AdamOoiPhotography
FollowMy first ever attempt at a Levitation shot! it took near 6 hours just to edit it haha but so worth it)
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My first ever attempt at a Levitation shot! it took near 6 hours just to edit it haha but so worth it)
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http:--facebook.com-ooiphoto
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Awards
Action Award
Legendary Award
Featured
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Peer Award
Superior Skill
Jaw Dropping
Exceptional Contrast
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Genius
One Of A Kind
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tepidautumn
April 26, 2014
You guys did an outstanding job! I am so proud of you two and very much impressed. This deserves a photography Oscar! :)
AdamOoiPhotography
May 02, 2014
Thank you very much Sue! Here is a link to my youtube video where I discuss how I went about shooting this http://youtube.com/watch?v=fuToz7ods0s
(3min27 Is where I talk about Levitation)
(3min27 Is where I talk about Levitation)
sandystewart
June 11, 2014
Superb work to make this appear so. I'm wondering about the strings on the left. The reason for leaving them. I know you've got a good reason and me being new am just inquisitive. I love this image.
Coomanator
June 12, 2014
Masterfully composed and edited levitation shot. Congratulations on the "Feature". Added to my favorites.
Nikonshoooter803
September 07, 2015
I love levitation photography!!! This is an outstanding photo. Everything about it just screams high quality. Awesome job!!!
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Behind The Lens
Location
'Pure Essence' was taken in my garage believe it or not! A very, very...very small garage.Time
The time of day was approximately 1pm, and it took roughly an hour to shoot.Lighting
It is all natural light, coming in from the left hand side of the photo (I had the roller door up). The best thing about shooting in a garage like mine is that it's all white walls, so the light just bounces around and fills in perfectly.Equipment
I used a Canon 60D, 10-20mm Sigma Lens and a cheap $100 tripod which is now lost... Along with those essentials, she is lying on a chair, on top of 2 suitcases. Also, there is a light stand on the right side of the image with the bed sheet attached to it.Inspiration
I had recently seen levitation images going around on Viewbug, so I felt compelled to try my own. I youtube'd how to do levitation, and basically went from there. I love the surreal quality of levitation photos, they offer you a different viewing sensation that is not gained from any other style of photography.Editing
YES, my god yes. This photo had about 6 hours of love poured into it through Lightroom and Photoshop. The hardest part was to get the ends of the bed sheets horizontal so it didn't look like she was lying in a hammock. By using various selection tools, I was able to re-correct the position of the bed sheets to make it appear as if she is levitating. Along with all of that, the necessary process of compositing two images together is critical in levitation. So after taking the shot with Julie on the chair, I then cleared the room to have an empty garage (keeping the camera in the same position) and then taking another shot. After that, using a layer mask in photoshop, I was able to 'erase' the chairs and light stands so she appears to be floating in mid-air!In my camera bag
At the time of shooting this I was only 6 months into my photo journey, so I was minimalistic by force. In my bag, I had a Canon 60D, 50mm canon 1.8 and a sigma 10-20mm wide angle. Since then I have added a 85mm Rokinon 1.4, and a 24-70mm Tamron 2.8, and a much better tripod. Those are the essentials, but I also possess accessories such as Canon speedlites, Rode microphones- Lav and shotgun, Spider holster belt and a Black Rapid strap.Feedback
Attention to detail is a must. Levitation is a fine art and if you don't get it right in camera, then you are going to have major headaches later on in post. One massive tip I could give in regards to making a successful levitation, is to make sure the subjects limb's are not touching anything, try to minimise how much her body is touching the support structure (i.e. a chair, stool etc...). Also, this is not the kind of shot that you would do on a whim, I recommend drawing your vision first and having that as a rough idea. If the subject is going to be upright, getting there feet to leave the support structure makes things a lot easier. So for example, model is standing on a stool in a forest, give her a 3.2.1 then she does a mini-hop in to the air, you snap, and hey there's your levitation. Just make sure she doesn't jump too high or you can tell.