My first shoot on this northern trip kicked off in Byron with Chloe Campbell. I’d come across Chloe on my explore feed and reached out to her and Saint Models to set something up. We didn’t want to shoot just another swimwear series — Chloe was keen to show more range, and the Byron landscapes gave us a lot to work with.

We started at The Pass in light rain and strong wind, and from there, I challenged myself to set up a battery-powered strobe in the forest. I wanted to create something that felt lo-fi and organic — something soft but unpolished. Not because I dislike studio work (I spent five years assisting on Profoto Pro-7As!), but because I think it has a time and place. Most of the time, I’d rather let the space breathe a little.

Gear Notes for the Curious:

I used a Profoto B1X (now replaced with the Pro-B3) with a 3’ Octa Softbox
Later, I swapped to two Phottix M200RGB pocket LEDs to add a low Kelvin dusk glow
In hindsight, I’d give myself a 6/10 — a larger softbox and a C-stand with grip arm would’ve made it easier to push the light further, but part of this job is just making what you have work

Everything was shot on 35mm film using my Canon EOS 3. If you’re curious about the gear and film stocks I use, you can check out my full kit here via Georges Cameras.

If you’re keen to work with Chloe, you can reach out through Saint Models.