Captivating stare
May, 2017Views
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Contest Finalist in Faces In Black And White Photo Contest
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steve-barnes-photography
February 05, 2018
Single light camera right and slightly elevated? Great look.
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken at my studio in the Isle of Man. It's a small Island with not a very large population, so I have to try to learn something new and push myself every time I shoot. Fortunately I have very understanding friends, like Evie here, who are willing to helpTime
I remember Evie was running late that day, just one of those days where a dozen little things all add up to being really really late. By the time we sat down to shoot it was about 2 i the afternoon. The sun had worked it's way around to the window at the side of the studio, which accounts for the shadows you can see in the image.Lighting
The idea was for Evie to just jump on the chair and naturally just move & pose. I wanted to check the lighting right at the start of the shoot so I said something casual like, that's perfect don't move while I just tweak the camera settings. Evie, being Evie, took it literally and sat staring at me without blinking. It worked out really well though.Equipment
This was just shot freehand with a Nikon D810, no flash, just natural lighting.Inspiration
At the studio I have a big leather armchair I picked up from a charity shop. We'd joked that it would make a great prop but it was too big to move around. Evie really wanted to pose on the chair, so I just slid some black velvet behind it and we shot it there in the reception room.Editing
For this, I did a little skin smoothing but that's about it. I tried not to over process everything so it was still "Evie" afterwards, not a computer generated facsimileIn my camera bag
Everything I need from my camera bodies (Nikon) to tissues, ear plugs and a battery pack. My 50mm 1.4 is my go to lens, but i tend to pack in a couple of wides, an 85 and a 200mm prime.Feedback
To recreate this, keep everything as simple as you can, remember the rule of thirds and work with someone you have a good rapport with. Portraits can show a lot of hidden emotion, so it really helps to work with someone who feels comfortable with you.
