Lady In Red
Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken just before last Christmas at the studio, in Dungannon, of professional photographer and friend Nigel Fleming. The model is Hollie Keers and the makeup artist was Victoria McNamee. I've known Nigel for a number of years now and every now and then we get together in the studio or on location to catch up. This was one of those occasions.Time
I took so many great photos of Hollie that day that I couldn't remember the exact time but thankfully EXIF came to the rescue. It was taken at 13:15 exactlyLighting
This was just a fairly standard beauty lighting setup. There was a Bowens head fitted with a beauty dish in front of and just above Hollie. Below her was on a stand was a white reflector.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 7D and a Tamron SP AF28-75mm f2.8 XR Di lens. The camera settings were ISO 100, F5 and 1/200s. A Bowens head was used to light Hollie.Inspiration
The only inspiration for most of my photos is just to take the best photo that I can. It doesn't matter if I'm shooting a model in a controlled environment like a studio or my kids running around the park.Editing
With this image there was minimal post-processing done to the face. Victoria did such a great job with the make-up very little was needed. There is a bit of skin smoothing but it was very, very little. Hollie has a small mole on her forehead and I asked her if she wanted it left or removed. She said that she always left that up to the photographer, some left it, some removed it. I decided to remove it as I didn't want it drawing the viewers eyes away from Hollies eyes.In my camera bag
To be honest I don't have a great deal of equipment, compared to some photographers I know. My bag always contains a Canon 7D and I recently purchased an old second hand 5D. My go to lens is the Tamrom 28-75mm f2.8 and I also pack the Canon Nifty 50 (50mm f1.8). A very cheap lens that I find produces images way beyond its cost. Lighting is just a single Canon 430EX Speedlite and a Yongnuo YN560-III. I also have a Godox AD180 that always travels in the boot (trunk) of my car should I need any additional lighting. Thankfully I have very generous photographer friends and I'm always able to borrow other equipment if I need it.Feedback
If you see an image that you like and would like to replicate, study it. Does it offer any ideas as to how it was lit. Look at the shadows and highlights. Look in the eyes for any hint of a catchlight which could help determine if flash was used. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes were very costly years ago when I was shooting film. Now with digital you get instant feedback on the back of the camera. If it look good, great. If it doesn't, make changes to your setup and shoot again.
