Mischief Maker
My late friend and former assistant, Becca.
My late friend and former assistant, Becca.
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Nov, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this in my basement only a few days after Rebecca Vachon, (R.I.P.) affectionately referred to as Becca or "Cake", moved into my place. I'm a mostly self taught photographer who took a photo class in high school years ago and I basically learn through trial, error and tutorials. Becca is a woman from Colorado who moved to my place from Ohio ages back. She passed away on October 23, 2014 when she was 25 years old... I miss her dearly.Time
I think it was about 7:25 AM that we took this photo. Again, it was in the basement, so we didn't really pay much attention to outside light or time of day. We just woke up, I had Becca put on a hoodie that was too small for me, but a little too big for her, and we went downstairs to work. It was loads of fun, and we got to experience sides of each other that were at times very intriguing. I feel like she and I had excellent chemistry and I regret not having done more shoots with her.Lighting
I wanted to really build my chops with my flash, and to see how much I could actually rely on a single flash in a pinch. I especially wanted to figure out how to create good low-key shots with that one flash after watching a tutorial on youtube. It took some trial and error, but it worked out very well, I think.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 7D sporting a 50mm lens, effectively making it 80mm because of the crop sensor. I used a Manfrotto tripod I got as a gift and a Yongnuo flash with Yongnuo remote triggers. Don't let anyone fool you into dumping dollars on the expensive gear; sometimes the cheap, Chinese, products work just fine. Sometimes the limitations of being broke can force creative magic to occur.Inspiration
Becca was my friend for 5 years prior to moving in with me, and I've loved her very much. Her pictures in previous years, usually taken by friends, never really did her justice, and I was hellbent on creating something that immortalised her well in high definition. Considering that this moment was one of which I never thought I would ever have the chance to capture, I felt the need to do it as best as I could. I guess I was also subconsciously trying to copy that Afghan Girl shot by Steve McCurry that I've loved since junior high.Editing
I don't like to do a LOT of post-processing, honestly... I'm not the kind of photographer that will practically do photo surgery on people. At most I'll remove acne blemishes because those come and go, and frankly, are embarrassing for most. For me, it's all about levels, exposure, and colours, so I bumped up the exposure a tad and fiddled around with the colour temperature; even though I was going with a black and white shot. I also adjusted highlights and clarity in Adobe Lightroom. I threw in a film preset because I like using those to make a photo work. However, I don't like to just rely on the preset and will find myself "disobeying" that preset to reach desired result. I kind of had a happy accident there too, which resulted in the more faded black look. Usually I prefer "blacks so deep you could hide a body inside them", but I just liked the feeling this gave off.In my camera bag
I'm basic, on a budget, and don't have a ton of options so it never really changes. I keep a Canon 7D sporting a 28-135mm kit lens that gets the job done. I also keep a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens on deck, even if it's a tad inconvenient with a crop sensor. I pack several CF cards in one of the pouches. A Yongnuo YN560-III rests safely inside of it with two Yongnuo RF-603C triggers in case I either need to shoot remotely or remotely trigger my flash. I also keep some lens wipes handy, because that's kind of what you're supposed to do. Also, the bag is a deviantART bag that I added a strap to so that I could keep it at my side instead of on my back.Feedback
Good conversation goes a long way in a shoot. It's even better if that subject is your friend, but even if they aren't; good dialogue keeps your subject relaxed. Becca and I were either goofing off or just talking about whatever came to mind when we had shoots. The constant dialogue made it easier to give direction and have a solid shoot as awkward silences create unnecessary tension and make for undesired results. Another factor is adjusting your exposure and flash power for an intentionally low key strobist shot. This is a FANTASTIC skill to learn when dealing with less than ideal situations, or when your background is a bedsheet and you're in a basement with your friend being a dork.
