Teardrop
For the colour white photo contest. A depiction of heartbreak.
For the colour white photo contest. A depiction of heartbreak.
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May, 2014Views
2901
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Summer 2020
Member Selection Award
Featured
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Peer Award
Exceptional Contrast
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Jaw Dropping
One Of A Kind
Top Class Lighting
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 2Top 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 30 rank week 2
PRO+
PRO+
BrianpSlade
June 21, 2014
A fine perspective and superbly framed piece....well done and congrats!.....Brian
PRO+
Platinum
Platinum
Platinum
PRO+
Platinum
Ultimate
BrianpSlade
November 21, 2014
Nicely crafted all round...your subject has been framed superbly for the piece...Well done and congrats...Brian
PRO
Premium
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
In my apartment, facing an open window, in front of a white paper backdrop.Time
Noon-afternoon, sunny day.Lighting
The natural light from the window created much of the softness, however one 105 watt bulb with an umbrella was used as well for effect.Equipment
Canon EOS 7D, 50mm f/1.8 lens (Canon), (one) 105 watt bulb with umbrella, white paper backdropInspiration
I was going through heartbreak when I took this picture. At that time in my life I had just been rejected by someone who spent months leading me to believe he felt the same way about me that I felt about him (he kept me "on his hook", for those How I Met Your Mother fans). I wanted to portray an elegant side of sadness. I thought of doing real tears with running makeup, but didn't think it would look clean enough for the type of photo I wanted to achieve. The teardrop is drawn on with eyeliner as a representation of what this photo meant to me, more as a portrayal of a concept than an attempt to achieve any sort of realism.Editing
There were quite a few blemishes that I edited out from the face and chest. Some retouching was done to make the skin look softer. The whole photo is also quite desaturated in colour (Around 20-30% saturation from the original), however the lips and feather (the red bits) were erased out with a slightly opaque brush for dramatic effect.In my camera bag
I use a Canon EOS 6D now, and a 50mm f/1.8 lens. I typically do my work outdoors and avoid using a flash. When I have the money I hope to widen my variety of lenses (which is clearly lacking now).Feedback
Natural light is the best for a soft look with any portrait. It keeps the tones even and gives the illusion of smoothness before editing. Though I used a light as well, I used one that is close to a "natural light" effect and diffused it with the umbrella. Other things on my mind when I took this photo were the rule of thirds (even though I had a plain white background I considered it to look more powerful with my model more off to the side), and taking the photo from a higher angle for a more flattering viewpoint, and also because the obstruction of the eyes by the hat was intentional.
