ElenaParaskeva
FollowViews
955
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Eye Beauty Photo Contest
Featured
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
All Star
Genius
Magnificent Capture
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Categories
lisapearlman
February 02, 2021
Wow!! Horror movie material! Those ants give me creepy crawley goosebumps
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
"The Fallen" represents an angel that has fallen from grace and is doomed to roam the earth aimlessly, forever seeking redemption. The image has been on the cover of two photography magazines and was awarded at the International Color Awards, Neutral Density Awards, and the Sienna Photo Awards most recently. "The Fallen" will be an image that I will deconstruct in terms of editing, during my upcoming live tutorial for ADOBE.Time
Since this was a studio shot, technique rather than time is more important. I wanted the focus to be on the model, not the background hence the use of a gridded modifier. I wanted to create a dramatic look, one that emphasized the beauty of the model's eyes, therefore, dramatic lighting was key.Lighting
The image was captured in my studio using a singular white beauty dish fitted with a grid instead of a softbox or various lights because I wanted to give the image, especially the leaves more texture and punch.Equipment
Nikon D810, 105mm lens, F9 1/160, one studio lightInspiration
"The Fallen" was a creation actually inspired by the autumn leaves that had fallen in my backyard one late fall evening. I wanted to create something that expressed that decay in a conceptual way.Editing
Yes, other than my usual editing process which involves basic camera raw adjustments, frequency separation for retouching, dodging&burning and multiple color grading using curves, color balance adjustments, blending modes etc I composited the ants from a single ant stock image. That was the most time-consuming part as it involved various techniques to make the ants look very realistic as if they were shot in studio on the model's skin (blend if modes, transform tools etc).In my camera bag
I am a professional photographer so a lot of my work is done in studio. I use a variety of modifiers, softboxes of various sizes, beauty dishes, grids, gobos, reflectors, color gels, and of course studio lights. When I'm out doing fashion shoots i'll use something like a Nikkor 35mm prime lens, but when I'm doing portrait shoots and fine art conceptual work, I prefer to use either an 85mm or a 105mm prime lens. I don't use zoom lenses unless I'm on vacation and just wandering around doing a bit of fun street photography.Feedback
Conceptual photography is exciting, but the photographer has to have a unique and concrete concept that can be translated through staging using the right amount of aesthetic and technique. Try to incorporate an unexpected element into your composition, one that doesn't make sense at first glance, something that might surprise. Don't go overboard, keep it simple for your first time. Too many elements in the composition can be distracting.