Fight Ya For It
Jul, 2020Views
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Winner in Fashion in the city Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the main marketplace of my hometown of Gravesend in Kent, South East England. Gravesend is a suburban riverside town on the outskirts of the city of London. In many places Gravesend has an "oldy worldy" feel to it...which suited what was meant to be a "Peaky Blinders" themed shoot.Time
The shoot began at 6pm during the middle of July 2020, we (myself, my model and my lighting assistant) decided to wait until the harsh sunlight of the day had passed. I was hoping for a golden early evening light which irritatingly never materialised due to the overcast conditions that developed.Lighting
Most of the time I prefer a more rounded catchlight in the eyes when I shoot portraits, so for this particular shoot I decided to use my Neewer 80cm shallow octa umbrella softbox set-up...the lightstand mount has a clamp for which I utilised my Yongnuo speedlight flash directed into the centre of the umbrella so that the light was diffused twice. The light from the flash was first diffused by being bounced off the base layer of the umbrella and then again as it travelled through the outer baffle of the softbox. I use a wide shallow octa softbox for most of my portraits as this ensures a nice soft light and round catchlight in the eyes as opposed to a narrow square deep softbox where the light is harsher and more directional. I also tend to use the feathered edge of the softbox at a 45 degree angle about a foot above the head and pointed downward towards my subject rather than have the light pointed directly in front of my model as this makes the light that little bit softer and more flattering.Equipment
For this shoot the equipment used comprised of a Nikon D7200 with a 24-70mm F2.8 Nikon lens, an 80cm Neewer octa umbrella softbox with outer baffle (no grid), a Yongnuo speedlight flash gun with triggers and lightstand.Inspiration
My son in law wanted to do a "Peaky Blinders" themed shoot and asked me if I would like to tag along and get some shots myself. Set in 1919 in post war Birmingham we had to try and find a suitable backdrop that would suit the era. My son in law's brother being just over 6ft tall complete with beard, tattoos and a flat cap gangster appearance accepted our request to be the model.Editing
Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop are my desired choices for post processing. I use Lightroom to create the finished style of lighting and look that I am after by manipulating the exposure, clarity, tones, etc. I then export to Photoshop for blemish removal/skin softening, cloning, and manipulating the highlights and shadows. When it comes to post processing portraits, subtlety is key. I tend not to do that much in post, opting for a more natural look.In my camera bag
When I travel, I go as light as possible. All of my lenses are made by Nikon apart from my 85mm prime which is a Sigma lens. Shooting mainly landscapes and portraits, I carry a Nikon 10-24mm for landscapes and for portraits I carry a 24-70mm (F2.8), 85mm (F1.8 prime) and 50mm (F1.8 prime). I have a lint free cloth and lens wipes at all times plus plenty of spare batteries for my Yongnuo speedlight flash gun and triggers.Feedback
If you are shooting portraits, always scout locations first to find an area that is right for you. Revisit locations at different times of the day (avoiding harsh sunlight) such as during the early morning and early in the evening as the light will change making a location look completely different. Pay attention to details such as modern street furniture compromising your old period looking backdrop/background. Modern fashion accessories can also compromise a period shoot, you don't want to get home to review your images to find that your model was wearing a modern watch for example that you missed during the shoot. Take your time and try not to rush through it. If you are out all day and it's hot, always remember to take in plenty of fluids...it's easy to forget.
