Nicole-1185
Jun, 2017Views
643
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Awards
Winner in Sensual smoking and drinking Photo Challenge
Winner in Beautiful Nude Women Smoking Photo Challenge
Winner in Smoking Hot - Smoking Female Models Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superb Composition
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
We shot this inside of a warehouse, in Southern California, on a chilly February day.Time
This shot was taken at 3:56pm.Lighting
The initial lighting of Nicole was one strobe with a 6" reflector, aiming at her from her extreme left, about 8 feet away, out of camera sight. I used a small silver reflector to bounce light back onto the camera side of Nicole, creating enough definition to see the texture of the coat, and illuminate her facial features, and hair texture. I did not want her to be a silhouette. I spilled light on the wall behind her to make it feel almost like it was dark out and the light could have been from a car headlight, or a lantern, or whatever the viewer imagines it to be. I wanted to bring out a little detail of the wall instead of having it in full shadow. Shooting smoke can be a challenge. Smoke needs to be lit from a different angle than the main light, if you want it to stand out and look realistic. To light the smoke, I pulled out a little LED comet light with barn doors, and set it up to light the smoke above the brim of the hat, where the motion would be taking place. It is Vitally important that the light for the smoke not affect the rest of the image! You cannot tell from the photo, but the hand holding the cigarette is actually closer to me by about 1 1/2 - 2 inches. This kept the smoke far enough from her to be able to isolate it's light source.Equipment
This was shot using a Canon 5D, with a 70-200/2.8 Canon "L" lens Flash was a Photogenic StudioMax III strobe with the standard 6" reflector. Smoke was lit using a Comet LED light. A 36" reflector was used to bounce light back onto the subject to prevent full shadow on the camera side and bring out detail.Inspiration
We had set out to do a series of different shots that day. This shot started to evolve as we were shooting it. Originally there was no hat, nor was there a cigarette, and the back wall was blacked out. I adjusted the setup (1 light - 1 reflector) for this shot. Once I was happy with the results, we shot about a dozen shots, got what I wanted, but we both still felt it could be something more. I felt almost as if the image didn't make sense. The model, Nicole, looked amazing, the lighting was dark and moody, and bringing out the textures exactly how I wanted, but her standing there inactive seemed out of place. I then gave her my hat, and that created an entire new feel to the shot, more rugged, more believable, but it still needed something. I needed her to be doing something natural with her hand, and she suggested smoking. That was exactly what the image needed.Editing
This was the 12th shot in this sequence. I believe we shot just over 50 images of this setup. In post processing, I have a workflow that I prefer. I run the photos through Lightroom and if needed, I will make adjustments there to make the entire session consistent. For this sequence I simply converted from Raw to JPG. From there I go to Photoshop (CS-5), and normally repair any blemishes, or clean up anything that is a distraction in an image. This shot was cropped tight, and there was no touch up needed. I always create a layer in B&W, and add a little bit of grain. For this I use NIK software. Their emulation of real-film grain is amazing! I create a layer using B&W, then put a copy of the final color copy over that B&W layer, I then reduce the opacity of the color layer to allow the grain and natural smoothness of the B&W layer to take part of the image, then I increase saturation on the color layer to taste, and this gives a film like quality to the image. I then decrease contrast to my taste. Frequently when working with smoke or fire, you find it necessary to add a little bit of life to the fire, cherry or smoke, but this image did not need that. It had all of the elements working together, along with the position and look of the smoke. Even the cherry on the cigarette was just right. That was more by chance than anything else since there was no way to control either of those elements when simply holding the cigarette.In my camera bag
I have my Canon 5D, but I vary my lenses. I do not use prime lenses, as I prefer to have zooms.Feedback
Do not think that you can anticipate the shot fully. When I scripted this shot, it was entirely different. A black background, with just the model in the leather coat. That shot was good, and we got it in the can, but it did not stand out. Because we wanted more out of the image, we worked together for a solution. Never underestimate a suggestion from your model or anyone else involved in the shoot. Be open to share your ideas and your desire of the final image and allow others to give their 2 cents about what they think may work. For example: I don't smoke, so that was not even in my thought process for this shot, but that created a new feel for this image which I love.
