Smoking Sapphire
Model: Sapphire Blue
Location: Denbydale Studios
Jan, 2017Views
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Contest Finalist in Everything Smoke Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
People's Choice in Smoking Hot - Smoking Female Models Photo Challenge
Peer Award
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Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
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Behind The Lens
Location
Image was captured at DenbyStarr Studios, not far from Huddersfield, England.Time
We worked on this set up about early afternoonLighting
Initially, we worked on a single light set up, but I could see how the image could turn out in the brief moment between the strobe dimming and re-lighting again how it would work in natural light.Equipment
Nikon D7000, no flash, Tamron 18-270mm at 30mm, 1/80th, f8, ISO640 (those who are good at photographic maths will probably be screaming "why not shoot at a larger aperture with a lower ISO?!?!") Hindsight is a cruel mistress, I probably was fixated on one setting after turning off the strobe, that I blanked the ISO and aperture....BUT....the end result fortunately turned out alright in the end! This may have been hand held, but I recall images within the set were later utilising a tripod.Inspiration
I can't say I'm a massive fan of people smoking, but I do like how smoke trails look in an image. Sapphire (the model) was taking a quick e-cigarette break in between sets and was willing to have photographs taken whilst smoking. We progressed from the leather chair in the background to a wooden footstool in the room and Sapphire was then able to position herself a bit more evocatively and be positioned a bit more freely towards the large bay window in the room.Editing
Some cropping (I realise in hindsight that, at 30mm, I could have come closer with a 50mm prime and shot with a wider aperture for a shallower depth of field), mono conversion and playing about with the levels.In my camera bag
I always carry, with the D7000, a Nikon 50mm f1.8 D, Tamron 18-270mm lens as my 'go to' lens and a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8. Spare memory cards, spare batteries for a Nissin speedlight, shutter release cable and spare tripod mounts.Feedback
Always check with the property owner that they allow smoking indoors, even vaping - in this case, I arrived at the studio and Sapphire was vaping in the changing room, so I assumed this was accepted. In terms of the pose, it is pretty self explanatory and the image, without the smoke trail would still make for an evocative art nude image, so my focus, in this instance, was to concentrate on the smoke trail, the amount and how that was 'lit' or balanced with the darker background. Timing the frame will dictate the length of the smoke trail, but the model will also be able to assist with how quickly or slowly she exhales the smoke and for how long. In this instance, I wouldn't say I used a very quick shutter speed at 1/80th, any slower and we may have lost some detail in the dispersion of the vapour, any quicker and it might have looked less 'fluid' - just experiment and it's probably easier for the model to experiment for a while longer with an e-cigarette than an actual cigarette due to no burn off of the cigarette (and no ash dropping on the carpets!). You may have to convert to black and white if the tip of the e-cigarette lights up any colour other than orangey/fire red, or it will look obvious that it is an e-cigarette.
