ElenaParaskeva
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Contest Finalist in Ice And Snow Photo Contest
People's Choice in Composing With Depth Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Composing With Depth Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Image of the Year Photo Contest by Snapfish
Contest Finalist in Snowflakes Photo Contest
Runner Up in Outdoor Portraits Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in The Joy of Holidays Portrait Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Outdoor Portraits Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Love it
Virtuoso
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ghphotouk
December 11, 2014
Pure fairytale, you can almost feel the magic in her concentration, I love this image
amckean
December 22, 2014
What an incredible image! This child is stunning. She reminds me so much of Brooke Shields when she was a little girl.
MelissaTindle
January 28, 2015
So in LOVE with this! Would love to know your secret with the snow overlay ;)
florinabelu-alexandru
December 27, 2015
Beutiful girl and beautiful picture.Please tell me what lens did you use and if you had an external flash.Thank you.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was one of the very first images i took when starting out (about 2 years ago), and although a lot has changed since (i now work as an editiorial fashion photographer for national and international fashion magazines) it is still one of my favorites because it is a case in point of making something out of nothing..I took this in the backyard of the little girl's house in a mountain village in my native country of Cyprus. Mind you, it was late Summer and about 80 degrees!Time
I had arrived early but the shadows were too harsh so i waited until i could see the last rays to shoot this (i believe it was around 7.30 pm) so i would get an even light for my subject and the background (the sun was already behind the mountains)..Lighting
Back then i only used natural light (remember i was just starting out so i didn't even know what strobes were or off camera flash for that matter)..But i knew i wanted my subject bright and the background a couple of exposures lower..so i told the girl to stay still and bracketed the exposures.Equipment
This was with my very first camera, a Nikon D52000 and the only lens i owned, a 50mm 1.4. No tripod, nothing else.Inspiration
I wanted a pretty little girl to photograph so i could build my portfolio, and when my physiotherapist showed me a pic of her daughter i knew i had to shoot her..i mean, she was sooo cute..The mother wanted a Winter/Christmas photo because well, you never get those ones in my country, what with always being hot and dry..so i armed myself with a fur winter coat i owned and drove a couple of hours to her place with just a rough idea in my head of what i wanted to do. When i got to her place, i saw that it was nested high on a hill with bare rocks in the background. I realized then that i could use the rocks to create the effect of snow so i placed the girl so her back could face them and i used a large aperture to blur it..i wanted her to really stand out. I then told her to pretend there was a little bird in her hands..she probably thought i was nuts but she obliged!Editing
The background of the image was not changed No copy and paste here at all! All i really had to do was play with my curves and adjustment layers to bring out pure white out of the yellow rocks..i played with luminance to darken the sky and gave it a blue tint..i then added flakes and the birdie, and voila!In my camera bag
Well, nowdays it is a very, very long list, unless i'm travelling on vacation and shooting landscapes. Otherwise, if i'm doing editorials i carry a couple of bags for my numerous flashes, stands, reflectors, softboxes, 4 different lenses, color gels, extra batteries etc..Oh, and i shoot with my Nikon D810.Feedback
I think having a rough idea of what you want to achieve before you set out to shoot something is always key..pre-visualization. It is ok not to go overboard with the details when you are starting out, but as you progress, mapping out your plan of attack with notes on composition, lighting etc is important. Specifically on this image, i'd say make your life easier and don't shoot on a sunny day, shoot during an overcast day instead. If you have no choice, then wait until the sun is almost gone..If you know how to use off camera flash it will save you editing time by using it in such a way so that you underexpose the background (if you don't have a strong flash, one stop of underexposure is fine, you can lower it in post). This is key because a believable winter scene needs to have a darker, moody background..if like me you happen to live in an area that doesn't snow, well, then you fake it..you can actually create your own customized snow brush in photoshop. It is not hard, but to make it believable you have to play around with shape dynamics and scattering so the angle, size and the way the flakes move are randomized. Also, when you add objects to your image, like i did with the bird, keep in mind the depth of field. I used a large aperture, so if i took a sharp bird and placed it in my subject's hand it would look completely unbelievable. In this case, you have to blur the object to match the level of blur at the point of placement. Other than that have fun!!