Today we're presenting a shoot between Dave and Farida Groennesby. They are not only a married couple but also collaborating artists. With him being a photographer and her being a model, they are the perfect match and all it requires to create art is a camera and some time. Read the article and check out the photos to see what they created on a simple walk during an autumn day under lockdown in Ghent, Belgium.
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DAVE GROENNESBY
- Photographer -
Dave, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. How old are you? Where were you born and where do you live now? What is your profession, and what do you do besides photography?
My name is Dave Groennesby. I am 35 years old and I was born in Ghent, Belgium. I picked up photography back in 2012 and was a self-learner with the help of YouTube and many tutorials. I basically forced myself to watch 4 hours ofYouTube videos a day to improve my skills for the first 2 years. Today, I'm mainly interested in exposing big format prints and selling my work.
What inspired you to do this photo shoot?
I have always been attracted by the autumn colours. I had no make-up artist nor stylist, just me and my wife going out for a shoot during the corona period. I have never seen so many photographers correcting old pictures and searching for something or someone to shoot, but I am very lucky with my wife (Farida Groennesby) being both my wife and a model. This shoot represents a ‘fun shoot’, something I decided to do for myself and my wife and where we`re just taking pleasure of the shoot while everything is frozen in lockdown - this made me escape from reality of the lockdown.
How and why did you choose this exact location?
The location is a park where we take walks regularly, so one day I decided to bring my camera and a mono-light.
What camera equipment and which camera settings did you use on this shoot?
I used my Canon EOS 5D mark IV for all shots during this shoot. The lens I have used for these photos is the YONGNUO YN 35MM F2.0 (a cheap Chinese lens) that I would never use for a commercial shoot but since I have bought it, I also wanted to test it and take it for a spin. The mono-light I used was the Jinbei HD-601.
My name is Dave Groennesby. I am 35 years old and I was born in Ghent, Belgium. I picked up photography back in 2012 and was a self-learner with the help of YouTube and many tutorials. I basically forced myself to watch 4 hours ofYouTube videos a day to improve my skills for the first 2 years. Today, I'm mainly interested in exposing big format prints and selling my work.
What inspired you to do this photo shoot?
I have always been attracted by the autumn colours. I had no make-up artist nor stylist, just me and my wife going out for a shoot during the corona period. I have never seen so many photographers correcting old pictures and searching for something or someone to shoot, but I am very lucky with my wife (Farida Groennesby) being both my wife and a model. This shoot represents a ‘fun shoot’, something I decided to do for myself and my wife and where we`re just taking pleasure of the shoot while everything is frozen in lockdown - this made me escape from reality of the lockdown.
How and why did you choose this exact location?
The location is a park where we take walks regularly, so one day I decided to bring my camera and a mono-light.
What camera equipment and which camera settings did you use on this shoot?
I used my Canon EOS 5D mark IV for all shots during this shoot. The lens I have used for these photos is the YONGNUO YN 35MM F2.0 (a cheap Chinese lens) that I would never use for a commercial shoot but since I have bought it, I also wanted to test it and take it for a spin. The mono-light I used was the Jinbei HD-601.
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FARIDA GROENNESBY
- Model -
Farida, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. How old are you? Where were you born and where do you live now? What is your profession, and what do you do besides modeling?
My home country is Azerbaijan, however my father’s nationality is Ukrainian. So, I am half Azerbaijani and half Ukrainian. Today, I live in Ghent, Belgium, where I have been living for four years. I recently turned 29 years. Beside my passion of modelling, I am also a social worker with a master degree from the Ghent University (Belgium). My bachelor years I did in Baku (Azerbaijan) and the final year of my bachelor at Lund University in Sweden.
How long have you been a model and how did you get your start in the industry?
