Purple Gorgeousness
Jan, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Garden Of The Gods near my house in Colorado. This was one of my very first senior portrait sessions.Time
This was an extremely cold day, around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. It had snowed the day before and was beginning to snow again by the end of the shoot. I was lucky with this senior shoot because my subject is also a photographer and artist, so she was totally fine with shooting in the cold temps. I shot this image around 3 or 4 pm. This particular spot had no parking near so her mother kept doing circles around the park while I photographed her.Lighting
It was a very overcast day so the light was a little dull. Her bright purple hair and yellow dress was perfect for this diffused light, she pops right out of the background. I do normally shoot around the golden hour but love to take advantage of moody overcast skies.Equipment
I had just made the switch from film to digital when I photographed this shoot so I was using my first DSLR, an entry level Canon Rebel T3 with a Canon 85mm lens. I used natural light, and no tripod. My settings were ISO 100, shutter was 1/320, f/2.8.Inspiration
When my model got out of the car and I saw her new purple hair and bright yellow I dress I knew I wanted to capture her in a open field so she wouldn't get lost in the trees and instead would pop. I pulled her away from the trees in the distance so she would be the main focal point. She's so fun and trampled through the snow to get in the middle of the field, she was amazing.Editing
Because of the dull grey light I warmed up the image a bit in raw. I used curve adjustment layers to bring out the purple of her hair and soften the tones around her. I added a bit of a light flare in the top right hand color to give the whole image a little more warmth and to again soften the trees in the distance. I also brushed a little un-sharp masking onto my subject to make her pop even more.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 6D which is my absolute favorite camera to shoot with. I also always bring my Canon 5D Mark III. My go to lenses are the Canon 50mm 1.8, Canon 1.4, but my main lens is a Canon 85mm portrait lens. I'm a big fan of prime lenses, I just love the clarity and control I have with them. I was a film photographer for years and I will confess that I went into digital kicking and screaming. In regards to processing had to relearn everything pretty much, but fortunately shooting images with much the same. While I still pick up my film SLR's from time-to-time, I am now a confirmed digital photography lover.Feedback
Don't be afraid to shoot in cold weather, it warms your subject's cheeks and sometimes you're blessed with a beautiful foggy/misty effect that makes for dreamy images. Overcast skies are great for shooting images because you don't have the harsh shadows and you can always banish the grays with a little warmth in post-processing. Snow is lovely with bright colors! :~)
