She wears those eyes
Jul, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken at a group photography event at a country park where creatives like photographers, models and make-up artists come together on a TFP (trade for prints) basis to create images. Most participants are amateurs and do it for the fun of getting together and to build portfolios on a budget. The theme of this shoot was gothic, and this young lady was stunning!Time
This was an evening shoot in the summer months if I recall. It was a lovely evening, not too bright as this was getting on in the evening by now and one of the last shots I took that session.Lighting
Although I work with off camera flash, this was taken with natural/ambient lighting with no flash. There is a short stone tunnel coming out from the preparation area and the light here was soft and diffused, ideal for a portrait. I took the model to the edges of the tunnel where it was a little brighter without coming totally out, allowing for the stonework to remain behind her.Equipment
This was taken with my Nikon D800 and my Nikon 28-300mm lens (at about 70mm) which is a great all rounder for this kind of event. No flash or any other equipment was used. I ramped up the ISO as the light was falling by now and kept the aperture small for shallow depth of field, focussing on the models eyes.Inspiration
This young lady was striking all in black and with a black fan. At these events when a model is free you can ask if they'd like some photos taken it's all good fun and you get to work with many types of people, so can come away with many many different images and styles of shot. I loved her look and it was one of only a few that I took as we were all making our way back into the prep area as the evening was drawing to a close. So glad I stopped and asked her. I wanted to make use of the fan, I like dark and mysterious, and this was one of my favourite images from the evenings shoot.Editing
I had taken about 5 or 6 images of this model in total. This one lended itself to a black and white conversion, as the eye contact it so intense. As with everything photographic it's in the eyes of the photographer, but this was my vision for this shot. I converted to Black and white in Photoshop, and then tweaked the curves and contrast to get a punshier image, which is what I was aiming for. I did some slight skin blemish repair, not much as this young lady had beautiful skin, and I didn't want that plastic skin look some processing ends up being. I wanted her to remain the classic gothic beauty she was that evening.In my camera bag
I love my Nikon D800, so normally, for me my go to grab kit would be that and the 28-70 f2.8 (older version of the 24-70) Weighs a tonne but it is a fab lens. If I'm going to do landscape it'll be the Nikon 14-24 f2.8. A variety of ND filters and a poloriser, tripod of course. Sometimes if I can squeeze it in I'll pop in a 35mm film camera, as I still love to shoot and develop a roll or two. There's something magical about chemical developing lolFeedback
If you fancy getting into model photography, joining a group shoot is an ideal way to start it was great for me. There will be many other photographers models MUA there and most are willing to help and guide you if you feel a bit lost at first. You get to chat with like-minded folk and it stimulates creativity. If you gel with someone you can shoot in teams helping each other with reflectors poses etc. Plus you get to network and learn to communicate to get the poses and shots you want. It's great to get out and meet people and adding portraiture to your portfolio can only be a plus in my eyes. Good luck and above all have fun with your photography, in whatever subject you love best :) Get out of your comfort zone sometimes though, it's good to try something new.
