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Flour Shoot Portrait
Flour Shoot Portrait
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Aug, 2016Views
101
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Awards
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my home studio. I had never done a flour shoot before and always wanted to so with no real plan, I asked a friend to come over and let me throw flour at her for a few hours and see what happened.Time
It was taken mid day but having a home studio the time of day doesn't affect how I light my images at all. I wanted the image to be moody and dark so I told her to channel all of her innermost emotions that I knew she had been struggling with and push them towards the camera.Lighting
I started shooting with a two light setup but it was casting too much light and not bringing across the mood I was looking for. When I first went down to one light, it still wasn't quite right, the shadows were too harsh and I wasn't capturing enough of the flours movement. Finally, after some slight light adjustments and camera setting changes, we hit it.Equipment
I shoot with my Nikon D5000 on a tripod with an 85mm f/1.8G lens, Elinchrom Portalite's, a basic 5 in 1 reflector and a trigger in my hand so that I was able to throw the flour.Inspiration
I had always wanted to do a flour throwing shoot and just hadn't. One day I decided I was going to, the next day I did it.Editing
I always do post processing on my images, to me, they aren't finished until I'm able to add my personal flair to it. Mostly that comes down to getting the color right and this was no different. I added some atmospheric depth to the image using some of my cloud stock images. I also hand drew in some beans of light from the direction of the light source in the image, although I softened them so you can't really tell. I did the majority of color toning the image using Nik software, which if you haven't yet gotten, go get it now!In my camera bag
I always shoot with my Nikon D5000 on a tripod. Since getting my 85mm f1.8G lens, I've rarely taken it off. My Elinchrom Portalite's were a Christmas present 3 years ago and I use them for everything I do. I may not have the best equipment in the world but it's my gear and it helps me bring the world in my head to life.Feedback
I couldn't have created such an emotional image without the person in it. When it comes down to it, the gear doesn't matter. What matters is that you are creating and through that, you're sharing a piece of yourself with the world. This shoot took over 100 takes to capture and 6 hours in post processing. Take your time, don't be afraid to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Also, have a vacuum cleaner ready, a glass of water for your model, and when throwing flour, always put down a tarp or something underneath your throwing area. Be prepared for a huge mess!
