ivannicolau

Thoughtful

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/5 ISO 250 Shutter 1/250 Focal Length 168/1

upload_date

Jun, 2017

Views

953

Likes

+191

Awards

Curator's Choice

Peer Award

+158

Top Choice

+10

Superb Composition

Absolute Masterpiece

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Outstanding Creativity

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Top 20 rank

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at Studio OC in Fountain Valley, California. I had signed up for a group shoot with several different models. I had never shot portraits or models for that matter. So this was new territory for me.

Time

It was taken around early afternoon. Some of the shoot took place inside the studio, but I wanted to get some shots with natural light as well.

Lighting

The back of the studio opened up to a back alley with sunlight bouncing off the other white buildings lining the alley. We opened the rolling door up and I had Andrea sit up against the wall just inside the entryway. So it was all bounce lighting from the opposite building. I got some great shots from the inside of the studio, looking out as well and getting more shadows, but still using the same natural light.

Equipment

This shot was taken with a Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon 70-200 mm IS II f2.8. All natural lighting.

Inspiration

This was a learning opportunity for me. It was early on in my growth as a photographer and I had done some weddings as a second shooter, but nothing really on my own. A friend of mine told me about how Studio OC was going to have some models, with hair, make-up and outfits and he thought it would be fun for us to go give it a shot(pun intended, haha). I had never worked with models before, and my only experience was as a second shooter for a well known photographer in Orange County.

Editing

Yes. I consider myself not only a photographer, but also an artist. I enjoy tweaking my photos to try and get as much wow factor from them as possible, but I've also learned over the years to pull back the reigns on my post processing. I'm sure like many new photographers, at the time, I wanted to throw everything, including the kitchen sink into post processing. In this case though, I tried to keep it subtle. I did a little bit of retouching, skin softening, brightening her eyes, sharpening and a dropping the vibrance a bit. I really didn't need to do much in the way of retouching, because Andrea is a beautiful model. So it definitely made things easier.

In my camera bag

Now I have a much wider variety of equipment than I did back then. As a wedding shooter, that comes with the territory of course, but I like shooting a variety of subjects and situations, so I have expanded beyond the needs of a typical wedding shooter. I also like my toys and I like to have the latest and greatest. Not because it's necessary. It's just how I am. But now-a-days, if my bag is with me, it has my Canon 5D Mark IV, the Canon 50mm f1.2 and either the 100mm Macro, or the 70-200mm. And always at least one Speedlight. Lately I've been taking my Profoto B2 on location shoots, which I am loving, and will likely replace my speed lights for all my location shoots.

Feedback

One of the things I usually tell others, especially if they are new to photography is to really learn and understand how lighting works. Lighting can make such a huge difference in taking an okay photo, to an amazing one. You can convey emotion, mood and drama by by changing the lighting. And the great thing is, in most situations, you can control it, and how your photos turn out. If you can't control the existing lighting, you can manufacture your own controlled lighting either through equipment or tools. I just did a shoot in La Jolla and there was a thick marine layer, so it was cold, gray and overcast. Not what I was hoping for on a swimsuit shoot. Using the B2, I was able to add more dynamic lighting and came away with some really great shots. In fact, probably some of my better shots.

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ivannicolau

Thoughtful

Behind The Lens

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