Environmental Outdoor Photoshoot with TreePeople at Coldwater Canyon

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a Los Angeles non-profit called TreePeople. The organization’s mission is to support people to take responsibility for the environment, make it healthy, fun, and sustainable.

TreePeople is composed of leaders of the environmental movement and works with volunteers to help the environment through sustainable solutions such as restoring ecosystems, planting trees, and more.

In my first collaboration with them, I documented the volunteers at the Coldwater Canyon Restoration event. (I also shot some B-roll video content for the team as well).

For this shoot, I used my Sigma 85mm and 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART prime lenses in order to capture images with some different compositions.

In this event, the TreePeople staff and volunteers would remove invasive plant species, install native plants, and help maintain the trail.

The team started planting at around 9:30 AM and the sun had already risen. As an outdoor photographer, I generally try to only shoot early mornings and late evenings when the sun is at the horizon in order to avoid harsh contrasts. 

I was fortunate that there were some clouds in the sky which diffused the light a little bit for the first hour. At this time, I found myself trying to get as many shots as possible since the clouds were inconsistently covering the sun.

As a photographer for this shoot, the most important for me was to try and not stage any of the interactions and just let the volunteers do their job without any interference from me. Working with models recently, I’ve become used to offering direction on photoshoots, so I had to tap into my knowledge as a street photographer and let moments happen naturally (regardless of what the lighting situation is).

Coincidentally, I think what I liked most about this photoshoot was that there were technical imperfections in some of the photos. The volunteers were wearing sun hats so plenty of times you couldn’t see their faces. When we walked higher up in the trail, the clouds were gone so there was just harsh sunlight on the faces of the volunteers.

I think it’s a great challenge for any photographer to work in conditions that they might not be used to and just document life as it’s actually happening.

The team at TreePeople were incredibly kind in allowing me to document this event. As I’ve become more interested in working with more sustainable businesses and those that promote eco-friendly practices, it’s an honor to be able to use my knowledge behind the camera to capture moments that will hopefully raise awareness about the biodiversity on our planet and how people can get involved.

Looking for an outdoor lifestyle photographer based in Los Angeles? I’d love to learn more about your project and see if we’re a good fit! I enjoy capturing brands and models in outdoor locations around Los Angeles and creating authentic moments.

You can learn more about me here and I invite you to book a call with me where I can learn more about your project!