I was fortunate enough to have the chance to shoot these three beautiful women on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA. After spending a very pleasant Friday afternoon perusing the mall in search of the perfect lighting and most intriguing brick walls, I can honestly say these are some of the most genuine and joyful people I have met in a long time. They come from all over, but work together to bring health and wellness to those in need by sharing their heart-wrenching stories of overcoming depression/anxiety (you can learn more about what they do at amyleo.com).
To be frank, I felt a little out of my element shooting multiple people—I usually shoot portraits of just one person, and have a serious weak spot for super-sharp, tight headshots. This time, however, I forced myself to take a step back and shoot at f/8. These were taken with my Nikon D700.
A back alleyway to a parking lot served as a great place to take headshots. It was partially covered, so I was able to shoot in the shadows and avoid harsh lighting on a sunny day. This shot of the beautiful Denise is one of my favorites of the afternoon.
The beautiful Freedom Park on the outskirts of the Downtown Mall was a great place to catch some of those lovely Virginia fall colors in the background.
I love this reflection image capturing the subject face-on and the profile, and the colors create a nice complementary palette.
The chalk wall on the downtown mall already had this message written on it, and it just so happens to coincide perfectly with their business model. Of course, we had to get a picture.
– Alexandra Hatchett
