Model on the tracks
Model shoot at a Montana Train yard
Model shoot at a Montana Train yard
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Jun, 2019Views
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FergalBrady
December 07, 2023
I like the look of her face like she has life experience a knowing face apart from the obvious good looks
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in Whitefish Montana, USA near the downtown railroad yard.Time
It was around 6:30pm.Lighting
October, late afternoon sun gave some great side lighting. No flash was needed to get the effect I wanted. I don't always go for a head-on look, but the shadows fell where I wanted them at this angle. If I shifted her I would have lost the train parked in the background.Equipment
I had a Sony A7 with a Sony 100-400 lens. Since I was moving around to get the right lighting and angles, I was hand holding the camera. In order to minimize shake, I set my shutter to 1/750 with a focal length of around 200mm. Since there was enough light, I put my ISO at 250. Normally I would keep it at 200 in the studio, but rarely do I go beyond 800. The camera will go much higher with little clarity loss, but I'm used to these settings. I wanted the background to be out of focus so I set my aperture to 5.6.Inspiration
A small group of photographers were working with three period models in various old west scenes. The railroad yard provided a nice background and we were able to safely get trains in the background by standing just outside of the Railroad right-of-way. The lighting was dramatic enough that we got nice lighting without the use of flashes, which would have required a lot more work to get the same effect. This is not my favorite shot from this series, but it has been well liked and awarded, so I can't complain!Editing
This is pretty much straight out of the camera. If I were to rework it, I might open up the shadows around the eyes a bit and darken the sky, but I'm satisfied with the result as it stands.In my camera bag
Depending on what I'm shooting, I have several checklists I use for wildlife, portraits, or scenics. In all instances, I'll carry 2 bodies, several extra batteries, SD cards and 2 or three lenses. I have a 10-18, 24-70 and a 100-400 to cover just about anything I'll run into. I also have a 50mm prime lens that I'll carry for portraits or macro. The 24-70 is usually on one of the bodies, and the second body will have whatever fits what my subject will be. (100-400 for wildlife, 10-18 for wide angle scenics or interiors, and the 50 for people) I used to carry a 70-200, but I found I always used it at the 200mm setting, so I traded it in for the 100-400. It's heavier and bulky, so I use a tripod with a gimbal. My go-to carry device is two Pelican cases. This holds virtually everything I need, including two flashes, repair parts, snacks, etc. If I'm going to leave the car to wander into the woods, I can load whatever I need into a Lowepro bag.Feedback
Lighting is key. I try anything to keep from flat (head-on) lighting unless it's in the studio, and rarely then. If I'm outdoors, I almost always shoot in the shade and use a flash offset from the camera plane with a stroboframe. In this case I had the rare luxury of great side lighting.
