The Modern Ninja
www.edwardpeiphotography.com
www.edwardpeiphotography.com
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Jun, 2015Views
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People's Choice in The Shadows Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was probably my most favorite self portrait. This image was taken while doing some lighting testing in my home studio. And to be quite honest, the "home studio" is just my bedroom...haha. Sometimes the best locations are ones that you are just in.Time
Since most of my testing is done in the crazy hours of the night after hours, I can admit that this shot was taken at around 3am. I personally find it the best time to work and experiment. It's quiet, and I have the place to myself. It allows me to think things through and play around a bit without being pressured to just "get the shot".Lighting
This lighting setup was quiet simple. However, there was some trial and error that took place in order to get correct shading. I first started with 2 studio strobes with the softbox attachment on both sides of the model. From there, it was a matter of playing around with the strobe power and distancing. The tricky part was the actual placement of the model either further back or farther forward of the lights. If put too far back, too much of the face would be exposed. If too far forward, the face would not be seen at all. So to make a long story short, most of the play time was involved in figuring where to stand in relation to the strobes in order to obtain that satisfactory balance of shadow and detail.Equipment
I used a Nikon D7000, along with a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII. I also used 2, 200 watt studio strobes with softbox modifiers. Additionally, I also used the PixelKing remote triggering system to fire off the strobes.Inspiration
What really inspired me to take this photo was that I always wanted a dramatic self portrait. Something with a level of mystery, boldness, tranquility, simplicity, and drama. I have always been a fan of chiaroscuro, and the lighting technique was one that would enable me to use this principle in full effect, where the harsh lines of light and shadow meet.Editing
I did some minor corrections, but otherwise there was no major post processing aside from putting a black and white sepia filter over to give it that subtle tone. I originally meant for this image to be strictly black and white, however, I felt it to be too...bland. So I added a touch of sepia and that just made the image more engaging I believe.In my camera bag
I can't really say that I normally have any specific equipment. It varies around. However, with that said, I usually do not go anywhere without 1 of my Nikon D7000 bodies, Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, and a tri-pod. Those are the BARE minimum I carry around. If I have the room and the ability to carry depending on where I may be headed, I like to pack my Nikon SB900 speedlight, and my Nikkor 105mm f/2 Macro. Between those items I'm quite set on an overall basis.Feedback
My advice in order to capture something like this is to experiment. This is a very easy effect to pull off, where not a lot of thought needs to go into it. Naturally if you have the equipment, it makes it easier such as the strobes. However, just having two light sources is good enough. Additionally, I didn't even require the use of a backdrop. I just increased the shutter speed enough to where it killed the ambient light to where the junk in the back wasn't visible. So...if you wish to capture something like this, just remember the basics of photography technique, Aperture, Shutter, Iso, and where your light sources are coming from. And don't forget to play around, experiment and have some fun with it.
