K Girl
This was shot in studio. Very shy model. I was trying to find a way to allow her to make some spontaneous and interesting shots without the "deer in the he...
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This was shot in studio. Very shy model. I was trying to find a way to allow her to make some spontaneous and interesting shots without the "deer in the headlights" look. I found the best way was to have her look away from the headlight (camera).
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Oct, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my studio, in downtown Fresno, California. Believe it or not, the model was quite shy. This was taken while I was trying to get her to relax, and feel comfortable. I loved the spontaneity of it.Time
This was shot in the afternoon. Nothing special about it. As I was using Profoto flash units, I didn't worry much about the ambient light.Lighting
Interestingly, this was a style of lighting that I no longer use. I'm more into the chiaroscuro look these days, and have spent years perfecting it. I suspect this model would have been amazing for that type of work, especially and she was usually so serious. I just managed to get a laugh out of her, and hit the button on my remote.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II or III. I can't honestly remember right now. I almost always shot with the camera on a tripod (still do), and I liked to use the remote trigger, so that the model did not always know when I was going to make a shot. The lighting involved very large umbrellas to fully light the studio, with the main light actually off to the side of the model, if I recall correctly. I think I added a spot to her face with a snoot.Inspiration
As I already mentioned, the model was quite shy. She had come to the studio with a friend of hers, an older woman who had modeled for me many times. When she came in, she was pretty uptight. I found out that she had modeled nude when she was younger, and the photographer had, shall we say, loose hands. I didn't know the full story, but I knew she had had a bad experience with a photographer while modeling nude. So I was working to make sure she felt relaxed and comfortable. I was telling silly jokes, and making wisecracks. The remote was in my hand, and just as she started laughing at something I said, I pressed the button. I love the spontaneity of the shot. We did get a few more really nice images that day, some including her friend.Editing
It's been a while since this image was made. I probably did some kind of post-processing. Back then, I was thinking of trying to make things "painterly." I didn't really do a lot, although I think I might have smoothed the light around the face, because I believe I had used a snoot to throw some light into the face.In my camera bag
Back then, I had one camera: a Canon 5D Mark III. I did have a lot of fast lenses. I would sometimes shoot with an adjustable ND filter, so that I could shoot a wider aperture. These days, my style has changed. I shoot more with shadows, in a chiaroscuro fashion. My camera gear has changed, too. I shoot mostly with a Sony A7R3. My favorite lens is actually a 90 mm macro, which I use as if it were a portrait lens. I also have a pretty full kit built around a medium-format Pentax 645Z. But I like the Sony better for most of what I shoot.Feedback
It's hard for me to advise on shooting something "similar" to this, because my style has changed. I already mentioned all that above. I probably would rarely shoot this kind of light these days. But I suppose the main thing about this that I do like it the playfulness and spontaneity, which doesn't really have that much to do with the lighting. Being a male — and especially as I'm in my 60s now — I find that it's important to do whatever I can to make the model comfortable. I don't use a make-up person, or hair person, or anything like that. So I don't mind letting models bring someone with them, if it makes them feel comfortable. And, of course, I'm extra careful to direct, without touching, not to stare, and to otherwise stay focused on creating a relaxed atmosphere.
