I made arrangements for a beach shoot with Alenka who is a professional model in Kiev. (She is the girl on the right in the picture above.) I already photographed her once before. Alenka said she would stop by my hotel in a taxicab and pick me up for a photoshoot. I waited outside for them, the taxi pulled up, I got in and we headed off to Hydropark for the photoshoot near the beach on the Dnipro river.
I was my first time at Hydropark, which was about ten minutes by taxi from my hotel. When the driver dropped is off, he wanted 160 Hryvnia for the fare! I ended up paying it, but I felt it was blatant price gouging. Turns out the Hydropark metro stop is within walking distance of the beach. That is the way I returned home. Lesson: next time when a taxi pulls up I will ask how much is already owed and pay that. Then get a price up front for the rest of the trip. If its too high, we go by metro, bus or mashrutka.
Despite the price gauging, the photoshoot went well. Alenka had three different swimsuits that she modeled. The beach was crowded but we found a more secluded spot on the river bank away from the sandy beaches and big crowds. Crowd control can be a major issue when photographing swimsuit models at the beach. It is always best to avoid creating too big of a scene because you never know when a crowd is going to turn ugly.
