I've got ahead of myself
Oct, 2015Views
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Frozen_Time
December 16, 2015
Interesting photo, though a bit creepy. Sort of a modern version of a ventriloquist.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was a spur of the moment idea I had towards the end of a photoshoot in my basement studio.Time
It was afternoon, but because we were indoors, the natural lighting didn't affect us!Lighting
I used one strobe, an Alienbee 400 with a large octobox. I then used a very small aperture to be sure the light didn't over power her, and set the store just off to the side to cast a slight shadow on her face, giving a more dramatic look.Equipment
For this photo, I used my Nikon D810 with a 35mm lens. I shot it handheld with one strobe off to the side. In order to get her entire body, I took two photos for her standing up, and then on photo of just her head.Inspiration
My model's mom was telling me about the magazine we were submitting an editorial to, and that it was a darker magazine. So the idea came to mind to have her hold her own head. It was tricky, and took some crazy post production skills to reconstruct her chin in her hand!Editing
The final composite consisted of 4-5 images. To get her head in her hands, I had her mom hold up the dress she had been wearing behind her head and had her place on hand under her chin and one on her forehead. For the shot of her standing, I had her hold her hands in front of her body as though she were cradling a bowling ball. I then composited the images together in photoshop, having to use hair and a chin from two other images to make it look more realistic. It was a feat that took me about 6 hours!In my camera bag
I'm a creature of habit. I always carry just a few things with me: My D810, my 35 and 85mm lenses, and my 5 sided reflector. I travel light so I can stop in an instant to capture a picture. Perhaps I should start bringing my tripod and remote triggers more, but I don't seem to use them as much. I'm very simple, and I like my natural images to be clean. In studio is another matter. I have a couple strobes and backdrops. But I always end up using one strobe, my Alienbee 400 and the huge octobox soft box to get the job done.Feedback
My advice for anyone attempting a shot like this is to plan! Plan every detail! Reconstructing her chin because she wasn't holding it correctly in one photo was incredibly difficult. So be sure you have your image components consistent. Take notes if you need to, that is something that has helped me a great deal. Be sure your lighting is not straight on, angle it to create depth. And learn as much as you can about composite photography before attempting this kind of an image. In hindsight, I might have removed her head entirely, and just had her body holding her head. Though I am pretty pleased with how diabolical in ends up looking!
