As part of the Griffith Park Outdoor Expedition project I shot in fall 2024, I worked alongside producer and model Clifton Sneed to produce a series of lifestyle images near the Griffith Observatory and along the trails of Mount Hollywood.
In preparation for this shoot, I wanted to include accessories and gear that would provide more posing options and produce a more cinematic look to the final images. Clifton was able to bring a backpack, a water bottle, a watch, and sunglasses.
I visit Mount Hollywood often to capture landscapes at sunset, so I already had a good idea as to how I wanted the final images to look.
In the beginning of the photoshoot, I wanted to capture simple and clean portraits of Clifton. At this point in the day, the sun was starting to set but was still high enough in the sky to cast harsh shadows on his face if we were shooting in the sunlight.
The Griffith Observatory itself (and the terrace) was closed since it was Monday, but there were plenty of shady spots around the building to get some clean, even lighting. While the area around the observatory was pretty busy with tourists, we managed to find a small spot near the building that was less crowded. For most portrait shoots, I use the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART because of its amazing compression.
As the sun started to get lower, we moved over to the Griffith Park trails leading toward the Hollywood Sign. In addition to the watch, Clifton brought out the backpack and we were able to get some nice hiking-style images.
Because I have been in this location many times and previously scouted the area before, I planned the backpack to be used in a small area where there’d be less people passing by and with a lot of tall trees to create a more woodsy-style background.
Since sunset hadn’t fully come yet, I used the shade caused by the trees to get some even lighting on the model’s face.
As the sun lowered, Clifton switched over to another shirt to get some more lifestyle-fashion images. We moved away from the trees and onto the bridge.
For this part of the photoshoot, we included the watch and sunglasses. The sun started to set over the mountains so we were able to get some great backlit portraits and lifestyle images. These golden hour images were definitely my favorite in the group of photos during this session.
Moving forward, we did some last minute walking shots to continue the hiking narrative with the backpack and water bottle.
Clifton switched wardrobe to fitness clothes for blue hour. We were able to get some action shots of him running and using the water bottle before the sun fully set.
