Grabbed by the Tentacles
Mar, 2017Views
1242
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Awards
Winner in Forever Marked Photo Challenge
Winner in No babies, flowers,animals, sunsets just people Photo Challenge
People's Choice in sexy tattooes Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Genius
Emotions
Impressed
Sad
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Behind The Lens
Location
Shot in a hotel room in Newcastle. The two models (Nicola Paparazzo and Little Fay) had booked the room and been shooting there all day with other photographers.Time
This was early evening, though as the sun had now set, none of the illumination was from natural lighting, so whilst some of the light was from led lighting in the room, the main light for this shot was from a couple of speedlites in an octabox placed above and to the left of the girls (you can see it in Nicola's catchlights)Lighting
See aboveEquipment
I was shooting with my Canon 5d mkIII, and though I usually like to shoot portraits either with my 70-200 or 85mm lenses, the confines of a small hotel room strewn with two models, their outfits and make up and my equipment meant I had to think about being able to crop out details and at the same time shoot quite close so I opted for the flexibility of my 24-70 f2.8 for the flexibility it gave me, though being careful not to shoot too wide and distort my subjects.Inspiration
This year I have challenged myself to up my game in terms of directing and lighting models; most of my previous experience has been at organised events where the look and the lighting tends to be dictated by the studio owners. When I saw an ad on PurplePort to shoot with two tattooed models I responded at once because I'm not a fan of tattoos and hadn't a clue how I would pose two models working together - perfect opportunity to get out of my comfort zone! When I arrived and met the girls the challenge was taken to a higher level as most of the shots I'd envisaged before arrival involved a degree of symmetry or balance, but the two girls were so different in terms of height, body shape, hair colour and skin tone! This shot overcame all of those challenges by putting the girls at different levels and featuring different body parts that played to different strengths. It's pretty sexy too.Editing
Skin retouching in photoshop, a little desaturation (bringing the skin tones closer together) and some sharpening to push the tattoos.In my camera bag
My equipment varies according to where and what I'm shooting (my port is varied according to the opportunities provided by the places I travel to). Usually there's my 5d III plus a 17-40 f4, 24-70 f2.8, 70-200 f2.8 to give me a good range of focal lengths. I might augment this with a 50mm or 85mm prime if I'm going to shoot portraits, or a 100m macro if exploring the countryside. My giotto carbon fibre tripod is never far away and I have a few ND filters to give me different exposure options though none of these were needed for this shot.Feedback
Stay open minded to possibilities and don't make my mistake of turning up with some rigid ideas. Be prepared to stop and think about options before you shoot. If you struggle for ideas - scour sites like ViewBug and Pinterest beforehand but think about how you'll take those ideas and make something new rather than a direct copy.
