Portfolio And Context
Portfolio
Shoot 1
Research
Anna Stockland
Anna Stockland is a fashion photographer who shoots mainly editorial images. The particular piece of work I am drawn to is her work with Emma Chamberlain for Miumiu.
For this shoot, Stockland used a digital full-frame camera as the images were used for mainly social media or put on a website, a medium format camera would not be necessary for this use of the images. You can tell the image was shot digitally as there is hardly any grain within these images. I think Stockland used a zoom lens as there are a variety of close-up shots and full-body shots so she would need the flexibility of a zoom lens. I also think the focal length does not go below 50mm as there is no distortion within the images that would occur with a wide-angle lens. This body of work was shot on location. You can tell these images were shot using a mixture of flash and natural light as Emma stands out very clearly against the background which would only occur if there was a flash used. Emma has been posed in this sort of candid manner which allows Emma’s personality to show a little within the images. The variety of compositions allows different aspects of the clothing to be highlighted. The tones in these images are very even, and they are slightly high in contrast as the highlights are quite strong however the shadows are not that dark. In my work, I want to focus on street fashion, and I think this set of images focuses on that due to the location they were shot in as well as the candid nature of them. When creating my own work I will focus on making sure the model’s personality shows through as well as think carefully about the location I would like to shoot in.
Romain Mayambi
Romain Mayambi is a DRC Congolese photographer, his work focuses on street-style fashion and editorial photography. I am very drawn to his work where he shoots athletes in non-conventional spaces.
He shoots on a digital full-frame canon. You can tell as there is not a lot of grain within these images he mostly likely did not shoot on film. He also posts his work on social media as well as creates smaller-sized prints so a medium-format camera would not be necessary. He used a flashlight to capture the athlete’s movement. You can also tell a flash has been used as the subjects are a lot brighter compared to the background. The athletes have been posed in a way which is relevant to the sport they play for example, the American football player looks like he is running to get a touchdown. The images tend to be quite clear and in focus in some areas however in other areas the image is quite blurry, this is due to Mayambis’ use of a longer shutter speed to create the blurred effect and the use of flash to capture a freeze frame of the athlete moving. The tones are even throughout the images so there is not a lot of contrast. The colours are unsaturated however Mayambi increases the saturation of the colour red in this body of work. His work has inspired me to use motion within my own work. To do this I will ask the model to walk around or to show the movement of the clothes they are wearing, this will make the image look a lot more interesting compared to a still image of the model.
Planning
More References
I found this post on Mob Journal’s Instagram. Mob Journal is an advertising agency for new-generation creatives, allowing them to collaborate and have their work published. The piece of work I found was made by Martina Lombardo. This work was taken on a digital camera, you can tell as there is very little to no grain within the images. The shoot is done on location; you can tell she used a flash. You are able to tell Lombardo uses a flash as she has used a long shutter speed to get this movement in the background, but the model is perfectly in focus, which can only be done with the use of a flash. The images are very clear, and the model is very sharp. There are a lot of blue tones within the images, specifically in the shadows. The colours are not hugely saturated and are very cool-toned. I am drawn to this image as this is the sort of style I would like to take this set of images in. They look slightly candid due to the location of the image, but you can tell the model has been posed. I also really like how the model stands out from the background and this is something I will try to replicate in my work.
Shoot
Equipment list:
- Fujifilm x-t5
- Fujifilm 18-135mm
- Neewer ML 300
On the 6th February, I did a shoot in Soho using flash on location. The aim of this shoot was to capture street-style fashion candidly. I wanted to focus more on the technical side for this shoot so I was very focused on the setting I was using on my camera as well as how the natural light and flashlight interacted with each other. For my first set of images, I started by taking photos outside Supreme. The reason why I chose to shoot outside the Supreme store was because Supreme is the powerhouse of street fashion and has been around for years. I also really like the aesthetic of the shop and I thought it fit the aesthetic of the model’s outfit. I set the shutter speed to 1/30th as I wanted there to be movement in these images, this makes the images look candid. I set my f stop to 5.6 to make sure the model was in focus, my ISO was set to 400 as it was a very dark day and I didn’t want to open up my aperture any further. I had my assistant stand in front of the model, slightly off to the side so the flash would cast a nice shadow on the model. I am really happy with how these images have turned out as I wanted them to look candid, I also think the model’s personality shines in these images which makes them very interesting. The last image is my favourite from this first shoot as I like the accent of the warm light in the window, I also like how the background is completely blurred whereas the model is frozen in time due to an external flash.
