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Oct, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in Captivating Portraits Photo Contest
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Botanical garden - greenhouse - in Copenhagen. I like shooting in botanical gardens because they have great variety of different backgrounds.Time
October 2015 around noon. It was very cloudy and cold that day but inside the greenhouse we felt like it was summer.Lighting
I didn't have an external flash yet so I was using a silver reflector. I love to work with natural light and reflector - that's my favourite lightning.Equipment
I used Canon 6D with Samyang 85mm f/1.4 and silver reflector.Inspiration
Copenhagen's botanical gardens are really beautiful even in October. My plan was to shoot this model with palm trees and cactuses but this spot had a good light and interesting colours. I am usually very inspired by nature.Editing
I did quite a lot post-processing in Photoshop and Camera Raw. For the skin I used the frequency separation method (separating the texture from the tone and color). Then I used the dodge and burn tool for shadows and highlights to expose the model and to make her "pop". I had to add light reflection to her left eye so I cloned it from the right eye. I also used liquify. After retouching the model I added more light (lighting effects) and contrast (curves) and I used selective color to make the background orange.In my camera bag
I always pack my Canon 6D - since I switched from Canon 60D to full-frame my pictures had improved a lot. And my 2 favourite lenses are 85mm and 35mm both Samyang f/1.4. I bought them when I started with portrait photography since they are quite cheap and I don't mind to focus manually. I also have Canon 40mm f/2.8. I take this pancake lens when I want to put the camera to my handbag or small backpack and I really like that I can use it in almost any situation.Feedback
If you like shooting people and portraits it's always good to get to know your models. It's great to have somebody who is confident in front of the camera. Essential for this shoot was the makeup artist who was also a stylist and assistant for lightning. And of course the most important is the light - as I said before natural light and a reflector is a great combo. So what is the key? Communication with the model, soft light, open aperture and assistant.
