This set of pool photos was chosen to be shot after 4 PM, when the lighting is indeed the most comfortable. The strong light at noon easily casts shadows on the face, and the water reflection can also appear harshly white, so we tried to avoid the time slot from 11 AM to 3 PM. If it's an overcast day, you can actually shoot all day long with even lighting, making it easy to capture fair skin tones.
In terms of camera parameter settings, I directly used Aperture Priority (A mode), setting the aperture between f/2.8 and f/4, which effectively blurs the background pool water and ice cream cart to highlight the subject. ISO was fixed at 100 to ensure straight-out-of-camera images without noise. The metering mode was set to spot metering, aiming at the face to balance the strong light from the water surface. White balance was set at 5400K, making skin tones rosy and the pool's blue tone very clean. The in-camera preset parameters were adjusted to contrast minus 1, saturation plus 1, and highlights minus 2. Under backlight or sidelight environments in the afternoon, this set of parameters preserves the highlight details of the white gauze cover-up and skin very well.
For styling, I chose a purple bikini paired with a semi-transparent white long-sleeve cover-up. Dark clothes tried previously easily looked dull by the poolside, whereas this light-colored combination matches the blue pool water perfectly, resulting in a refreshing photo look. The blue-gray highlighted wig got slightly wet, with a few strands of hair clinging to the cheeks, adding a touch of cool aloofness. The cat-ear headband and sunglasses on top of the head are great props; they not only enrich the visual layers but also give hands something to do while posing, such as the natural posture of holding the sunglasses with one hand.
When shooting, try to face sideways to the sunlight rather than staring straight into the sun, otherwise the strong water reflection will shine on the face and cause overexposure. To make the frame more lively, you can gently splash water, capturing flying water droplets. Picking up a small bowl of fruit or holding a pink swim ring—actions with a strong sense of interaction—can easily fit a lively and quirky atmosphere. Carry a lens cloth with you during the shoot since pool moisture can easily fog up the frame, so keeping the lens clean at all times is essential.
Makeup must be waterproof, as smudged eyelashes and base makeup can look really messy. Setting your makeup properly before shooting is key to maintaining a translucent skin texture during long shooting sessions. For long shots, you can try sitting by the edge of the pool and stretching your legs forward, using a low angle to elongate body proportions; for close-ups, you can rest your chin on one hand or half-lie on a wicker lounge chair. Regarding hairstyles, wet hair clinging to the cheeks or half-submerged in water showing only eyebrows and eyes suits a cool and pure-desire style; playing with a float, biting on a soda bottle leans more towards a lively and cute style. As long as you control the light and parameters well, and naturally interact with scene props, straight-out-of-camera images can also yield great results.