For this second shot, I wanted to get a few more ‘candid’ shots with movement in them so I went down an ally way where I noticed a red-bricked wall which I was drawn to as I thought it would’ve added more colour to the image as the model’s outfit was all black. I had my camera’s shutter speed set to 1/60th as it was a bit darker than the previous shot, I set my f-stop to 4 and my ISO to 640 as it was a lot darker as there was less natural light coming in. I had my assistant stand in front of the model slightly to the side a shadow of the model would’ve been cast onto the wall as well as caused nice shadows on the model’s face. I am very happy with how these images turned out as the red background helps the model stand out a lot more. The last image is my favourite from these shots as I really like the composition of the image as the model is walking right into the middle of the frame. I also really like that you can see the movement in the clothing and shoes but the model’s face is completely in focus.
For the third shot, I wanted to get a full body shot but a still. I set my cameras shutter speed to 1/125 so there was no movement in the image, I also set my f-stop to 5 so the model was in focus, I also set my ISO to 160. I had my assistant stand on the right of me holding up the light so it would hit the top/middle of the model. I chose this location as I was intrigued with the tones and textures of the wall, I think it worked well as it fit the aesthetic perfectly. I told the model to keep moving which allowed me to capture a ‘candid’ moment. I really like how these images turned out as they display the model’s outfit really well. My favourite image is the last one as I think it displays the outfit the best out of all the images as you can see his shirt and tie.
For the fourth shot, I wanted to have a shot where the model is running. I got the model to run in a straight line as I followed him. The assistant was running alongside the model, this created a nice shadow on the model’s face and clothing. My shutter speed was set to 1/125 as there was a lot of movement and I didn’t want the image too blurry. The f-stop was set to 5 so the background was slightly brighter, and I set the ISO to 160 to get as much detail in as possible. I like these images as I think they really show the model’s personality as he is smiling/laughing within the images. My favourite image is the last image as I think it goes more with the aesthetic of the rest of the images, I also like how you are able to see the whole outfit and the composition of this image is really nice.
For the fifth shot, I wanted some close-up images. I found this door next to a shop that looked really nice so I wanted to shoot in front of it. I set my camera’s shutter speed to 1/250 as I didn’t want any movement within the images. I changed the f-stop to 6.4 to make sure the model is fully in focus whereas the background is slightly out of focus, drawing the viewer’s attention to the finer details. I really like how these images turned out, specifically the last image as I really like the shadow cast on the model’s neck as it creates a nice shape. It also makes the image look more contrasty which I think is very visually appealing.
For the sixth shot, I wanted a full-body shot in front of the door. My camera’s shutter speed was set to 1/250, f6.4 and ISO 160. I had my assistant on the right of me with the light aiming towards the model’s face and midsection. I asked the model to act like he was ‘fixing’ his outfit. I really like how these images have turned out, as the background looks very posh and rich which is a similar vibe to the outfit. I really like the shadows cast on the model’s face and the background. My favourites are the last two as I think they are the best in terms of composition and they show off the outfit.
For the last shot, I wanted an image where it really showed the model’s personality. I took him to a coffee shop and asked him to just act like himself. While he was smoking and drinking his coffee I took photos of me. I set my camera to 1/125, f5 and ISO 160. The assistant stood on the left of me so it created a nice shadow on the right-hand side. I took a few close-up images, mid-range and full-body shots to have a variety when making the final selection of images. I really like these images as I feel like they really show the model’s personality in a ‘candid’ way which is what I intend for this shoot.
