A Little Warm Death
Nov, 2015Views
2057
Likes
Awards
Winner in Show your best erotic photo Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Genius
All Star
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Relaxed
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on the top floor of a former Methodist chapel; wonder if the founding fathers were spinning in their graves! At the time it was the home of the model Zara who was hosting an erotic photography workshop led by Andrew Appleton. This room benefited from being high above street level so we could work close to the windows without much risk of offending passers-by.Time
From memory this was shot mid to late morning on an overcast day. This produced nice soft diffuse light.Lighting
All ambient lighting; in addition to the window behind Zara there were large skylights in the ceiling so the room was very evenly lit to the point where it needed to be overpowered to produce any moodier shots on the day. That said the light wasn't bright so I was shooting with a higher ISO (1250) than I would have liked.Equipment
Canon 5d mk III handheld (hence that ISO) with 24-70 f2.8 lens. No other equipment used in this shot.Inspiration
There were a number of factors at play here; the window light, the flooring and then when I asked Zara to arch her back and she came up with this.Editing
Heavily desaturated in post as I wanted to remove some of the distracting orange colour from the flooring, and this also had the advantage of giving Zara's hair a greyer look which I liked. I deliberately added some blur around her waist to create more of an "is she or isn't she" feel to the shot.In my camera bag
The Mk III has now become a MKIV but that lens, and the 70-200 f2.8 are pretty much my go to options. My other lens choices will vary according to the occasion; primes for portraits, a wide angle for travel and architecture, and a macro 100mm or Lensbaby Velvet 56 when communing with nature.Feedback
At the beginning of this workshop we spent some time discussing "what is erotica?" The reality is that everyone has a different view, and it's ironic that this image won an erotic photo challenge as I don't set out to titillate. As I've got away from studio days where the studio owner tends to dictate what is shot and done my own nude shoots I prefer to concentrate on interesting shapes and aspects of feminine beauty in various forms, and I believe my work has improved by making images that have some beauty to them rather than trying to conform to a preset expectation.
