Chilling on the sofa - Penny A (Patreon)

Greek model and dancer Penny A is chilling on the sofa, barefoot, in just a white shirt, with nothing underneath. The shirt is open, leaving her perky natural boobs in full view. Halfway through this set, the shirt is off to show off the rest of Penny’s toned dancer’s body.

To shoot this set I used the Elinchrom One portrait kit, in conjunction with the Hobolite. I was able to have ISO100 and exposure ranging from f8.0-f11.0, depending on the position of the model.

Below I include a screenshot with camera settings for the benefit of anyone interested in photography technique.

Although the Elinchrom One portrait kit is compact, the Elinchrom tripod that it needs to stand is long and requires a massive suitcase to go in or has to go in a separate bag.

I chose the massive suitcase option. With both the Elinchrom and Hobolite in, as well as everything else that I carry for shoots, the suitcase weighed 32kg. In addition to that I had a cabin bag with the laptop, chargers and my own clothes, as well as a backpack with three cameras and lenses.

I say this so that the effort and cost that goes into taking good photos away from base is appreciated!

Taking kit abroad - especially in locations like Naxos which doesn’t have an international airport is especially challenging.

My journey involved a train journey from market Harborough to Gatwick, a flight in Swiss to Athens via Zurich (to carry that suitcase on easyJet would have cost me more than the Swiss business class fare to Athens), a stop-over in Rafina and a boat journey to Naxos. In Naxos we also hired a car - the suitcase was so big that there wasn’t enough space for both models, Sophia took a ride to the villa on a motorbike from the car hire guy!

Believe it or not, the business class airfare to Athens in Swiss is less than the EasyJet fare if one adds the baggage costs. The economy fare with British or Aegean was also higher than the business class fare in Swiss. And of course, with a business class fare there is the convenience of fast-track security, airport lounges and good service on board, as well as the additional baggage allowance. On this I’d add that the Star Allianace lounge at Athens airport is the best - the mousaka there is as good as in most good Greek restaurants.

On balance, I couldn’t have done without the Elinchrom One in Athens, if not also in Naxos, as I only started shooting with Penny at sunset, after she finished her work. In fact I chose an apartment near Penny’s dance studio in order to save time. We only managed to do one brief set on the balcony and the rest was indoors using artificial lights.

Ps: sorry for the long digression, but I feel/hope that at least some of you are interested in the challenges of the creative process.

Ps2: I am grateful to the member who sponsored the shoot with Penny. I don’t think I could have done it without that support.