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Contest Finalist in Beauty And Make Up Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken in my studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. We painted the wall in the background in anticipation of this particular photoshoot to bring forward the bold colors on the model's face.Time
The "Sad Clown" photoshoots are some of my personal favorites. This particular photoshoot started at 11AM but it took a couple of hours for the make-up artist to paint the model's face. These photoshoots are very challenging for the models because I ask them to relax the muscles in their face and to express a sad emotion with their eyes. The idea is to let the sadness of the artwork speak for itself.Lighting
My studio is void of natural light and I used a couple of soft studio lights. Initially I was having some challenges with the lighting. The bright white paint on the model's face was a bit too reflective and consequently washed out some of the other colors. I simply moved the lights back to approximately 8 feet away from the subject and this muted the reflective properties of the white paint.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 7D with an Ultrasonic 24-70mm lens.Inspiration
I am deeply inspired by the energy of the divine feminine. This particular image was intended to express sadness for the superficial objectification of the female form. In a society that values physical beauty over spiritual substance, the divine feminine is so often overlooked. The sadness in her eyes was intended to be a reflection of a lonesome, undiscovered soul suppressed by the ideals of society.Editing
I didn't do any post processing on this photo other than a slight adjustment with the contrast.In my camera bag
I have since upgraded my camera to a Canon 5D Mark III which I love. I usually carry a Canon Ultrasonic 24-70mm lens, a Canon Ultrasonic 70-300mm lens and a Canon SPEEDLIGHT 430 EX II.Feedback
When I first started shooting "The Clown Series", I was surprised by how challenging it was for the models to associate themselves with their new identity. For example, if we created a happy clown, the model would instinctively smile during the shoot which ultimately distorts and ruins the art work. I've learned to keep the models from seeing the make up until the photoshoot was complete. I found that they could take my direction naturally if they didn't try to exaggerate an already exaggerated expression.