Making shapes & shadows with Sylphsia
Feb, 2021Views
1862
Likes
Awards
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Curator's Selection
Top Shot Award 22
Honorable Mention in Capture Shadows Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this in my home Studio in Switzerland. I’m not sure if this is normal for other photographers but I chose this apartment specifically because of the giant windows on one side, the natural light properties and high ceilings allowing me to convert my living room into a full studio.Time
This was taken at around 5pm in mid-October, we were actually planning to shoot outside at sunset but decided to use the time to shoot in the studio whilst we waited for magic hour.Lighting
This is actually shot with natural light coming through the blinds. This light only happens at a specific time of year when the sun is low enough to project across the room and you have perfect conditions outside. There is about a 20minute window where the light quality is good enough to shoot. The strange projection of that light is created by a mix of the curve in the paper roll and by opening the window you can use the reflection to create and control additional lines. On the left hand side there is a large white surface just off camera that brings up the shadows and you can see how this reflects off of the models back to separate her from the background.Equipment
This was taken on a Canon 6D (mark 1) with an EF 35mm F1.4L lens handheld.Inspiration
I’ve always been amazed by how photographers that shoot art nude were able to use light and shadows to really create feeling with their photos. Having shot with this light only once before completely by accident. I knew I wanted to do it again to create something with much more intention. Sylphsia Sia is a great art nude model and we’ve worked together before. She can contort herself into various shapes and I knew that if we could get that perfect light we could get her pose to make the most of those lines.Editing
Yes but not as much as people might think. I pulled the shadows and blacks up a little and lowered the whites and highlights to give it that muted look. Dropped the saturation very slightly and lowered the sharpening to make it a little less intense That was it, all the lines and the model are as they were in the original.In my camera bag
At the time of this shot I always had a Canon 6D with an EF 85mm F1.2L and EF 35mm F1.4L. Now I carry a Canon R5 with a RF85mm F1.2L and an RF15-35mm F2.8L all the time. I use a freewell 7-in-1 VND filter system, carry 3 spare batteries and extra memory cards. I also carry my canon M6 mkii with an EF-m 11-22mm lens and a Rode video micro as a behind the scenes/Vlog camera for YouTube. I’ll typically have a peak design carbon fibre travel tripod and a PGYTech mantis podFeedback
Experiment with shadows and hard light. Take look at the patterns of the light and see how you could work with your model to make the most of that light. Remember the model can’t see what you can see so you need be constantly talking and directing them to position the shadows exactly how you want them. The other piece of advice is that shadows don’t have to be completely dark and devoid of light. Use reflectors or other light sources to help balance the contrast between the light and dark. The more detail you can retain in those dark areas when shooting, the more options you have when post-processing afterwards whether you want to increase the darkness and contrast or do the opposite.
