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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on Penn States campus at the Alumni Center. It is a great area for portraits, offering many different areas to photograph from different walls, walk ways, landscaping and a pond.Time
This photo shoot took place late afternoon. I usually like to photograph at the Penn State Alumni Center in the morning or late afternoon for two reason; the lighting is usually perfect and less people walking around.Lighting
Since this was taken in the late afternoon, the sun had a great color to it and the angle of the rays was perfect. I had her stand by the brick wall (I can use both sides of the wall) because the lighting was just perfect! It gave her a great color and the shows were just right. I also used a flash for a little fill on the face.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D7100 with a AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR and SB 700 flash for fill.Inspiration
This photo shoot was a senior portrait, she chose a package with just a few outfit changes. Normally it would have been around an hour, but she was so great to work with, I asked if we could keep photographing. She, of course, loved the idea. I did not have another shoot that day, so we took our time for another hour or so. I asked her input on where to do some of the poses, and she actually was the one that suggested the wall. It is great when the model can really work with you and also have some good input.Editing
I shoot RAW so I use Lightroom for my post-processing. I don't do too much to the image besides some basic features. The way I look at it, if your photograph it correctly, expose the image the right way, you shouldn't have to spend much time "working" on your image. I learned photography on film, so you needed to get the image perfect from the start.In my camera bag
This, of course, depends on the type of shoot I am doing. For a portrait I have my Nikon D7200 and Nikon D7100, the AF-S DX Nikkor 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G, Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Fisheye Lens, Nikon SB 700 flash, light meter, extra batteries and my L-Bracket.Feedback
Take your time, look at your surroundings from different angles, pay a lot of attention to the light and take good light meter readings. Every shot I take I act like I am still photographing with film so I can get as perfect an image right out of the camera as I can get. When working with a model for the first time I like to ask them questions to get to know them just a little. What things do they like, what are they into, what activities do they enjoy. Then during the shoot I can have some nice conversations about them. Make it all about them. They need to feel you care and are interested in them, it will make them feel at ease and bring out their true self. I also like to get their input. They may want to take a shot that I may not think is a great idea, but it makes them happy, and sometimes it turns out to be a great shot.