Walking Around Sherman Oaks With Daniella Claire
In my pursuit of trying new things outside of cosplay photography, I booked another street shoot. This time it was with my good friend Daniella Claire. We’re both part of the cosplay community but she’s no stranger to non-cosplay related shoots so the day was relatively easy. The concept was generally the same as the previous shoot with Katrina Fox. I wanted a simple, chill day of just walking around getting to know a location and shooting at spots we both found vaguely interesting. This time it was Sherman Oaks.
A Pastoral Beginning
Having someone who knows the neighborhood definitely helps. While I’m not at all familiar with the area, Daniella was which was a godsend. The first spot she suggested was in a quiet residential area. There was a certain row of houses where the flowers were overgrown and spilling into the sidewalk. I was skeptical of the location at first, but once we got there it felt like the perfect place to start.
I tried to get my composition right as best I could. I wanted to try and frame her with flowers or just the environment in general. There was a particularly interesting spot where the bushes on the sidewalk and the overgrown plants from the house created a tight space. I tried to take advantage of it. Whether or not I succeeded is going to be up to the viewer. I feel like I did alright.
The Streets and Alleys Around Ventura
Once we got a couple of snaps in at the flowers, it was time to move on. Ventura Boulevard was the next stop. This time the look was a little different. Urban environments have always been my favorite. The lines from the buildings always made more sense to me than shots done in more natural settings. I’ll get landscapes eventually but for now give me a city any day.
The time of day we shot made things a little challenging. Sunset was at around 8:00PM that day and we were walking around way before then. That meant that some areas had very harsh sunlight beating down on it. Rather than shy away from them, I decided to give it a try. Daniella’s patience during these attempts was highly appreciated.
Eventually though we had to get out of the sun. I was roasting and I imagine she was as well. We found another shady alleyway and continued shooting.
However, my favorite spot of the day was just behind her in this photo. We walked toward the street and found that sidewalk was line with tall trees that somewhat covered the sun creating a nice hazy effect that I absolutely dug.
The Take Away
Shooting with a local definitely has its advantages. I didn’t know much about the area but trusted that she knew where to go. She really did and the entire collaborative effort felt like a success.
We had ramen after. That was the most important part.
You can check out the rest of the gallery here.
