Portrait-23
A young girls glamour portrait.
A young girls glamour portrait.
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Sep, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This is taken in my living room at my residence in Florida. The model is my youngest daughter. She was helping me work on some lighting techniques while I was finishing my BS in Digital Photography.Time
It was in the early evening after she got home from school, but she loves to both dress up and take photographs. There is a window, directly behind here, but it is blocked out with a backdrop I made from a painters drop cloth and Rite Dye.Lighting
I was shooting for a Film Nior look for this shoot, because it is my favorite look for portraiture. I used a 3 light system of studio strobes. The key light is to the right, the fill light on the left and a hair light back and left of the backdrop.Equipment
At the time I was shooting a Sony A700 on a tripod with a 300mm telephoto lens. I still have the lens, but these days I shoot a pair of Sony A7 cameras. The telephoto lenses work well for portraits, because they compress the image, so the subject won't look fat or stretched a little. It also creates a nice bokeh with the background, especially when you have lights behind the subject.Inspiration
The works of George Hurrell, the father of the old Hollywood glamour shots. There is something about the clean lines and dramatic lighting of his old glamour photos that really makes them stunning. If I could only shoot one type of portrait, that would be it.Editing
Yes, I used Lightroom to basic edits with exposure, contrast and sharpening, but nothing too manipulative. I just don't have the advanced skills on the software to completely change a photo the way some artists do.In my camera bag
I've been trying to nail the answer to that question down for a couple of years, so that I can standardize my equipment kits to be ready to go in a hurry. For my basic kit, I carry a pair of Sony A7 bodies, (nice slim mirrorless cameras), a 300mm telephoto, a 18mm wide angle, a 50mm macro and the Sony 28-70 kit lens, (soon to be replaced by a Sony 24-240mm lens) I also carry 3 Youngnuo III speed lights, so I can do most things on locations. They have built in radio triggers and can be adjusted manually from the controller on the camera. I also carry a couple of mini umbrellas with compact stands as well as a light modifier called a Wing Light.Feedback
Like any artwork, there is no right or wrong way to make a photograph. There are known techniques you can learn to do, but how you apply them to your subject to make the photograph can be as unique as you are. I find that photography can be as subjective as any other artwork, so experiment with techniques, choose the ones you like and shoot the photos the way you like to see them. Shoot often with the techniques you like, so you can reproduce that effect on demand rather than by luck.