Editing
For these images, I first selected my favourite images. I chose these two as I really like the composition of the images as the model is stepping directly into the middle of the image. I also really like how there is a lot of movement in the first image. I like the second image as the red background helps to separate the model from the background which makes the model stand out drawing the viewer’s attention to the clothing. In Capture One I made very minor adjustments. For the first image, I masked out the background and decreased the brightness and exposure. I did this to separate the model from the background so the viewer’s attention will be drawn straight to the model. I then made a subject mask and decreased the whites so more detail in the model’s top would show through. I then increased the contrast and highlights in the whole image. I then went to the colour balance and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. In the second image, I made a background mask and decreased the brightness and shadows, this helps to draw attention to the model as he stands out a lot more compared to the background. I then made a subject mask and decreased the exposure slightly as he was slightly overexposed. I also decreased the whites so there could be more detail seen in the shirt. I then went to the white balance section and added blue hues to the shadows and yellows to the highlight. I then imported the images into Photoshop and used the AI, clone stamp tool and healing tool to get rid of parts of the image that would be distracting such as yellow lines on the road, vents and an intercom. After I was happy with the images I exported the images as tiffs and jpegs.
For this set of images, I started by selecting my favourite images. I chose the first image as I really like how candid it looked. It almost looks like he is fixing his jacket while waiting for someone. I chose the second image as I like the composition of the model, the model is placed directly in the middle of the image and there is not much negative space due to him opening his coat, but it doesn’t feel too compact. With the first image, I first made a background mask. I decreased the exposure slightly and the brightness. This created a darker vibe to the image as well as brought out the texture of the background. I then created a subject mask and increased the blacks slightly just so you could see more detailing within the clothes. I then added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights as well as increasing the contrast in the overall image. For the second image, I started by changing the cropping of the image slightly. I pulled in the right-hand side in to make the model more centred, this made the image too narrow however I knew I would be able to fix this later in Photoshop. I then edited the background using a background mask. I decreased the brightness and exposure slightly to make to maker the overall image darker as well as you can see more detail on the wall. I increased the blacks, when editing the model’s clothing just so you can see more detail. I made the images slightly more contrasty and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. When I took the images into Photoshop, I used the clone stamp tool to get rid of the line behind the model on the floor as well as stray hairs.
I started by selecting one image where the model was smiling and one where he had a more serious look on his face. I edited the first image by creating a subject mask and decreasing the brightness as well as the whites, this allowed more detail of the model’s clothes to come through. I then created a background mask and decreased the brightness slightly just so the model stood out a bit more from the background. I also increased the contrast of the overall image and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. For the second image, I started by increasing the contrast of the overall image. I also increased the brightness and decreased the whites so more detail in the models clothes can be seen. I then created a background mask and decreased the brightness and exposure, this made the background darker. I also added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. I also took this image into Photoshop and used the clone stamp tool to get rid of marks on the pavement as well as traffic cones and lights.
For this set of images, I chose these two images. I chose the first image because I liked the composition and I thought I would be able to crop the image so you would only be able to see his shoulders upwards. I chose the second image because I really like the shadow the light cast on the model’s neck. I started editing the first image by making a background mask, I then decreased the brightness so the model would pop a lot more. I increased the contrast of the overall image and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. I then imported the image into Photoshop and used the clone stamp tool to get rid of the house number behind the model as I found it very distracting. I also used the clone stamp tool and healing tool to clean up the hairs on the model’s face and to get rid of stray hairs. With the second image, I cropped the image slightly to make the composition more visibly pleasing. I used the AI mask to mask out the background and I decreased the brightness. I then created another adjustment layer and decreased the brightness and whites so the details of the model’s outfit would be shown, this is particularly important in this image as it is a detail shot. I added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights and increased the contrast of the overall image. I then took the image into Photoshop and used the healing tool to clean up parts of his beard. I also used the AI tool as well as the clone stamp tool to move round the tie so it was in the centre of the models collar, this made the image look a lot cleaner.
For the first image, I cropped the image slightly just so there was less negative space around the model, I then increased the contrast of the overall image. I also increased the blacks just so parts of the model’s outfits were not so dark. I took the image into Photoshop and used the clone stamp tool to get rid of the house number and dirt on the floor as I found it quite distracting. I added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. I did the same edits to the other image.
