Here is a little bit of background for those unfamiliar with the story of the old Mount Stromlo Observatory. The observatory was established in 1924 as The Commonwealth Solar Observatory during the period when Canberra was being built. The devastating Canberra fires of January 2003 hit Mount Stromlo- destroying 5 telescopes, seven homes, and a heritage administration building.
Shot with a Canon 6D body, Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens, Tamron 28-70mm 2.8 lens.
Images were processed with the A6- preset from my VSCO inspired A6 series, which you can download at my Etsy store, or read about in this blog post.