The Idea

My friend Jackilyn and I are always dreaming up ideas, and this week we wanted to create something angelic and surreal. We didn’t have access to a studio, so instead of forcing it, we leaned into the limitation and decided to shoot at a lake, which made the whole thing even more ethereal.

We shot this in Arizona during the winter, which meant fewer people around at night and a quieter environment overall. For safety (and sanity), we had our fellow creative and photographer Zack Placencia with us, shooting with us, carrying gear, and braving the cold water to set up the lighting. We also brought pepper spray, always better safe than sorry when you’re shooting at night in a remote area.

Camera & Costume Setup

For this shoot, I used:

Canon R6 Mark II

Canon RF 24–105mm lens

Dream FX filter from PrismLensFX (use code SARASCHULTZPHOTO for 15% off)

Starburst FX filter from PrismLensFX (use code SARASCHULTZPHOTO for 15% off)

Alternatives - Cheaper Dream Filter and Cheaper Starburst Filter

The dream filter helped soften highlights and added glow to the light sources, which was perfect for the angelic look we were going for.

The wings were from Amazon, they were lightweight and foamy, which actually worked in our favor because the material absorbed and reflected light really beautifully.

Angel wings

Shot 1: The Blown-Out Angel (On the Rocks)

We started on the rocks to create the super overexposed, glowing angel image.

Lighting Setup

Godox V1-C flash

(I used the V1-C because I shot on Canon, if you shoot on Sony you will need the V1-S, etc)

I set the flash to manual mode and cranked it all the way up to 1/1 power (maximum output). This gave us that intense, blown-out glow.

Important: Flash Sync Speed (What It Is & Why It Matters)

When you’re using flash, your camera has a maximum shutter speed at which the entire sensor is exposed at once. This is called your flash sync speed.

If you go faster than your sync speed:

Part of your image will be covered by a black bar

The flash won’t illuminate the full frame

For the Canon R6 Mark II, the sync speed is around 1/200s (double-check your camera settings to be sure).

So for this shoot:

I kept my shutter speed at or below 1/200

Then adjusted ISO and aperture to balance exposure

This let the flash fully fire and gave us clean, consistent light.

Shot 2: The Glowy, Ethereal Lake Scene

Once we got the blown-out shots, we moved to the shoreline for the second setup.

Zack brought one C-stand with a boom arm into the lake (carefully), and we mounted a Neewer MS60C light behind the subject.

Back Light

Neewer MS60C

Powered by dual NP-F batteries (F550 / F750 / F970)

C Stand

Set to 80–100% power

Placing the light behind the subject created that glowing outline and separation from the background.

Front Light

We added a second Neewer MS60C on another C-stand in front of the subject at a lower power (50-60%), just enough to bring back detail without overpowering the glow.

Adding Fog & Atmosphere

To push the ethereal look even further, we brought out a fog machine, powered by a portable power station so we didn’t need an outlet.

Fog machine

Fog fluid

Portable Power Station Generator

Once the fog started rolling, everything came together - the light bloomed, the wings glowed, and the scene felt otherworldly. I shot some frames without it, but once I added my starburst filter, I knew it was staying on.

The filter turned highlights into starbursts and added just enough magic without feeling overdone.

Final Thoughts

This shoot was a perfect example of letting limitations guide creativity. No studio, no problem. A lake, some lights, and a lot of imagination went a long way.

If you want to recreate something similar, all the gear used in this shoot is linked throughout this post.

And if you try something inspired by this, I’d love to see it!