stephanemichaux
FollowFollow me (she says, not me!)
At this time, I was spending time in the French deep countryside, in a little village with 150 souls and 3000 sheep. ...
Read more
Follow me (she says, not me!)
At this time, I was spending time in the French deep countryside, in a little village with 150 souls and 3000 sheep. No way to find models around there.
I was casually checking facebook and related photography groups when I found a few strangely familiar pictures. Ahem.. I know that place, where it's been shot. This is ...my village!! Who's that model?? Let's send her a little message.
Yeah, I managed to find the only model you could get in a 100km radius and she was living just next door, spending a bit of time at her grandmother's. We met, connected, then arranged a shooting (3 actually), and this gave birth to a few images. A good thing about the countryside is that there is no shortage of natural space and props.
If you like my work, you can also find me on facebook or instagram: stephane.michaux.photo
Read less
At this time, I was spending time in the French deep countryside, in a little village with 150 souls and 3000 sheep. No way to find models around there.
I was casually checking facebook and related photography groups when I found a few strangely familiar pictures. Ahem.. I know that place, where it's been shot. This is ...my village!! Who's that model?? Let's send her a little message.
Yeah, I managed to find the only model you could get in a 100km radius and she was living just next door, spending a bit of time at her grandmother's. We met, connected, then arranged a shooting (3 actually), and this gave birth to a few images. A good thing about the countryside is that there is no shortage of natural space and props.
If you like my work, you can also find me on facebook or instagram: stephane.michaux.photo
Read less
Views
24084
Likes
Awards
Lucky 3 Award
Member Selection Award
People's Choice in Clothes free zone Photo Challenge
Featured
Contest Finalist in Image Of The Month Photo Contest Vol 11
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
stephanemichaux
July 08, 2016
had to push up the ISO a lot, not much light to deal with tbh, hence the grainy look
stephenvalade
July 12, 2016
when you push the ISO you do get grain but a lot of times it works out very well like in this photo. it adds a surreal touch to a real photo.
Pinarello
July 18, 2016
Hi Stephane
Love your photos you have an eye for the camera and your models well done
Love your photos you have an eye for the camera and your models well done
Manoel
August 04, 2016
Stephane, all your female portraits are great. But this one is simply extraordinary... Lighting, composition, posing and the idea of model holding a lamp is awsome. Keep on showing and sharing your art with us. Thanks!
stephanemichaux
August 04, 2016
Thank you Manoel. When I was culling the pictures of that session, I was mad at the idea her face was not tack sharp, light was low... But I was feeling something anyway. Your feedback reminds me that pictures are not always about technical details.
angelabravin
August 05, 2016
Congratulations, Stephane..this superb shot was nominated amongst the finalists for the Image of the Month contest.
stephanemichaux
August 07, 2016
Thanks Angela! Congratulations to the winners and let's see it as an encouragement to make better pictures for the next time!
martinrodgers
August 06, 2016
Can't think what or how to explain this shot! So I can just simply say 'beautiful'
stephanemichaux
August 07, 2016
Thanks Martin. Glad it made you "feel" something. That's the best reward I can read as a photographer. Seeing, feeling, capturing something that hopefully will trigger something in other people.
cmorisset
August 06, 2016
Superbe photo Stephane, belle lumière qui reflète sur le corps. J'ai particulièrement apprécié votre bas vignette... Bravo!
richardeaton
October 07, 2016
Great capture and the model deserves a medal - she must have been freezing. You get 9/10. Level this photo slightly clockwise and it will be perfect.
stephanemichaux
October 08, 2016
She was fine! That was a very hot day and the river was actually refreshing
amydjenkins
November 01, 2016
this is amazing...where was it taken?...WATCH OUT FOR LEETCHES....AARRGGHHH
amydjenkins
November 01, 2016
Write a commentYOU CAN SHOOT MY FEMALE FORM ANYTIME...THESE ARE GORGEOUS...I DO NEED TO BUILD UP NEW PHOTOS IN MY PORTFOLIO IF YOU EVER COME TO THE STATES...I MODEL FOR THE TWISTED AGENCY
stephanemichaux
November 05, 2016
thank you Bryce. As described below, this image is quite messed up on the technical level. I think it was more about the ambiance of the day and a bit of luck
paultownley
November 05, 2016
A very beautiful capture,the light shining on the water is stunning,fantastic timing,well done your a natural.
