Vintage Throwback Headshot
Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
Although this photo looks like it was taken in studio, it was actually taken on location for a local community wellness center at a charity function. This is just one of a series of portraits with 11 separate models.Time
I had been shooting all day for over 8 hours, having covered the entire event which included 5 separate shoots, including a fashion show, and an extended photoshoot for local contributors & advertisers, who traded their services for images. So you can just imagine the mayhem, and by the time we had got to the final shoot of the day we had gone way over the scheduled time, so this shoot almost didn't happen. The shoot started in the evening around 8pm, and I captured approximately 10 frames spending less than 5 minutes per model x 11 models.Lighting
If you study the catch-light you will notice I am using a beauty-dish, at a 45 degree angel on my left side from slightly above to help carve / chisel the models features. I wanted a classic feel to the portrait so tried to replicate a Loop / Rembrandt lighting setup. There is also a second light though, which is actually a small bright video light that is used as a hard light source to create a kind of spotlight effect. its much higher up, further back and over my right shoulder and it is aimed at the background slightly passed the models face / shoulder. I have used it to contour the subject and at the same time spill some light onto the background to create a little layering or separation and give a more 3D feel to the lighting and lift the subject off the background... Other than my lighting the room was completely darkEquipment
A speedlight with beauty-dish modifier on a light stand, a video light on another light stand. I used the excellent Tamron 24-70 lens on my main camera body, which is a Nikon D800, ISO 100, f4 and I chose a slower shutter speed of 1/60th of a second to allow some of the glow / ambient illumination from the video light to expose in the shot. I shot in a very small space, which was actually a massage therapy room. I found one of those foldable screens and placed it in an empty corner and used it as a backdrop. It created that lovely square pattern in the background.Inspiration
I hadn't been to the location prior to the shoot, so it was a little nerve-wracking because I really didn't know what to expect and so I was ready to improvise. What I knew however was that I would be shooting a Vintage throwback theme, so I draw inspiration from the style of classic Hollywood / 20's vintage fashion. I thought about possible lighting scenarios ahead of time and decided I would go for something low key.Editing
I am very cautious when it comes to retouching, less is more; I try to do as little post processing as possible to achieve a certain look, I am cautious not to make my images look unnatural. I have done some basic cleaning of spots on the skin and I brightened up the image slightly, and did some very basic colour grading to try and get a look closer to classic film photography. I also had to touch up the background a little where there were imperfections and to improve the shape of the overall vignetting where the fall off wasn't perfect.In my camera bag
I shoot a lot of events, including weddings so have to have enough high quality equipment to meet the standards expected. Two bodies, a range of quality lenses, a couple of speedlights, reflectors, portable light modifiers and some light stands as well as a video light are standard kit for me. I always have a macro lens handy for shooting details, and an 85mm prime portrait lens, but most of the day I shoot with a 24-70mm. On occasion I use a 14-24mm f2/8 wide angle lens for creative shooting of interiors, architecture and panoramic shots at events.Feedback
The obvious things for this particular look are to watch out for posture, expression (especially in the eyes) and of course most importantly the lighting. But essentially all of these things succeed the initial question of 'what am I trying to express in my portrait'? That is a more difficult and subjective question that I find harder to answer without being a tad philosophical. A photographer I held in high esteem once said to me that he tries to find beauty in everything, and I guess that resonates with me too. When I see some quality I like in a subject, or alternatively choose a subject that expresses a particular characteristic, I then try figure out how to use my tools to 'expose' it (excuse the pun) and tell the story visually. I am sure others can give much better advice than that, but this is simply how I can best describe what I do. The starting point for the actual shoot is always to think about how to illuminate the subject and then to look at similar examples I admire for technical and inspirational clues. In this particular case the story was a kind of regal & slightly mysterious beauty I tried to accentuate. Lastly, collaborating with other artists can also improve your work immeasurably. The makeup in this shot and clothes clearly helped to bring out that quality I was seeking.
