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The Making Of A Selfie



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When the photographer steps out, a selfie is made

When the photographer steps out, a selfie is made
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Awards

Action Award
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Contest Finalist in Mirror Moments Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in A Face In The Mirror Photo Contest
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Outstanding Creativity
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Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
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Top Ranks

Monochrome Corner Photo ContestTop 30 rank
Lenses And Cameras Photo ContestTop 30 rank
Creative Moments Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Mirror Moments Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
People In Black And White Photo ContestTop 10 rank
People In Black And White Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Elegant Fine Art Nudes Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Elegant Fine Art Nudes Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 2
A Face In The Mirror Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Elegant Fine Art Nudes Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
A Face In The Mirror Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
Selfies In Black and White Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in my studio in downtown Toronto. It's a 4th floor old factory converted into units with 14 ft ceilings and occupied by artisans, photographers, acting school and all sorts of artistic talent. A great place to create

Time

This shot was taken on a weekend in the fall of 2017. No particular time of the day, but I think this was late afternoon. Shooting in studio with black out curtains means I can control the lighting anytime of the day.

Lighting

The lighting in this shot is very simple. One light. One 300 WS strobe in double diffused 48 inch Octobox with a grid. The grid, or course, to control the light in a "beam" onto the model. Keeps the spill light to a minimum. I then used a reflector, white, to bounce back light to fill shadows on the back side of the model. The main light was brought forward enough to shoot around the mirror. You cam see the edge of the light on the left. It lightened the floor from the left left of the frame through to the right back edge. The angle of the light gives depth to the image and also lights the flooring that runs front to back

Equipment

This shot was done with a Canon 5d Mk II and a 24-105 lens shot about 35 mm. It was handheld at 1/ 160. An elinchrom 300 ws strobe with a 48" gridded Octobox was was the main light opposite the mode with a reflector in behind to fill in shadow on the model

Inspiration

This particular model was a student of photography at the time. I found that out during the shoot. I remember being a bit intimidated wondering if she was judging my abilities. As a last set that day ( we had been shooting artistic work with fabric ), I thought I would set up a scene where the model took an opportunity to take the camera and start shooting. I wanted the scene to include the studio lights, reflector and stands to give the feel that this was a studio workshop with the model wanted to be a photographer.

Editing

Very little post processing was done. The obvious flipping to black and white, but this shot was originally designed for black and white with high contrast and shadows. A bit of cropping and that was about it.

In my camera bag

Today, I have my Canon 5D Mk IV. I'm a canon guy.... and my go-to lens 24-105 F4. For my low light, I have Sigma 1.4 35MM ( my only no Canon lens, but this is a beautiful piece. Also 1.4 50MM, 70 - 200 F2.8, 60 MM Macro F2.8, 100MM Macro F2.8. My Canon MKII is my backup unit, still working great after 5 years. Also in the bag are various ND filters and polarizers for those times I venture outdoors.

Feedback

I can not stress enough that black and white photography is NOT just flipping your favorite color shot with a filter or de-saturation your color shot. Shooting for black and white means paying close attention to light and shadow and contrast. Imagine the shot in your mind and set lighting accordingly. Black and white photography can be difficult at first to "get it right", but one really learns the importance of shadows and how to use them to create depth and mood in a photograph.

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