May: Grass, Golden Hour and Movement

Grass is forgiving underfoot and difficult in frame: it is busy, green and reflects colour up onto the skin. Shoot from low with a wide aperture so the blades blur into a single soft field.

Press the foot lightly into the grass rather than resting it on top. The small compression around the arch is what makes the frame look real.

Start forty minutes before sunset with backlight, then turn ninety degrees every fifteen minutes as the sun drops. One location gives four completely different light conditions in an hour.

Keep a white card or a folded scarf to bounce light back into the shaded side of the foot. Backlight without fill turns an arch into a silhouette.

Walking frames need 1/500s minimum; a slow rise onto the toes is fine at 1/250s. Set the shutter first and let ISO float.

Shoot in short bursts of three and take the second frame — the first is always tense, the third already posed.