An Italian Princess
In the midst of a sexy session for her husband to be, I decided to shoot this portrait.
Aug, 2016Views
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Contest Finalist in Captivating Portraits Photo Contest
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this portrait in my Photography Studio, in Pennsylvania. I saw my subject look to the window, and had to set up this shot!Time
Since we shot this entire session in my Studio, and because I shot this particular session with natural light, we began our session around 10am. One particular thing that I love about this image, is that the session was actually a scheduled boudoir session, as a wedding gift to her husband to be, and we got this portrait during that session.Lighting
My Studio has an open floor to ceiling bay window. I positioned my client to look to the window. However, I put her in a "black box.” I had dark backdrops on 3 sides of her, which “ate the light” if you will. This gave me the moody lighting that I was craving, and lit her face and eyes in a painterly fashion.Equipment
Canon 5D Mark IV This image was shot with hand holding the camera, and using my Canon 70-200 lens. I love the compression that this lens gives!Inspiration
My Client is Italian, and was preparing for her Italian themed wedding and honeymoon. I wanted to capture something that would hold that timeless, European feeling. Again, this was a boudoir session, but I knew I wanted to produce something more. She is actually wearing revealing lingerie in this portrait! In her bag of accessories, I saw that she had brought a black lace scarf with her that had been her grandmother’s scarf, purchased in Italy. I simply draped the scarf around her, which created a portrait that is timeless, and was exactly how I had envisioned it in my head.Editing
I always open my images first in Camera Raw, and make minor adjustments to the clarity, and color temperature. I then edited in photoshop, just smoothing her skin a little, and “painting” a bit with doge and burn. The final touches were made in Alien Skin.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 5D Mark IV and another Mark IV back up camera with me. My favorite lens, that I use most of the time is my Canon 70-200, 2.8. However, I wish it wasn’t so heavy! I also love my tried and true, Canon 50mm 1.4! Since moving from weddings to mostly portraiture, my Macro lens, Canon 100mm 2.8, doesn’t leave my bag very much. My Canon 24-70mm, 2.8 is my newest lens, and actually does great portrait work as well. Also, in my bag is a tip from another photographer. She keeps the little bags of silicone that come in purses, shoes, etc., and leaves them in her bag, to protect if there is moisture! I love that tip!Feedback
One of the most important aspects of capturing someone beautifully, is to find the unique beauty that you see in that person. When I look at someone, I instinctively “see” that special characteristic that they carry. And please note, most often, this is not a physical trait, but personality trait. From there, I strive to see that uniqueness and beauty using the posing techniques that I have learned from Sue Bryce and Linsey Adler. Having a strong knowledge of posing rules, optimizes the time I spend with my client and has helped me produce gorgeous portraits that my clients love!