For the last set of images, I started editing the image on the left. I did this by creating a subject mask in Capture One and increased the brightness as I thought he looked a bit too dark and wanted him to stand out more. I increased the contrast of the overall image and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. I took this image into Photoshop and used the clone stamp tool to get rid of anything in the background that I found too distracting. I started editing the image on the right by creating a subject mask, I increased the brightness as well as decreased the whites. I also increased the contrast slightly and added blue hues to the shadows and yellow hues to the highlights. I took this image into Photoshop and used the clone stamp tool to get rid of the reflection in the glass. I also used the clone stamp tool to get rid of the cigarette bud on the floor as well as the fire door sign. I used the AI tool to increase the crop very slightly, this made the tip of the shoe visible which made the image look better.
Finals edits
Shoot 2
Research
Holly McCandless-Desmond
Holly McCandless-Desmond is a London-based fashion and portrait photographer.
She shoots on a digital Nikon camera. You can tell she shoots on digital as there is not a lot of grain within her work and if there is any grain it is normally added in post-production. Sometimes she shoots on a medium format digital camera as some of her work has been printed on a large scale. Her work is shot in the studio and she uses flash. You can tell she uses flash as the subject is separated from the backdrop and she also uses different modifiers to create very interesting looks. The models have been posed in ways which show off the clothes, she has also matched the posing to the style of clothing for example; in the second image, the clothing is quite feminine so the model has also been posed in a feminine way. The images are very clear and everything is in focus which leads me to believe she has used an f-stop of 8 or above to ensure the subject is in focus. The tones in these images are very even and the colours are quite saturated. Her work has inspired me to use a dramatic lighting set-up to help show off the clothes. I will also saturate the colours a lot more to make the image and the clothes stand out a lot more.
Radhika
Radhika is a London-based based photographer who specialises in editorial and fashion photography.
She shoots using a digital camera, I know this as she shows how she creates her images. A lot of her work has grain in it which she applies in post-production. I also think she shoots on a full-frame camera as her work is often posted on social media or in a magazine cover so a medium format camera would not be necessary for these shoots. She shoots a lot of her work in the studio and uses flash lighting. The models are posed in a way which shows their personality, this is clearly shown in the photo where the woman is laughing. The images are all in focus however they give the illusion they are not as they are very soft. The tones within the images are very even and there is not a great amount of contrast. The images are highly saturated they also have a very clean appearance. Her work has inspired me a lot with the way she has posed the models as I think using the models’ personalities helps to create a better atmosphere within the images.
Planning
Test shoot
With the first lighting set up, I had to meter to the background and I had a continuous light on the backdrop. I then metered the model to get the correct exposure. I had to add a flag to the key light as it was creating shadows on the floor. The end product works well as I really like the spotlight especially when it isn’t completely focused on the background and it creates this gradient on the background.
For the second shot, I set up a key light and rim light that were opposite each other. This created nice harsh shadows on the model as well as displayed the model’s clothing nicely. I used a beauty dish on the key light but when I do the real shoot I think I might use a reflector dish so I can have harsher shadows on the model.
For the third shot, I used an octagonal softbox on the key light and had a pollyboard with the black side facing the model so it would create a harsh shadow. I like how the lighting looks however it is not as dramatic as I wished it to be. When I do the real shoot I will use a beauty dish or reflector as it does not spill as much light therefore giving me harsher shadows.
When I was shooting I was quite disappointed with the images as they did not look like the reference images, however, when I started editing the photos they looked more like the reference photos.
More Planning and References
Real shoot
Firsts shot.
