Over the Shoulder
Coy
Coy
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Canon EOS 80D
Aperture f/2.5 ISO 320 Shutter 1/60 Focal Length 21/1 
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Apr, 2020Views
276
Likes
Awards
2020 Choice Award
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Virtuoso
Magnificent Capture
Superb Composition
Emotions
Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this as part of a Trade For Print project with an inexperienced model who wanted to get used to being in front of a camera. It was very much a mutual learning experience and a very successful one, given the pile of wonderful photos we came out with. Since then, we've spent some time during Minnesota's shelter in place order to design a couple future shoots together.Time
The windows in my office/makeshift studio face north and there's a three-story brownstone across the street. So what you're seeing is low winter sun filtered through overcast clouds, then reflected off of the mostly brown-orange building across the street and in through my fairly dirty windows, haha. I used a reflector to fill in a bit of the back of the model, so that light is getting one more bounce on its way to the subject.Lighting
I wanted to experiment with using only available light in this shoot, which required me to keep telling the model to hold a pose for a couple seconds while I secured a shot or two. I wanted a moody look and I think I got it.Equipment
Shot on a Canon EOS 80D with a Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ART lens, with a silver Etekcity reflector balanced on my kneeInspiration
Most of my photography experience is in covering concerts and festivals for music blogs. I've been looking to expand my offerings to make myself more marketable, so I've been setting up test shoots with people around town to gain experience. This is one such test shoot with somebody who wanted photos more on the risque side of things.Editing
I'm still refining what I want my look to be in terms of photography, lighting, and post-processing in studio photography. I try to capture a lot of bright, vivid colors in my music coverage and this photo worked in the opposite direction of that. Bright, crisp, and sharp didn't feel right with this photo. To me, it feels more appropriate to be subdued, which can add a sense of mystery or intrigue to the pics. That's the same reason I went with a more muted look.In my camera bag
You will always find me with my go to of my Canon EOS 80D with the severely underrated Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ART lens. It is a HEAVY lens, but I will happily shoulder the burden as a trade-off for remarkable amount of light it gulps up and crisp images it helps to deliver. If I bring a second lens, it's either a 50mm f/1.8 RF lens or if I'm feeling fancy, a 50mm f/1.4 FD lens with an adapter.Feedback
I would suggest talking over what you're looking to get out of the shoot with the model and asking them for the same information. Work on a plan for the shoot together and try and solidify a plan ahead of time so the model will know what to expect in terms of a sequence and such. Lay all of your equipment out that you think you'll need ahead of time and walk yourself mentally through each step to make sure you have everything you need. If you're using natural light, spend a couple days in the space to determine the optimal times to get the light you want. When the time comes, don't be afraid to experiment with different settings and angles. Be gracious, be kind, and be not creepy.
