After what I felt was a successful location shoot with Sabina a few weeks ago, I had the chance to shoot in Pollença with Elena — an experienced, in-demand model from Italy, now based in London. She reached out while holidaying in Mallorca to see if we could collaborate and update her portfolio. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.

After some lengthy chats on social media, we met in person for coffee — something I always like to do before a shoot. I need to feel a connection with my models and understand what they’re looking for. We talked for an hour or so and set a date, though the weather had other ideas. The first day was a washout, so we pushed it to the next morning.

Our plan was simple: start at the beach, then move to Port de Pollença for some lifestyle shots around town and, if all went well, a few on a boat.

Since this was only my second location shoot, I did a fair bit of planning — checking light direction, potential props, and spots to shoot. Elena arrived with a heavy bag of outfits, and we set up base on the beach using a few sunbeds. She slipped effortlessly into posing mode while I focused on light and composition. Her experience was a gift — it freed me from over-directing and let me concentrate on the technical side for those first few minutes.

After about ten minutes, we found our rhythm. The shoot flowed naturally — a mix of Elena’s ideas and my direction from behind the lens. We worked through scenes quickly: rocks, playgrounds, beach bars, jetties… we even borrowed a passing dog for a few shots.

After an hour or so, we moved into town for a much-needed coffee break. The café gave us some lovely lifestyle frames, and once we’d refueled, we wandered the square chasing interesting light and compositions. The sun was strong, but the dappled shade from the trees helped.

Finally, we made our way to the marina. I’d arranged to use a small motorboat for a final set, but we accidentally boarded the wrong one — only to be corrected by text five minutes later. (Apologies to that boat owner — a genuine mistake!) Once on the right boat, Elena changed into her stars-and-stripes top, and we wrapped up with a few final shots.

In total, we shot for about four hours and ended up with nearly 3,000 images — plenty to keep me busy in editing. It was a fantastic experience, full of lessons and laughs. Elena was a true professional throughout — patient, creative, and fun to work with. I’m already looking forward to the next one.