Gone Fishing with Faith (Patreon)

I've wanted to do a vintage fly-fishing inspired set for a long time. There are plenty of fishing-themed shoots out there, but a lot of them end up feeling like they were photographed about the outfit instead of the location. I wanted the river to be just as important as the model.

Everything about this set was built around that idea. We shot from water level so the current fills the foreground, used longer lenses to compress the trees into a wall of green, and let the fly line naturally lead your eye through the frame. Instead of overpowering the scene with artificial lighting, I leaned into the soft evening light and let the colors stay natural. The greens, olive waders, wicker basket, and warm skin tones all complement each other without anything feeling forced.

One thing I really like about these is that they have a sense of place. If you cropped Faith out, the photos would still be interesting because the river itself becomes part of the composition. That's something I always try to chase with these concept shoots. Rather than finding a random spot to take photos, I like building the entire set around an environment that helps tell the story.

The wider frames are probably my favorites. They're not just portraits—they let your eye wander through the river, the trees, and the bend in the water before coming back to the subject. It gives the images a more timeless feel, almost like flipping through an old outdoor magazine from the '60s or '70s, just reimagined through the Sexyland lens.

Faith absolutely killed this concept. Standing in a moving river with slick rocks under your feet, balancing a fly rod, and working with heavy waders isn't exactly the easiest setup, but she made it look effortless.

I think that's why this series stands out to me. It's not just a model standing in a pair of waders—it's a complete scene. Every element, from the location to the wardrobe to the composition, was chosen to make the photographs feel like they belong together.