DOORJAM B&W
Jul, 2016Views
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BradleyontheRoad
January 09, 2017
The soft gray tones are excellent. They make your model one with the image.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at an abandoned farm house in rural Virginia on a sunny warm autumn afternoon. It was quite a hike to the location passing through some woodland areas and opening up to a couple acre open field. Entering the house you could tell it once was quite charming but most of it had deteriorated over the years leaving precarious flooring and walls which made negotiating the inside very difficult.Time
We started out very early in the day and with many miles on the highway and a hefty hike through un-marked and less traveled trail, we arrived early afternoon. It was autumn and the sun was low in the sky and getting ready to set. A quick scout about the venue yielded 4 areas we wanted to shoot and we quickly unpacked the camera gear.Lighting
By the time we were ready to start shooting, the sun was low in the sky but shinning into the dilapidated windows and open doors. Though some of the positions I would use this light as the key illumination, I DID bring a couple of camera mount strobes to provide either a fill light or a key if needed. As I prepped the strobes I discovered the batteries were spent and my back ups were without a charge. I quickly scrapped any plans of using a strobe and directed my attention to using where the sun was shinning or adequately bouncing about the room. One side of the house and many of it's windows was facing the southwest which set up excellent front or side lighting and we set out to set up shots that took advantage of this.Equipment
In this case, I hadn't pre-scouted the site and packed for whatever I thought might be needed, and that proved to be a LOT of fun on the hike there!!! A tripod, camera, 2 strobes, batteries (discharged...), a zoom wide angle and zoom telephoto, gray card, color card, flexible reflectors, cards, camera batteries, monopod, 2 light stands, sand bags (for stand stability), camera cleaning gear, and a polarizing filter. What I wound up using was ONLY the camera and a 17-55mm lens. I couldn't even use the tripod because most of the floor boards were missing and I was balancing on exposed floor joists to get the appropriate camera angles.Inspiration
What I was looking for was a contrast in everything. New and old, soft and coarse, complimenting colors, bright and dark. With Melissa's youth the farm house was perfect! With this particular shot the room was a glow with bouncing light, washing everything out but leaving hints of outlines of objects. The lines of the room and Melissa's pose was magnificent for a "strong stance" conveyance that hinted at the passage of time...in a very subtle way...death to rebirth---standing the test of time.Editing
I corrected, in camera for a balanced exposure of model and room, but kept what I initially "saw" there, the glow of the room. In post, I re-created that image in my minds eye and thought the color version to be warming but added "sensuality" to it (which is not necessarily wrong) but I found the B&W to be more subtle in sensuality and more dynamic in stance and would better allow the viewer to bring to this, their own interaction.In my camera bag
I usually carry gear that would allow me to do and make spontaneous decisions on differing subjects. Camera, 2 lenses that would give me focal length coverage flexibility, 1 speedlight with diffuser, and associated batteries.Feedback
As a photographer, you bring to a shoot your ideas and plans in which to make it happen. They often work and the creative process is most satisfying. But more often than not a photographer finds he is "troubleshooting" any number of things that could individually or collectively happen and leave you frustrated. I would say not get "hung-up" in what went wrong but to quickly shift to how to make use of what you have and I think you will find that creative positivity to show in your images and leave you feeling more confident in your photography.
