Starry eyed
Dec, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
About a year and a half ago, I finally made the leap of faith to move into an almost 4000 sqft warehouse/office combo that I reinvented to be every photographer’s dream studio space. However, I wasn’t always this lucky. Many, many years of first, never imagining I’d ever even have a studio to sharing spaces, to a quaint and cozy, (more like cheap and tiny!) spot I set up shop where this portrait was taken came with a lot of hard work and dues paid. A sign of a dedicated artist, however, is the ability to utilize any space to create their works.Time
I loved that this portrait worked out so beautifully considering the circumstances. It was very late at night on a Saturday. It was raining and somewhat of an unexpected shoot. The subject was a model that I had worked with many times, but in her hometown three hours away. On a whim, she drove to me hoping we would have a free hour to fit in some photos to celebrate her birthday. It was a bit rushed, as she was planning to turn around and drive back that evening, but the little time we had resulted in some gorgeous portraits!Lighting
Although all the photos from this session turned out beautifully with perfect lighting and color, my favorite part of this particular portrait is that it occurred on the opposite side of the lighting set than it was intended. As the model was wrapping up to leave and the door to the studio space opened to the bright lobby, I was able to catch this shot. My strobes were still on and all light surrounded her and enveloped the moment.Equipment
This was taken with a Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 85mm 1.2, two Paul Buff Alien Bee strobes, Wescott reflector acting as a third light and Savage translucent backdrop paper for its reflective and defusion properties.Inspiration
The model was excited to welcome home the love of her life at the same time she was to be celebrating her birthday. The vintage WW2 pinup models were inspiration for her ideas we tried out. This portrait, though, was an in the moment, unplanned shot that turned out perfectly.Editing
With most models, post processing is to be expected. Allana, is naturally flawless and a dream to work with. The decision to make this a black and white photo was difficult with the American flag part of the portrait. Once I chose it and saw the stark contrast and the emotion on her face, I felt that the message was delivered best in this simplicity and left it at that. The depth of field was the beauty that the 1.2 aperture delivered.In my camera bag
I have an arsenal of equipment, some prized, some random. My “ride or die” pieces that I can’t go anywhere without out are: my Canon 1DX, Canon 85mm 1.2 L and Canon 35mm 1.2 LFeedback
Whenever I’m asked my opinion on lighting or photography in general, it’s difficult for me to respond because I feel that art is so subjective. Each artist has to learn their own style and do what feels right in each scenario depending on what they’re trying to achieve. Sure, there are textbook definitions for equations to light and exposure. But the faux pas of those can be and normally is so beautiful!
