The Botanist
May, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This composite was taken on the campus of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The greenhouse, which is a part of the university's School of Science, holds plant life that can live in regions ranging from the rainforest to the desert. The first time I saw it I knew it would provide a creative and unique backdrop for a composite! The biology professor who overlooks and cares for the plants was shot later in a photo studio.Time
I decided to shoot the greenhouse after the sun had gone down because I was afraid of reflections, since this greenhouse was just a glass box. It really allowed the colors and atmosphere inside the building to be that much richer.Lighting
I noted earlier that this was a composite, and for those that don't know, in this case it basically means I shot the background separately from the model and then used photoshop to put it all together. I think the reason this portrait is so successful is because the greenhouse had two long light fixtures going across the room that worked right into my lighting setup. For the model, I used two Alien Bee strobe lights with umbrellas placed on either side at about a 180 degrees.Equipment
I'm probably a good example that you don't need top end equipment to produce good work. I used a Nikon D7000 with a 18-35mm lens, along with a tripod and a handy tool called the Panosaurus Rex that allowed me to shoot the panoramic background. For the lighting I used two Alien Bees with umbrellas.Inspiration
This photo was one in a series of six that focused on displaying professors in their unique fields. I was inspired to do this series because the majority of colleges and universities like to focus on the students' experiences when it comes to marketing. Professors also play an integral part in this story and so I sought out professors who were passionate and excited about their teachings and photographed them in their own environments.Editing
Yes! Because it would take so long to go step by step, I'll give a synopsis. The greenhouse background is a total of 6 vertical images x 3 exposures for a combined total of 18 images. I then used HDR software to obtain the effect I desired. Then in the photo studio I photographed the model and used photoshop to transition him into the greenhouse. After that is done and everything looks clean, I did color edits to finish creating the illusion that he was standing in the greenhouse when I took the photo. I spent around 15 hours of editing since the final print was blown up to 4 feet wide and I had to make sure all the stitching was flawless.In my camera bag
I will always carry my one and only camera, a D7000. I also carry a 18-35mm and a 70-200mm lens. I also carry a couple filters as well as a monopod or tripod depending on what I'm shooting. It's pretty basic right now!Feedback
When working with composites, I think the success comes within the details. For me, the editing process is not something to breeze through. I take time looking for irregularities at 200-300% magnification sometimes to make sure its all crisp and clean. Besides that, I would just stay mindful of the lighting situation. Its not very often you get such an easy setup as I did for this photo.
