Back in September, I photographed a holiday feature story for Virginia Living in Hot Springs, VA.
Much to my pleasant surprise, they selected this Christmas-themed shot of an outdoor fireplace for the cover!
I always try to get a cover option when shooting a feature, but you never know if it’ll actually be used. After all, a magazine will shoot two or three features per issue, and only one is picked for the cover. Lucky me 😉
Fun fact: The shot below was taken at the same time as the feature opener. Since it still looked a lot like summer, we shot the scene at dusk to ensure that the foliage wouldn’t be too noticeable. We weren’t going to get two days of dusk shots, so instead, I set up a second camera to the right of the main one. As I directed Margaret Valentine and her husband Massie in the shot, my assistant fired off the second camera. We initially matched exposure settings on both cameras, and I shouted out exposure shifts as the night got darker. Eventually we pulled the people and took a shot with the chairs empty. As it turns out, the final shot eventually used on the cover is actually a composite of three different shots: the fireplace, the view, and the flames.
With Ann Harvey directing the art, the rest of the shots in the story came out extremely well. Margaret Valentine and Nan McVey (McVey Valentine Interior Design), who are featured in the story, arranged all of the excellent decorations; their attention to detail was an absolute pleasure to shoot. Overall, this was an amazing effort on all parts, especially considering it was shot in September and had to be entirely put away after the shoot.
“Lincoln was a great collaborator, bringing a refined and experienced sensibility to this shelter shoot. In addition, he’s got serious technical chops, so we got beautiful, consistent, natural light for interiors, exteriors, candle light, fire light and all combinations. Bonus: he’s great with people . . . and dogs, too.” – Ann Harvey
Merry Everything!!!Lincoln
