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Silhouette of Tilly McReese
Silhouette of Tilly McReese
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Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my studio, in Newcastle West. I had always wanted to do something like this and have tried it before, learning and improving, as I went along. Irish born Playboy model, Tilly McRease, was home for Christmas and I booked her for a shoot. This was one of the images I got from that shoot.Time
As the shot was taken in my studio, the time of day didn't matter but it was about 5 pm. I knew the lighting would take some time to set up and may need to be adjusted several time before I was happy with it. That's why I chose to do this with a professional model. I kept it until the end to ensure I got the other shots I wanted. I didn't know how long this would take and was prepared to sacrifice it, rather than loose the other shots. There was also the fact that I needed to build a set for the other shots, so by doing them first I could have the set ready when Tilly arrived and get more shooting time with her.Lighting
The lighting was a single Elinchrom BRX500i, with a 21 cm dish and a 30 degree honey comb. This was on an Elinchrom Polystand, placed about 1.5 meters behind Tilly, about 2.5 meters high, directly in line with her and aimed at the lower part of the background. I used ISO 200, F11 and 1/200 sec shutter. I had to fine tune the lighting position several times to get Tilly in the center and the reflection where she was standing. I used a white vinyl background and placed Perspex over it on the floor, for the reflection. I think Perspex is know as Plexiglass in the US. The walls of my studio are painted black, to prevent light bouncing but I still had to clean it up in Photoshop.Equipment
I used a Nikon D300s. It's getting old now but I feel so comfortable using it that I'm reluctant to replace it. The lens was a Nikon 24-70 mm F 2.8, at 55 mm, effective focal length of 82 mm. It was hand held, so that I could get down to the level I thought suited the shot best. I tried three different levels for each set up but this is the one I liked best. The camera was about level with Tilly's waist. The other shots were at knee and bust level.Inspiration
I've always loved silhouettes and high contrast images. When I was about eleven, a guy showed me some prints he had just gotten done and they were all either silhouettes or high contrast images of people. I was blown away by them, this is what got me interested in photography to start with. I often experiment with light and shadow both in portraits and landscapes.Editing
In ACR I pulled the black slider the whole way to the left and the white slider all the way to the right. I also increased the contrast, darkened the shadows and brightened the highlights. I increased the effect in Photoshop, using levels and curves adjustment layers. I also removed stray hairs and evidence of the little bows on Tilly's lingerie, which spoiled the lines in the image. I smoothed off the outlines, for example, I could see the bottom of her rib cage and I smoothed that, to create a more pleasing effect.In my camera bag
When going out and about I bring two Nikon D300s, one with a 24-70 mm lens and the other with a 70-300 mm lens and a Nikon 50mm F1.8. I also bring a Manfrotto 190 xprob tripod, canvas bag with weights for the tripod, two Pocket Wizard TT5s and a TT1 and three SB 800s, shoot through umbrellas and a beauty dish, polarizing and neutral density filters, lots of spare batteries for everything and spare cards (4), laptop and memory sticks for back up. I also bring a variety of reflectors and flags, ranging in size from 30 cm square to 1.2 meters high. In studio I use the same combination of equipment, except the Pocket Wizards and SB 800s are replaced by my Elinchrom lights and accessories. I also use a Nikon 85 mm lens from time to time. When shooting for my own pleasure I also bring macro rings and sometimes I bring my Nikon 85 mm or my Sigma 150-300mm, depending on what I'm doing.Feedback
Your model needs to be someone patient and used to posing, a professional model would be best. Longish hair works best. She doesn't have to be very slim but a double chin or bulging tummy is out. Have her wear a bikini or lingerie, tight fitting, with clean lines. A clean white background works best. I used a white vinyl background, pulled out to about 1.5 meters in front of the model. I put perspex on the floor, for better reflections. It's important to prevent the light bouncing off bright surfaces, especially mirrors or glass. My studio has black walls but I did a similar shot before I had the studio and used velvet at the sides to prevent reflections. The light should be overhead the model, aimed slightly down, for a wider beam and better reflections. Make sure none of the light falls directly on the model. I used a dish and honey comb, with a flag attached to the stand, for this. The light should also be behind your model, about 1 to 2 meters. You will have to experiment with the position of your light, especially the angle of the downward aim, to get the reflection where you want it. Make sure that your camera, the model and the light are in line with each other. If your model is off center in the beam, the shot will not work. It's important that there's evidence of both arms and legs in the pose. It's easy to forget and have the model stand straight, with the final image looking like she missing limbs. I used F 11 to make sure all of her outline was sharp. I think a fuzzy outline would ruin the shot. The image will have to be cleaned up in ACR or Photoshop or both. Shoot in RAW and pull back your blacks and increase you whites in ACR. Increase the contrast and darken the shadows, brighten the highlights. Make sure it very sharp coming out of ACR and when finished in Photoshop use the high pass sharpening method.
