After visiting the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes in Michigan near Traverse City both as a child and adult, I recently envisioned the idea of doing a fashion shoot there. I knew the beauty and simplicity of the sand and sky in the foreground and background would complement the models rather than be a distraction. My full-time assistant Ashley Sullivan (who also modeled for the shoot) and I packed the Ford Edge full of gear and headed up north for a three-day adventure! Stylist Stefana Rita and model Brooke Hayes also joined us for this project and devoted their hard work and talents into making this shoot a reality and success.
I purchased a new lighting product specifically for this shoot — the Paul C. Buff Vagabond Lithium Extreme Portable Lighting System. In a nutshell, it is an amazingly lightweight and powerful battery that allowed me to take my studio lighting onto the beaches and woods of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. It worked flawlessly; after taking more than 700 photos, the battery still had a 30% charge! I highly recommend this portable battery for outdoor photography.
Ash and I started shooting early as we arrived a day before Stefana and Brooke so we could scout good locations. The photos of Ashley at the Frankfurt North Breakwater Lighthouse were my first tests of the Vagabond battery, which allowed me to shoot directly into the sun.
Once the team arrived we started hair and make-up, had a few glasses of wine (I drank a few Stellas) and we headed out to the dunes. We started shooting at the top of a large sand dune with beautiful Lake Michigan as our background. The shots of Ashley and Brooke in the shade were photographed with natural light, as the dunes were reflecting an amazingly warm glow onto the models. These are the only shots in which I used natural light.
Enjoy the images below and thanks for reading!
Metro Detroit Fashion Photographer Jeff White photographs Ashley in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit Photographers Jeff White of Jwhitephoto Photographs Ashley Near the Frankfurt North Breakwater Lighthouse
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Brooke Hayes and Ashley Sullivan
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Ashley Sullivan
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Brooke Hayes
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Ashley Sullivan
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Brooke Hayes
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Ashley Sullivan
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Ashley Sullivan
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Brooke Hayes
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Ashley Sullivan
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Brooke Hayes
Fashion Shoot at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes by Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White with Ashley Sullivan
Metro Detroit fashion photographer Jeff White photographs Brooke Hayes at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit fashion photographer Jeff White photographs Brooke Hayes and Ashley Sullivan at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit fashion photographer Jeff White photographs Brooke Hayes at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Please see below for some behind the scenes photos taken by the one and only Therese Sullivan who was kind enough to assist my assistant/model Ashley during our Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes fashion project!
Metro Detroit Fashion Photographer Jeff Whites Fashion Team Photographed at the Traverse City Commons
Metro Detroit Fashion Photographer Jeff White and Ashley shooting in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit photographer Jeff White, Stefana Rita, Ashley and Therese Sullivan and Brooke Hayes shooting near the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit photographer Jeff White, Stefana Rita, Ashley and Therese Sullivan and Brooke Hayes shooting in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit photographer Jeff White, Stefana Rita, Ashley and Therese Sullivan and Brooke Hayes shooting in the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Ashley and Therese Sullivan shooting at the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Ashley and Therese Sullivan shooting at the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse
Metro Detroit Photographer Jeff White and Ashley and Therese Sullivan shooting near the Frankfort North Breakwater Lighthouse
