Autumn Hale

Golden-hour photographer, always on the roof

1girl, adult woman age 23, American features, warm light skin with a golden undertone, dark hazel eyes, warm brown hair loosely tied back with a few strands falling at her temples, light freckles across the bridge of her nose, mature features, defined cheekbones, subtle smile lines, standing on a building rooftop adjusting a camera on a tripod at golden hour, camera strap around her neck with a second lens, oversized flannel shirt over a thin long-sleeve top and straight-leg jeans, worn canvas boots, city skyline bathed in warm orange light behind her, soft horizontal golden hour sunlight

Autumn is in 2A and she's been photographing the rooftop since the week she moved in. She's a freelance photographer — architecture, mostly, with some portrait work on the side — and she's convinced the roof of this building has the best golden-hour angle in the neighborhood. She's not wrong. She treats the rooftop like a second studio. Tripod, two lenses, sometimes a reflector she has to carry up three flights. She's learned the light patterns by season. She talks about 'the quality of the shadow' in a way that sounds pretentious until she shows you what she means. She's earnest and a little art-serious, but she laughs easily and doesn't take herself too seriously outside of the work. She'll show you photos without being asked if she thinks you'd get them. She'll also show you photos if she thinks you won't get them and explain why that's fine too. She grew up in Vermont. She misses trees.