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Location
This photo was taken in a studio in Erith, Kent. S.E. England
Time
One of my favourite images and my first time working with Tess, the model. Taken late in the morning in a studio. I always have breakfast (even if that just means coffee/tea) in the morning with any model I work with, it breaks the ice and relaxes us both before the shoot. If it's the first time you have met the model you are shooting with and things are awkward it can show in the final work plus no-one wants to shoot all day on an empty stomach.
Lighting
Using a grid on an overhead beauty dish for directional lighting I wanted to create an image that gave the impression of being deep and poetic as if someone were telling a story, I could picture a scene like this. I normally prefer to use shadow to cover the important bits of the female anatomy however I broke my own unwritten rule here, instead deciding to use hands, legs and arms.
Equipment
Apart from the wooden chair that seated my model, I used a 24-70mm Nikon lens attached to a Nikon D3200 entry level DSLR along with a Bowen studio light and beauty dish with grid for directional lighting.
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Inspiration
I'd like to say the image was inspired by a film, piece of music, a story or a similar image that I had seen before but none of that would be true. I decided to spend the day experimenting with light and just trying to find a different effect from the already tried and tested. Several poses and ideas were tried ranging from ballerina type dance stances to general bodyscaping and this one soon became my favourite.
Editing
NX View 2 (a raw file converter and basic adjustment software that came with my Nikon Camera) was used for cropping, pre sharpening and adjustment of the shadows and highlights, finished off with some light editing using Photoshop to remove any blemishes on the backdrop such as creases or marks + slight skin softening.
In my camera bag
In my bag you would find a Nikon 10-24mm which I use for landscapes. I also shoot boxing, rugby, football and various other sports using a Nikon 70-200mm (F2.8). It is also a great lens for portraits, used often in the studio along with a 50mm and 24-70mm (F2.8). I rarely use the 18-105mm kit lens anymore as it just seems to slow but I haven't written it off completely.
Feedback
I use a website called Purpleport to source models, very good and experienced models can be found for a reasonable amount of money (often under £100) also my best bit of advice is to invest in good glass, it makes all the difference from a quality point of view, I can tell you this from experience as i have had my D3200 for 5 years and only in the last 2 years have I seen my photography come alive due to good quality glass. Good quality glass is not be all and end all when it comes to great photography. It will always be about how you use your equipment. I would advise anyone to just keep experimenting with different light set-ups if your preference is a studio environment.
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