Caneshia had posted on PurplePort looking for photographers to work with, and we set up a shoot on there. Exeter was easiest for her, and we settled on the Quayside – it’s a good place with a fair bit of variety for setups and backgrounds.

We wandered along the side of the river, looking for inspiration. There’s a set of railings near the weir where we grabbed a couple of portraits.

Some of the buildings along there were nicely painted, so we used those for a bit of colour.

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I had an idea of Caneshia lying along a bench, with her hair cascading down the back. Honestly, I don’t think they work very well, tbh – my bad idea. The secret to looking like your ideas are all winners is to not share the photos that don’t work out.

Oh, well.

She’d recently got a beautiful and colourful tattoo she wanted to show off, so we got a couple of shoulder shots for that.

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Another idea that didn’t work out quite as I’d intended – Caneshia on a bridge. I’ve done shots like this before with much better results, but it’s a bigger and longer bridge, and while the leading lines still work fine, Caneshia seems a bit lost in the photos.

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I’m not doing great here, am I?

After a quick outfit change, we found a nice natural looking bit beside the river, and set up for a few shots there, Caneshia’s red dress contrasting brightly against the greenery.

A trick I’ve used a few times when working with a model who has long hair is getting them to fling their hair about – those shots can be a bit different, but often the ‘reaction’ shot afterwards gets a good natural laugh.

After that, a quick mid-air shot with Caneshia jumping between blocks.

And finally, no, I’m not sure what I was thinking when asking Caneshia to pose with a wheely bin. But it worked – a bit odd, which I like, and the weirdness of it made her laugh too.