For this shot, I started by setting up a grey background. I used a grey background as I knew it would look darker when taking the photo due to the spotlight on the backdrop. Once the backdrop was set up, I then started setting up the spotlight on the backdrop, I used a Source Four junior and made sure all the flags inside the light were open to create a full circle. I also had to change the focus of the light as I wanted the circle to have a sharp line. Once I was happy with the shape of the circle, I then set up the two Profoto lights. I had one light with a reflector dish and grid on the right of me, it was placed high up and angled down onto the model. I then had the other light placed opposite the key light backlighting the model. Once I was happy with the positioning of the lights, I then had to meter everything. I started with the spotlight, my camera was set to ISO 400, shutter speed 1/60 and f5.6. I had to have my ISO so high and my shutter speed quite low as there was no way of increasing the power of the Source Four light, so I had to make it look brighter with the settings on my camera. Once I was happy with how the spotlight looked, I then metered the key light and backlight. Once everything was correctly exposed, I started to shoot. I had the model show off the jacket which is the piece of clothing I wanted to highlight. I also had him crouch down, I had to move the spotlight down, so the model was in the middle of the circle. I didn’t like how the circle was bending around the backdrop, so I used the inbuilt flags to create a semicircle. I also did some shots where I turned off the lights in the studio so the camera would not pick up any extra light, this allowed for the backdrop to be completely dark except for the spotlight. I am happy with these images as they look exactly how I imagined them to look, I also think the images show off the model’s clothing really well.
Second shot.
For this set of images, I started by changing the backdrop to a dark blue backdrop. I then turned off the backlight as well as the spotlight so the only light I used was a Profoto placed high up and angled down onto the model. This created a nice shadow on the backdrop as well as the model adding dimension to the image. My camera was set to ISO 200, shutter speed 1/125 and f8. Once I had taken some images with different poses, I then changed out the light for the Source Four light. I know this light does not come under ‘dramatic use of flash’ but I wanted to use it for my portfolio work. I used the flags inside the light to create a strip of light that was directed towards the model. I liked the look of this as it looked like the light was coming from a window, the only parts of the image that were exposed to light were the model and a very small part of the background on the floor. My camera was set to ISO 800, shutter speed 1/60 and f5.6.I asked the model to act like he was walking into the beam of light, this created a lot of movement in this image which I found quite appealing. I asked the model to wear a leather jacket for this shot as I thought the leather would reflect the light off nicely. I am really happy with how these images turned out as I think they are very dramatic and show off the model’s clothes in a way a nice way.
Third shot.
I wanted to do a close-up shot for the third shot as the other two were full-body images. I started by changing the background to red. I then added two backlights on either side of the model, I didn’t have a modifier in the light but then I placed two poly boards behind the lights so the light would not spill onto the backdrop. I then used Source Four to light the model’s face. I had my assistant change the shape of the light on the model’s face so different parts of his face and his clothing would be the focus of the image. The backlights create a nice rim light around the model, adding some highlights to his hair. As I didn’t have any lights on the backdrop the background was very dark, so the rim lights helped separate the model from the background. I really like these images as they are different to the other two and focus a lot on the smaller details of the model’s outfit.
I was quite nervous about how this shoot was going to turn out as I did not like how the test shoot went but I am really pleased with the images I have created as I think they show how flashlights can create a dramatic effect and make the images look very interesting.
Editing
First shot;
Some key things I noticed about this set of images that I wanted to change was how bright the background was, I wanted the background to be a bit darker, so I used the background mask in Capture One and decreased the brightness a little bit. This also darkened the spotlight so I used the AI brush to mask out the spotlight and increased the brightness so the spotlight would stand out a lot more. I changed the white balance slightly as the model’s face looked a bit green. I added blue tones to the shadows and pink tones to the highlights, this created a very slight purple tone which I think looks very appealing. I increased the contrast slightly to make the lighting a little more dramatic. I also wanted the highlights to have this glow effect, so I decreased the clarity. I noticed that due to the harsh shadows, a lot of the detail in the model’s trousers were lost so I increased the blacks slightly so the detail would come out a lot more. I made these adjustments to all of the images I had this lighting in as I wanted them to all have the same editing technique to them to have continuity between all the images. Once I was happy with the colour grading and tones within the images I exported them to Photoshop where I made very minor adjustments to the images. I used the spot healing tool to get rid of any hairs around the model’s head which were distracting and cleaned up the clothing a little by getting rid of any dust on the model’s outfit. Doing this helped make the images look a lot cleaner. Overall I am really pleased with how this set of images turned out, they are exactly how I imagined it and I think they show off the model’s clothing really well.
