My Father.
A portrait of my father.
A portrait of my father.
Read less
Read less
Nov, 2013Views
1505
Likes
Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Amateur Winner Interesting People Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Interesting People Photo Contest
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Exceptional Contrast
Virtuoso
Genius
Superior Skill
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankCategories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
At my parents house about five years ago. I was down for the weekend and had my camera with me. I didn’t have an recent picture of my father at the time so thought it was a good opportunity to take one.Time
Just after lunch. We’d just enjoyed a chicken roast Mum had prepared and everyone was relaxed. My father was in the sunroom at the time reading the paper so thought it was a perfect time to capture him.Lighting
It was an overcast day and I remember the gentle light that was steaming through the window highlighting the side of my fathers face. It captured my imagination and reminded me of the lighting in a Rembrandt painting.Equipment
At the time all I had with me was my trusty Canon 400D with a standard lens on it. No tripod meant I had to awkwardly prop myself against the wall to compensate for the long exposure time.Inspiration
I had recently been spending some time in the Adelaide Art Galley during the week and was fascinated in some of the early 18th century portraits. I liked the way the lighting gave prominence to the subjects facial features, especially on elderly people. I wanted to try replicating that in an image of someone prominent to me.Editing
The original image was shot in colour in raw format. I converted it to black and white in Photoshop, adjusted the contrast and darkened the area on the left side of my fathers face to give the image more impact.In my camera bag
In past I use to carry a lot, although when I took this image I only had my Canon 400D on me. These days I carry very little have reduced my entire photographic equipment down to a Sony mirrorless A7 with a standard lense attached. This keeps me flexible as it’s small enough to fit in a day bag and I can take it anywhere. I’ve learnt less is more when you want to be agile.Feedback
Pick a day that’s overcast. You don’t want direct sun light as it increases your risk of burning out the details. Ideally take it inside and position the subject about a chairs width from the window. Be prepared to experiment with exposure and if you can try to use a tripod unless you can prop yourself against something. Take lots and lots of pictures. Capturing the right expression on your subject will take time as they get use to the camera being in front of them. Use a 50mm lens or above if you can, this will avoid visual distortion. Most of all, make it about the subject. Make them feel comfortable and enjoy the process.
