Masque: Emily (1)
Emily Whitworth at Union 206
MUA: Abbi Shank
Aug, 2014Views
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Awards
Chatter Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Studio Fun Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
We shot this series at Union 206 studio in Alexandria, Virginia. We were using their largest studio, A. We had some big ideas and wanted some big room.Time
I want to say this was early afternoon. If memory serves, Emily had rehearsal that evening, so we met early to do her headshots and this series.Lighting
I was very careful with the lighting. The hood made for some interesting shadows and shapes, and we played a lot with where it was sitting on her head, how much her face was covered....it was a lot of fun. I kept the modifiers nice and tight, using grids and narrow softboxes as needed.Equipment
I shot this on my Canon 7D with my 24-105mm F/4L lens. Handheld with the house triggers to set of the studio lights.Inspiration
We spent a lot of time in 2014 exploring masks and minimalist set ups. We had a lot of costume and prop heavy shoots the year before, so we wanted to scale way back. The second batch of mask based shoots were super hero themed. Emily had the perfect look and figure to use this hood. The dark green really brings out her eyes and the size of it on her frame kept the shoot in the realm of implied nudity.Editing
I did some very light glamour retouching, smoothing the skin and brightening the eyes a bit. I wanted the contrast of the shadows to be strong, but not unnatural. I was also picky about the sharpening. I like the texture of the leather, and I wanted to bring that out a bit.In my camera bag
For studio shoots, I usually have my Canon 7D, my 24-105mm F/4L lens and my 50mm F/1.4. That's it. I like to spend most of my time with the studio lights and the model, not so much with the bells and whistles on my camera.Feedback
Pay attention to lines, shadows and textures. I think being picky about the hood made this photo what it is. Where it folds, where it casts shadows, how open the lacing is, how the lines complement what else is going on. Also have a fantastic model. Emily is incredible and I hope to see her working everywhere.