Second shot:
When shooting I had to use a lighter backdrop compared to what I had in mind so I decided to use a background mask and decreased the brightness to make the blue seem a bit darker. I also added some blue tones to the shadows so there was this gradient from a lighter blue to dark blue to black on the background. I then changed the white balance as the model’s face looked quite yellow. A lot of the details in the model’s clothing got lost as it was very dark so I created a subject mask and increased the brightness slightly as well as increased the blacks. Once I was happy with the colour grading and exposure of the images I took the images into Photoshop and cleaned the image up. I used the spot healing tool and got rid of marks on his clothing as well as hairs that were out of place. I am very pleased with how these images turned out as they are very dramatic and I really like the posing with this.
Third shot
This set of images were quite hard to edit as I used two flashes and one continuous light, which meant the lights had two different colour temperatures. I preferred how the warmer colour temperature looked so I used the brush tool to mask out the areas where the two flashes were hitting the model’s face and increased the warmth of the white balance, I had to make sure I did not make the model’s face too yellow. As I used a red background you could see very small hints of red in the background which I did not like so I masked out the background and decreased the brightness the whole way. As I wanted the smaller details on the model’s top to show I masked out the shirt and increased the brightness very slightly as well as increased the blacks. Once I was happy with how these images turned out I took them into Photoshop. I then made small changes to the image to make it look cleaner. For example, I got rid of any catchlights in the model’s eye as well as cleaned up the clothing a bit as well as any extra hairs that could be distracting. I like these images as they are very different from the first two and they really show the smaller details in the model’s outfits.
Shoot 3
Research
Ryo Sato
Ryo Sato is a Japanese photographer and filmmaker that has created work for Adobe, Formula 1, Vogue, Nike and more.
Sato shoots his work on a digital full-frame camera. You can tell he shoots on digital as there is very little grain in these images, if there is any, it has been added during post-production. He also posts his mainly on social media so a medium format camera would be too overkill for the use of the images. His work is shot on location and he uses flash. You can tell he uses flash as the subject is clearly separated from the background. The models are posed in these exaggerated poses which I think creates this interesting look and makes the images more interesting compared to the stereotypical fashion images, where the models are just standing in the middle of the shot. He also uses a wide-angle lens; you can tell as the parts of the subject that are closer to the camera look a lot bigger compared to the parts of the subject that are further away from the camera. The tones are very even and the image has a lot of contrast due to the subject being a lot brighter compared to the background. The colours are very saturated which helps the images stand out. The images are very clean as they have been edited in this more modern style. I am drawn to his work and I will try to pose the models in a way more dramatic way which helps to create a more interesting image.
Ben Fourmi
Ben Fourmi is a photographer based in Paris who is represented by Denise Agency. His work focuses on editorial photography.
I am particularly drawn to his work for Delsey. He shot this with a digital medium-format camera, there is a fine amount of grain, and these images were also blown up to be put on billboards, to ensure the images didn’t turn out grainy when blown up he had to shoot on a medium format camera. This piece of work was shot on location and he used a flash to light the subject. You can tell he has used flash as the model is very well-lit and stands out from the background. He has used a wide-angle lens to help emphasise the suitcase which is the product they are trying to sell. The tones in these images are very even and they do not have a great amount of contrast as the shadows in the images tend to be quite bright. The colours are very saturated which helps the images to pop. I really like this body of work created by Fourmi and he has inspired me to use the use of a wide-angle lens to emphasise and draw the viewers’ attention to a certain item.
Reece/ Test shoot
A few days before the shoot I went to the location to see what areas I would like to shoot. I noticed that there were lots of levels that I could utilise to get some unique shots. I also noticed that there was lots of greenery, which made me think about what colours I wanted the model to wear, I came to the conclusion I wanted the model to wear a bright red jacket to help him stand out. I did a small test shoot where I tested the lighting and what settings I would have to set my camera to capture the model moving as well as the background. I wanted to have my focal length quite short as I wanted there to be some distortion and whatever object is closest to the camera looks bigger. So I set my camera to 18mm. I then thought about how much information I wanted in the image so I set my ISO to 125 as this is the lowest my camera can go to allowing as much information to be picked up. I then wanted a deep depth of field so everything would be in focus however, I could not close the f-stop the whole way otherwise the image would be too underexposed so I picked f8. I then wanted a shutter speed that would not allow for movement to be shown, I didn’t have to worry about the model having movement as I knew this would’ve been captured by the flash but the background would have some movement as I was constantly moving the camera to follow the model. So I set my camera to have a shutter speed of 1/125.
