jameswfortune
FollowTaken as part of a very talented makeup artist's portfolio.
Taken as part of a very talented makeup artist's portfolio.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Looking At Faces Photo Contest
Runner Up in Covers Photo Contest Vol 49
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 49
Peer Choice Award
Featured
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 38
Runner Up in Unforgettable Portraits Photo Contest by Zenfolio
Contest Finalist in Unforgettable Portraits Photo Contest by Zenfolio
Contest Finalist in Covers Photo Contest Vol 36
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Top Ranks
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Behind The Lens
Location
Believe it or not, this was taken in the kitchen of the makeup artist that I was working with on this. She had a wonderfully large kitchen with enough room for a decent portrait setup and a nice flat bare wall to hang a large backdrop from.Time
This was taken around 4pm on a Saturday afternoon in Edinburgh. I solely used artificial lighting for this photo, so thankfully did not have to rely on the time of day!Lighting
I used two Bowens Esprit flashes, with the standard wide angle reflector for the harsh shadows, either side at 70 degree angles from the centre line, evenly spaced about two metres away from the model (I am a sucker for symmetry), with a Nikon sb900 to soften the neck shadow.Equipment
Nikon sb900, 2 Bowens Esprit 250 flash heads, my heavy but trusty Manfrotto tripod.Inspiration
A truly talented makeup artist commissioned me to take this portrait for her portfolio. She had a rough idea of what she wanted in terms of gold body paint, portrait, white background etc. and I was left to interpret and create.Editing
Post processing involved a few minor corrections on Lightroom (lens correction, shades and whites and curve) and that's about it. I try to avoid any extensive photoshop wherever possible and keep editing to a minimum. If you get everything right on-camera, heavy post-processing becomes unnecessary.In my camera bag
For portraits and fashion, I normally carry: Nikon d300s, Nikon fm2n, 50mm, 85mm, 24mm lenses, Nikon sb900/910 flashguns, Godox X1N trigger and receivers, spare batteries, Polaris light meter, tripod, a couple of light stands and a couple of light modifiers. For landscapes, I keep things to a minimum. Same bodies and lenses, a few filters and my tripod.Feedback
The best advice I can offer for a piece of work like this is plan ahead, prepare properly, have a good team, and practise a lot. Seriously. Understanding how artificial lighting works and can be controlled and balanced is absolutely essential. Be prepared for any curveballs that are thrown your way. Planning your lighting with light diagrams is useful, check everything the night before and the morning before, pack speedlights as backups and lots of spare batteries as backups ( the speedlights on this occasion helped me deal with the harsh neck shadow and gave me that extra bit of control that I needed). Most importantly, take your time and make sure you are enjoying yourself.