I have been modelling since the first year of my bachelor’s degree. I got an opportunity to participate in the fashion show project of my sister as a model and I have felt that that is something that motivates me and makes me feel happy. Afterwards I started to participate in numerous modelling events and photoshoots, and I was a model in amodel agency in Baku. After that I was also modelling in Ankara, Turkey. While I was studying for my bachelor in Sweden I have also participated in numerous photoshoots and travelled across the border to Denmark for photoshoots. For the past four years I have been shooting in different cities in Belgium.
What was your motivation for this shoot?
As you might notice, I have the same surname as the photographer! We are married and we both have inspiration and passion for photography. We have decided to have a photoshoot during the beautiful autumn days in city of Ghent and it turned out to be a very amazing experience. We know each other very well, so it made the photoshoot even more fun, where the photographer can relax and focus on his shoot and the model feels just like at home.
How did you prepare for it?
The photoshoot location is just few kilometres away from our home. So as two artists we decided to just take our camera and our motivation and go to make art!
What do you love most about modelling?
I love this feeling of being or feeling special, and to be in the centre of attention. That might sound a little bit egocentric, but I guess all artists are willing to show their best and to be appreciated for that.
During the shoot, what was the most fun part, and what was the most challenging part?
Most challenging part was the Belgium weather! As you might know, weather in Belgium might change several times during the day, so it was a little bit stressing and we were worried that it might rain. The most fun part was as I already mentioned, the feeling of knowing each other and having no feeling of shyness. We felt home and like a real team.
My home country is Azerbaijan, however my father’s nationality is Ukrainian. So, I am half Azerbaijani and half Ukrainian. Today, I live in Ghent, Belgium, where I have been living for four years. I recently turned 29 years. Beside my passion of modelling, I am also a social worker with a master degree from the Ghent University (Belgium). My bachelor years I did in Baku (Azerbaijan) and the final year of my bachelor at Lund University in Sweden.
How long have you been a model and how did you get your start in the industry?
I have been modelling since the first year of my bachelor’s degree. I got an opportunity to participate in the fashion show project of my sister as a model and I have felt that that is something that motivates me and makes me feel happy. Afterwards I started to participate in numerous modelling events and photoshoots, and I was a model in amodel agency in Baku. After that I was also modelling in Ankara, Turkey. While I was studying for my bachelor in Sweden I have also participated in numerous photoshoots and travelled across the border to Denmark for photoshoots. For the past four years I have been shooting in different cities in Belgium.
What was your motivation for this shoot?
As you might notice, I have the same surname as the photographer! We are married and we both have inspiration and passion for photography. We have decided to have a photoshoot during the beautiful autumn days in city of Ghent and it turned out to be a very amazing experience. We know each other very well, so it made the photoshoot even more fun, where the photographer can relax and focus on his shoot and the model feels just like at home.
How did you prepare for it?
The photoshoot location is just few kilometres away from our home. So as two artists we decided to just take our camera and our motivation and go to make art!
What do you love most about modelling?
I love this feeling of being or feeling special, and to be in the centre of attention. That might sound a little bit egocentric, but I guess all artists are willing to show their best and to be appreciated for that.
During the shoot, what was the most fun part, and what was the most challenging part?
Most challenging part was the Belgium weather! As you might know, weather in Belgium might change several times during the day, so it was a little bit stressing and we were worried that it might rain. The most fun part was as I already mentioned, the feeling of knowing each other and having no feeling of shyness. We felt home and like a real team.
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Why ZZ Loves It
In fashion creativity is key. As a photographer you have to constantly keep evolving, otherwise the pictures will of course become repetitive. This is the reason why experienced photographers have picked up a broad repertoire of different styles, locations, usages of different cameras and lighting options. We love how Dave manages to bring all of his experience to show in only one shoot. Different angles, close up pictures, full body shots and so on…. Still there is a similar feeling to all the pictures. It seems that this particular “feeling” could be called Dave's style. Mix his style with his wife Farida’s style and you have got yourself an awesome shoot. Dave and Farida… keep on evolving, reinventing and mixing your styles, because we want to see what more you guys are capable of!
