Millar_Images
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Millar_Images
December 18, 2016
Thanks to all for your support, I really appreciate the comments and awards!
Eli171
September 15, 2017
An amazing dramatic shot 1st class I feel the black and white speaks volumes here
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at my home studio on a spur of the moment inspiration.Time
This was taken at around 1am in the morning. I was on the way to bed when inspiration struck me walking past my medieval collection. I could not keep myself from reminding that if I did not do it now, it would not ever be done.Lighting
There is something very intimate and inclusive between the viewer and subject when you are drawn in to the close proximity of well lit images at close range. It forces you to understand the subject, not allowing you to run away and hide to come up with your own conclusion. It expresses exactly what the artist wants to you to feel, think, and believe. It lies bare what the artist intended you to experience without any apologies.Equipment
Camera was a Nikon D810, lens was Nikon 50mm f1.4 prime lens, and the tripod was a Bogen/Manfretto. The studio flash was Paul C Buff- Eisenstein with PCB 22" beauty dish with 30 degree honey comb.Inspiration
This was taken close to around 1am on an inspiration, spur of the moment idea when passing my collection of armor and swords while heading to bed. I knew that if I did not immediately take this idea to the studio, it would be rolling around in my head and forgotten later, like so many other great ideas have ended up in the past. I am very much a history buff, and have acquired a semi-large collection of different artifacts over the years, but medieval history is my forte'. I plan to do many more shoots with my collection, including an extremely rare 1502 Italian suit of black leather armor I purchased from a museum that sits in my dining room. This chainmail headpiece and tunic is all hand crafted and looped traditionally by twisting 16 gauge stainless steel wire around a metal rod, then cutting it on one side, then assembled each loop by hand with hand tools. This method cannot be repeated by machine, and is becoming a lost art. The head piece weighs approximately 12 lbs., and the tunic is approximately 55lbs. This should give some perspective as to how strong you had to be back then when you had to add also the chainmail pants, and the armor that can weigh up to another 100-150. This is why some preferred the lighter weight leather armor over the metal armor, which many people do not realize today that they even had leather armor back then.Editing
The only Post processing was blackening the blacks.In my camera bag
Nikon D 810 with Nikon 24-70mm, and anything else I need depending on the shoot.Feedback
Buy a beauty dish and experiment with it. Buy all the modifiers you can get for it also. If you want to simulate this type of photo, you will of course have to purchase the chainmail and sword. This is single lighting technique using a 22" beauty dish with 30 degree honeycomb grid positioned approximately 60 degrees down onto subject.