KevinEllinwood
November 18, 2016
I really love this. I can identify. Wading in water like this is like being in paradise. The sort of shot that anyone would hang on a wall.
stephanemichaux
November 20, 2016
Thank you. I actually never printed that one, now you make me think I should! I recently discovered I could make it available for print here as well, just in case someone is interested
waleedfawzy
December 07, 2016
very good lighting , composition and model . all in hand of an excellent photographer.
1bubbitt
January 16, 2017
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
1bubbitt
January 16, 2017
Love the surrealism of this shot , very dreamy. Lovely effects in that light reflection. Excellent.
Loekie
April 21, 2017
Beautiful ,stunning photograph, Very beautiful model in a natural setting with the right lighting created a price winning picture. Stephane you are an great artist .Well done!!!!
MikeHarvey
May 26, 2017
Like what you have done except would make the bright bit in the background a lot darker as it draws your eye away from the subject
stephanemichaux
May 29, 2017
One could say it's actually good to have a nude as a secondary subject, not making it the center of attention. This photo is faaaaar from perfect, technically speaking anyway. Thanks for your input!
Leeker53
December 06, 2018
Very good job! Great composition and pose looks natural. I read previous posts and I don't see much grain. Just a beautiful photo. Well done!
UntetheredPhotography
May 16, 2021
Great photo for my challenge a stroll in the naked woods without textiles viewbug.com/challenge/a-stroll-in-the-naked-wood-photo-challenge-by-untetheredphotos
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
At that time I was in the middle of the French countryside, with like no models in a 100km radius. I was casually checking Facebook and found a picture posted on a not-that-local photography group, and that picture was showing an area that was strangely familiar to me. I sent a message to the person who posted it and figured out she was a model and that she was staying in the very same village where I was! We then met and introduced ourselves, and it went very well. The day after, we went out shooting together. It was a very hot summer day, and we were looking for a sheltered place to get away from the heatwave.Time
This was in the middle of the day, when the sun is very high in the sky. No clouds at all and a difficult light to work with, and very harsh shadows. This is why we decided to go to that little stream hidden under thick vegetation.Lighting
This is all natural light, and there was not that much of it in that place so I had to push the ISO quite a bit. The challenge there was to expose the shot properly for the model and the dark surrounding areas without burning the highlights in the background.Equipment
An old half-broken D700 with a bent lens ring which causes me focusing issues (the focus plane is not... plane anymore), and a contaminated Nikkor 50mm f/1,4 G with fungus between the glass elements. No tripod: I had water up to my waist. Some people would yell at the idea of not taking care of photography equipment properly but in my opinion there are two ways to handle your gear: you can carry it in a strongbox with all the care in the world and miss a lot of opportunities out of fear of damaging it, or you can just take it wherever you go and face the reality of what happens sometimes on the field. I travelled a lot with my cameras and chose the later: that made me bring back home a lot more good pictures.Inspiration
I've always been fond of the female form, especially in places full of nature and wilderness. In a society that tends to over sexualise women wherever they're shown, I try my best to restore their inner and outer beauty to a deeper and more interesting level. I like seeing the human kind as a part of Nature, in its original state, in the middle of the elements.Editing
I had to, but not that much in the end on that picture. There was very little light, and despite having a wide aperture lens, my shots were really under-exposed since I didn't want to push the ISO too high. On top of that, the dynamic range between the foreground area and the sun on the back was massive and I didn't want to blow out the highlights. Also, there was just a tiny bit of skin work to do because of... tan lines. Dear models, when you go sun-bathing, please think about us photographer/retouchers. Tan lines are not fun to remove. Please don't be mad, I love you anyway.In my camera bag
My good old Nikon D700 workhorse with the 50mm f1,4 permanently attached to it (due to the bent lens ring). I also carry my first dSLR as a backup, a D90 with a Nikkor 70-200 f/2,8 GII ED, which turns it into a 105-300mm equivalent because of the sensor size of that body. It's a pretty convenient setup to shoot from afar and give room to the model, make her forget that I'm here. That helps getting more natural expressions and poses, especially with beginners. And I miss my 24-70mm f/2,8 G ED which really was a jack of all trades. I broke it while shooting a time lapse with storms coming my way. Hence the damaged body. RIP beloved glass, I miss you. Dearly There are also all sorts of things in my bag, often forgotten by models: a hairbrush, various lipsticks, nail polish bottles, make-up stuff, sunscreen, hair clips and bobby pins.Feedback
When you go shooting somewhere, dress accordingly. It's not uncommon to come back home very dirty, wet, covered with mud... On that specific day, i was wearing swim shorts and a pair of very old sneakers. When we discovered the location and realised I would have to get in the water to get the shots I wanted, I didn't have to think twice and jumped in.