Elsewear-10
This is called Elsewear, and it's about a woman trying to break free from all the things in her life that have been holding her back....
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This is called Elsewear, and it's about a woman trying to break free from all the things in her life that have been holding her back.
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May, 2017Views
437
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Awards
Zenith Award
Peer Choice Award
Winner in High quality portraits Photo Challenge
Top Choice
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
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PSD9253
June 28, 2017
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at the old abandoned Juvenile Detention Center in my hometown of Paso Robles. The name of this editorial shoot is "Elsewear", and the story is about a woman trying to find the courage to escape from all of the expectations of who she is told that she's supposed to be, and to find the person that she truly is. Though barely visible in this particular image from the fashion story, the razor ribbon fences and guard tower are symbolic of her figurative prison.Time
This was taken about an hour before sunset. The next shot after this was scheduled for sunset, so I used the still very hard light from the sun and hit my model with a silver reflector (camera left) to take advantage of that beautiful sun flare and color spill from the backlighting while still maintaining a nice exposure on the model's face.Lighting
For about half of the images in this series, some of which were shot in the shade or under an overhang, I used a Paul C. Buff Einstein 640 with a bare bulb to imitate the sunlight. For this shot, I had ample sunlight, and I prefer to work with natural light when I can, so I just went with my trustee silver reflector. I am definitely not afraid to use lights, but I find the more experience I obtain using lights, the more I appreciate the versatility of a simple reflector.Equipment
This shot was taken with a Canon 5D Mark III, a Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM, and a Selens 47" 5-in-1 reflector (Silver).Inspiration
I guess in this moment, I was just struck by the way the model was emoting, the confidence she was exuding, and the fact that the jacket was still making its presence felt even if it was being a bit upstaged by the model's eyes. To me, a fashion photography should not be about the clothing alone - if it were, models would be incredibly distracting, and we should stop using them for fashion photography. I think that fashion photography is more about how the clothing should make one feel, so to me this photograph is not a portrait of a face. It is a portrait of a feeling. You can engage with those eyes and see that this woman knows exactly who she is. That may not have been the case before, but this is the image where we are no longer looking at a frightened girl who is cornered or fleeing. Our heroine is standing just outside of the prison that once confined her, and she looks forward with a new confidence, a deliberate command of her own will, and a clear purpose.Editing
Yes, I do all my own post-production. I have a love-hate relationship with post. I am a perfectionist, so the process can be exhausting and frustrating at times, yet I don't think I could feel comfortable leaving my babies in the hands of a stranger! In every case, most of my retouching comes in the form of dodging and burning using non-destructive curves adjustment layer masks in Photoshop. I also color grade in Photoshop using (a) color balance adjustment layer(s), although I have been curious to try Speedgrade, it's just hard to make changes when you are used to doing things one way already. At the end I added a little sharpness and warmth to the color temperature, and that's pretty much it.In my camera bag
I always have my Canon 5D Mark III, and whichever lenses I plan on using that day. At the moment, my go-to lens is my Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM. I also have two other lenses that I usually take with me because they are very useful, and they are my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 and my Canon 70-200mm f.2.8 IS. In addition, I always carry a superfluous amount of CF cards in Pelican card cases, extra camera batteries, a neutral density filter, gaffer's tape, a Sharpie, white/grey/black cards (for white balance), a small camera/lens cleaning kit, business cards, and advil. Even though it doesn't fit in my bag, I never leave the house without a reflector, no matter how simple the shoot is. It can always sit in the car (and it often does), but it is so lightweight, how silly would it be to need it and not have it?Feedback
I think you can gather from all the previous answers exactly how I captured this particular image, but the best advice I can give you is twofold. First, educate yourself on the technical side of how your camera interacts with light. This may be counter-intuitive to a lot of creatives, but trust me, you need to have a solid foundation and truly understand how your tools work and what they are doing if you are going to have any creative freedom later. Second, shoot. A lot. You won't truly understand how all that technical knowledge really plays out in reality until you get out there and experience it. There are so many subtleties and variables that can affect your image whether you are talking about lighting, posing, composition, exposure, camera operation, etc. that knowing theory is not enough. You need to build on that knowledge and get a feel for how it applies in any given situation. This is where the technician takes a back seat to the artist. It's a real challenge at first, but cut yourself some slack, conjure up a lot of patience, and practice a lot. Things will start to feel a lot more natural before you know it!
