The Beguiled
model: Madison
a woman held transfixed by a paranormal power
Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my my dining room. We never dine there. It's empty and now houses trees and odd chairs, odds and ends for photo shoots. My home has become something of a big studio and barely resembles a real house these days.Time
Just mid-day. The model and I only had a weekend time to do this so, of course, Saturday, and, of course, afternoon, after lunch, after a sufficient amount of caffeine had been pumped into our veins.Lighting
I mixed the lighting with some ambient light from outside and a work light from Home Depot. There's lighting on a budget for you. Where there's a will there's a way, right?Equipment
I used a Canon 7D with a 18-135mm lens. No tripod or flash...just me mumbling to myself and clicking away.Inspiration
I mostly go by my mood of the day. The shoots I plan out too much usually never reach what I'd like it to reach so I just go by gut instinct. If my photos inspire a mood, I'm very happy with that. I don't think they need to be terribly complicated but a sense of that sort of aesthetic is a must.Editing
I always post-process. Even if a picture is perfect in camera, I still am compelled to do post processing. For this one, I gave the picture that matte style, a ghosting with the feet, and above her head, in the dark patch, you can see a faint projection of the her hands holding the skull above her.In my camera bag
I have upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark III so that is always in my bag. I skip along gleefully with that little wonder in my bag. These days, I usually shoot with 24-105mm lens. If I am using monolights, I always have my triggers handy and I do have a Sekonic light meter, but I barely use it. I usually shoot slightly darker in RAW so I can pull up highlights and some midtones. But I do use it for a just a general ballpark figure in less than ideal conditions. On rare occasions, my Nifty Fifty might tag along but I usually am so involved in shooting that it never occurs to me to change lenses!Feedback
Don't worry about the criticism you'll likely receive. I could care less about what most photographers have to say about my work. Technique is an important component of photography, of course, but technique without aesthetic and creativity is boring and forgettable. I think I'm living proof that less than ideal sets and props do not prohibit you from making a worthwhile portrait. And here's the thing...I LIKE my work. If it was someone else's, I'd completely dig it. You have to like what you're doing. I don't take pictures of flowers and food for a reason---they are not what I want to photograph. People are endlessly interesting to me and, as a retired ballet dancer, I love the idea of performance distilled in an image--mood, atmosphere, story, character. That is what inspires me so that is what I do.
