mikaelawithak

B0EEF9E1-352D-446F-96EB-03D2607591C3

SONY ILCE-6000

settings

Aperture f/4 ISO 500 Shutter 1/160 Focal Length 19/1

upload_date

Jul, 2018

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+11

Awards

Zenith Award

Fall Award 2020

Top Choice

Peer Award

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 30 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo at a friend's apartment in Jersey City, NJ.

Time

This was pretty early on in the shoot, so in the early afternoon-- we were waiting for pizza to be delivered so we wanted to do some test shots to see how different spots in the apartment worked. Because we were doing the shoot in the middle of January the sunlight was naturally cooler in tone and complimented the model's blue hair super well.

Lighting

I wanted the image to look alluring and sensual, but also approachable. So the naturally cooler tone to the January sunlight worked for making the environment feel more ambiguous and relaxed, while also complimenting the model's hair. As well, having the dichotomy of the cooler background and the warmer tones of the model's skin and coat gave it a more aloof but not unfriendly feeling.

Equipment

This was shot on a Sonya6000 with no other additional equipment

Inspiration

The original inspiration for the shoot was old-school glamour with modern sexuality-- sorta like those more pornographic images of flappers from the 1920s. This specific photo was mostly inspired by the vintage fur coat one of my friends had brought to the shoot. I wanted to do a more sensual image featuring it, so we decided to use only the coat and position the model in a window with gauzy drapes to balance the heaviness of the coat.

Editing

I usually have a shoe-string budget for my fashion shoots, so there is a lot of post-processing that comes with that. For this photo I mostly used Photoshop to brighten the model and the room around her, lower the brightness of the sunlight coming into the window, and saturated her hair and added sharpening to the coat. I also openly discuss with each of my models ahead of time what/if they want edited about their body. I have a rule, from working in the fashion industry for a while, that I will not change a model's size in post edits. I am fine removing scars, birth marks, tattoos, or any skin imperfections that they specifically want removed so they feel more comfortable with the final image.

In my camera bag

I don't carry a lot with me when I shoot because I usually have to take the subway to get there-- and no one wants to lug a heavy bag of equipment trying to get from Queens to Brooklyn (especially if you have to take the L train). So if I am doing a shoot I usually carry with me my mirrorless camera (Sonya6000), my DSLR (Canon Rebel Xti), a foldable reflector, and a tripod. Sometimes I also bring a film camera as well for more experimental shots, and those are either my Holga 120S or Polaroid Sun 600.

Feedback

I would say to be open to different types of environments for shooting. I love finding random places to shoot my fashion or editorial photography-- whether that is a friend's apartment, a fire escape, or even an abandoned factory, there is some truly amazing raw beauty that can be found in these less-than-opulent spaces

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mikaelawithak

mikaelawithak

B0EEF9E1-352D-446F-96EB-03D2607591C3

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow mikaelawithak

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