Haley
Feb, 2017Views
4553
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Portrait Galore Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Faces With Freckles Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Many Freckles Photo Contest
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Newport Beach Pier, there's an alley at one side of the main parking lot that helps me get shade and cover from direct sunlight and at the same time it provides enough separation between the model and the background (which is bokeh made out of restaurants and cars)Time
I usually meet with the models 2 hours before sunset since that's when the sun starts getting in to the golden hour angle and light intensity. It is important for me to shoot at this hour to get those golden highlights and also to be able to shoot in shade, usually provided by buildings near by, with enough light.Lighting
When you shoot in an alley and have a wall on each side, you'll pretty much end up with frontal lighting and beautiful soft shadows on the sides of the face of the model. This image was taken with natural light only, no reflectors or modifiers at all. The wall on the left is yellow and the sun is setting down behind it. The walls on the right are from a white house and the light from the sun is getting slightly reflected on them yet the golden highlights on her hair and on the right shoulder for example.Equipment
I shot this with a discontinued Nikon D600 and an 85mm at 1.4Inspiration
I am always looking for places to make a model standout and make them the most important part of the photo, focusing on the expression, especially the eyes, plus other things like choosing a compelling background color for a smooth complementing bokeh creates a solid connection with the model and I believe that will create a natural interest on the viewer.Editing
I do the same steps in all my photos. 1. Removing blemishes, bruises or stray hairs. 2. Frequency Separation to remove bags under the eyes and even out the tones of the skin but maintaining the texture. 3. Dodge and Burn to accentuate light and shadows. 4. Toning and color grading using curves, levels, solid color overlays, exposure and brightness. 5. Taking care of details like sharpening eyes, tip of the nose and lipsIn my camera bag
I usually shoot light. I only carry one camera, my 85mm 1.4, a 50mm 1.4 (which I use 3% of the times lol), one extra battery, extra SD cards, portable reflector and I guess that's it. If I have an assistant for that day I usually carry a DJI OSMO camera for behind the scenes footage.Feedback
I have some useful tips for creating this type of photo. 1. Find a compelling background in terms of colors and with enough separation from the model so you can create a smooth bokeh. 2. Focus on having the correct light from the beginning. It's very difficult almost impossible to fix bad lighting. if you feel you're not getting it try to turn around and shoot facing another direction to see if that works better for you. 3. Work with the model on the expression. Usually I ask them to make a serious/concentrated face or to give me an intense focus. 4. Focus always should be in the eyes 5. Work on your Photoshop skills, that could be the difference between a good a photo and an outstanding photo.
