johnsmiddysmith
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Action Award
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Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Black and White Portraits Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Portraits And Shadows Photo Contest
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People's Choice in In honour of our elders Photo Challenge
Winner in mystic and mystical portraits Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Dark Portraits Photo Contest
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this shot at a friend's studio last year. It was for an exhibit we'd planned titled ' The Dark Ages'. For the exhibit, well known local people including some actors from TV and stage, came into the studio for a portrait shoot. We had great fun and the exhibit was very well received.Time
Middle of the day.Lighting
I was looking for something similar to a Rembrandt look in this shot. I wanted it dark and moody.Equipment
I used my Nikon D7000 with a 35mm prime lens. Single light unit set to flash on the subject leaving the rear area dark and in shadow.Inspiration
My local town of Ramsgate is a town crammed full of characters. Some well known people and celebrities live locally and have used the studio for their casting shots in the past. So we asked a few people back and got a great response. It kind of grew from there.Editing
I used photoshop cc and topaz all in one bundle to process the shots and kept them dark. Just popping enough detail to obtain the desired 'Rembrandt' style effect.In my camera bag
I travel light and tend to do a mixture of landscape and wildlife in my day to day photography, so a zoom lens but nothing too big. A good wide angle and there's always room for the wee 35mm in there too. Rocket blower, cleaning gear and remote trigger accompanied by my manfrotto tripod and I'm good to go.Feedback
Subject was everything in this shot. I was very lucky to meet up with Andy and convince him to model for me. Don't overdo the lighting, keep it minimal and use a good prime lens 1.4 or 1.8 to obtain sharpness in low light. Don't let your subject smile and have fun with it. Everyone has a different way of shooting this style of portraiture, but the key I find is make sure you're away from natural light. I kept the studio fairly dark so that the only light sources were the ones I created. Control the light and you'll get this shot every time. Enjoy :)