Home » Blog » SHARE A SHOOT: Astra Art's Summer's Day Shoot With Model FonicOfficial In The Garden (NSFW) - 7 min read

SHARE A SHOOT: Astra Art's Summer's Day Shoot With Model FonicOfficial In The Garden (NSFW)

Header photo: The World Was Hers For The Reading by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

Astra Art is a hobbyist photographer based in Derby, United Kingdom, who has around a year of experience.

Following a recent photoshoot with model FonicOfficial, Astra Art generously gave their time for a quick interview to share their shoot with us.

Check out the interview below and find out what preparation was needed for the shoot, the camera gear they used and more (and, of course, images from their photoshoot!).

SHARE A SHOOT with PurplePort photographer Astra Art

How did you come up with the concept? Did anything inspire you?

My concept actually came off the back of a previous shoot with Fonic. We had done a vintage 'chaotic baking' theme, and I had wanted to do something a bit 'pin up' with a tin bath, but we had run out of time.

However, I knew I'd want to shoot with her again, so when I booked this shoot, I already had a good idea of what I wanted to achieve. I also knew I wanted to get more experience with outdoor photography, so the idea of a Pin Up Garden set was born.

We actually also shot a 90s-themed skater concept at a local skatepark and a fun, bright bubble-themed set in the same afternoon.

Fonic is a big bundle of energy, and her personality really contributed to the concept of the shoot. I am always nervous before I shoot, and straight away, she's having a laugh and joking around, and I'm instantly relaxed and into the swing of things. She also is incredibly talented when it comes to make-up, so when I sent her my ideas, she was up for doing them.

I actually enjoy tailoring my shoot ideas to the model's personality, as much as I can anyway, because I want to try and capture who they are in my images.

Vintage by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

What did you do to plan the shoot?

Once I'd got the date in the diary with Fonic, I started searching for the perfect outfit and accessories, I also kept in contact with her on the run-up to the shoot to discuss what I'd bought so we could plan make-up and hair.

I tend to use things like Pinterest to keep my ideas and inspiration together in one place. It's also useful when I am trying to explain to models what the vision is in my head.

I also have a notebook I tend to keep with me, and I will jot down the ideas and poses I want to capture on the day (for example, the picture of her peeking over the magazine). I am a self-confessed overthinker! So I spend a lot of time planning themes and ideas, but hopefully, that shows in my images.

Light Reading by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

The World Was Hers For The Reading by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

I also made sure that my friend was free to let me use his garden and discussed the ideas with him to see what he thought, as he often shoots with me.

I also spent the morning before the shoot getting my camera settings right and doing test shots with Suffering4art as my test model.

There was also a lot of checking the weather in the days and weeks before and planning a backup idea just in case I needed to change last minute due to bad weather.

Just Chillin' by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

How did you arrange the shoot?

I arranged the shoot via Instagram after originally finding Fonic on PurplePort.

What was it like shooting at that location?

I love shooting at that particular location, but that's because it's the garden of my closest friend (special mention to Suffering4art on PurplePort), and he's supported me massively over this last year as I've started on my photography journey.

It has a massive cherry tree in the middle that provides a nice bit of shade on a sunny day and makes it ideal to shoot under. It also helped keep us cool, as it turned out to be a very warm day!

I've got a few more shoots lined up for there over the next few months, including another one with Fonic.

Bath Time Bubbles in Colour by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

Perfect Pin-Up by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

Tell us about the gear you used.

I shoot with a Nikon D7500 and used my 35mm lens. For some of the garden shots, we did use a battery-operated flash.

I shot at f1.8 as I love images with a shallow depth of field and set my ISO to 100. I actually shot on A (aperture priority) mode so my camera would determine the shutter speed as we were moving in and out of the shade, and I didn't want to have to keep changing the settings between shots.

We also used a small bubble machine from the pound shop and an old Playboy magazine.

A Spot of Casual Reading by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

What's your favourite image from the shoot?

My favourite image is the close-up portrait with the lollypop (title Cherry).

It was actually a last-minute image as we were about to move on to the next set, and Fonic was eating the lollypop. I just wanted to get a close-up image as the sunlight was catching her hair and looked lovely.

As soon as I saw it on the back of the camera, I knew it was going to look good on the PC and even better, Fonic loved it too and remarked she doesn't often do portraits like that...so I took a few more!

Another thing about these images is just how little they needed editing. The lighting and colours looked great straight off the camera.

Cherry by photographer Astra Art and model FonicOfficial

Thank you for sharing your creativity, experience and images with us, Astra Art. We loved learning all about your photoshoot with model FonicOfficial!

We hope you all loved it too. Don't forget to check out the links below to see more of Astra Art's work!

Here's where you can find more of Astra Art's work

PurplePort: Astra Art

Instagram: je55ica_leigh_86

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