Shoot
Equipment list:
- Fujifilm x-t5
- Fujifilm 18-135mm
- Neewer ML 300
For this shoot, I went to a few locations so I would have variety in my work. I started off by taking some ‘action’ shots where the model pretended to be running. When I shot into the sun there was a glair that would come up which I was not keen on so I decided to shoot in the shadows, this meant I had to change my settings slightly as the shadows were quite dark. So, I shot at ISO 200, f 8 and a shutter speed of 1/125. I had the light placed to the right of me, nearly in front of the model. I liked how the image looked in the shadow as the background is darker than the model which adds a dramatic effect to the image.
With the second shot, I took the model onto some stairs where I asked them to pretend they were walking down. I set my camera to 18mm and got quite low. I asked the model to point the briefcase towards me so the focus of the image would be the briefcase. I also tried to use the railings to help draw attention to the model. I had my camera set to ISO 200, f8 and a shutter speed of 1/125. The light was placed to to the left of me, pointed at the model’s torso, this helped create a shadow on the legs which I think makes the image more dramatic and helps draw attention to the model’s top half and the briefcase.
For the third shot, I wanted an image where the model was still. I saw this bench which had two armrests. I placed the model in between the two armrests so there was symmetry in the image. I got quite low down and asked the model to look directly at the camera with the briefcase placed in front of him. The light was placed to the left of me but more directed towards the front of the model. My camera was set to ISO 100, f8 and shutter speed 1/125. The background was darker compared to the model which adds some more drama to the image.
When doing the recce I found this spiral staircase which I liked the look of. I asked the model to go down the staircase while I stayed at the top and shot through the bars. I had the light next to me pointing directly at the model, I was concerned that there would be shadows of the bars on the model but luckily this was not an issue. I got the model to pretend he was walking up the stairs as well as to lean against the bars. I think the bars help dawn the viewer’s attention towards the model as they curve around towards the model.
The last image was taken underneath a bridge. I had the model walk underneath me. There was a staircase to the left of me which is where the light was placed. I had him do a couple of shots looking away at me and some looking at me. My camera was set to ISO 200, f 8 and shutter speed 1/125, I had to increase the ISO as I like these images as you rarely see images taken from this point of view. Although I like these images there are a lot of distracting factors on the floor which will be easily removable in Photoshop.
Editing
I started by choosing the three shoots I preferred the most. I decided to go with an image from the stairs, an image with the model sat down and one of the images from the spiral staircase. I decided to go with these three images as I thought they all worked very well together but there was also a great amount of variation in them.
For the first set of images, I created a background mask and decreased the brightness to make the image seem more dramatic and this also allowed the model and briefcase to stand out a lot more. I then created a mask over the briefcase and increased the brightness so it stood out a lot more. Increasing the brightness of the briefcase made it look slightly fake, so I increased the contrast to separate the shadows and highlights a bit more, making the briefcase look more realistic. I then added blue tones to the shadows and yellow tones to the highlights. I also added some soft grain to the images. I also used the colour edited tool and selected the red pathway, I increased the saturation and decreased the lightness, which made the model’s top stand out a bit more.
Once I was happy with the colour grading of these images I took the images into Photoshop. Here I made some slight adjustments to the images to make them look a lot cleaner. I used the clone stamp tool to get rid of some distracting features like the lights in the background, the leaves in the corner of the image and some marks on the briefcase.
For the second set of images, I did the same sort of editing as I did for the first set so there was consistency in my final three images. I started by creating a background mask and decreasing the brightness to make the image seem more dramatic and this also allowed the model and briefcase to stand out a lot more. I then created a mask over the briefcase and increased the brightness and contrast so it stood out a lot more. I then added blue tones to the shadows and yellow tones to the highlights. I also added some soft grain to the images. I also used the colour edited tool and selected the red pathway, I increased the saturation and decreased the lightness, which made the model’s top stand out a bit more.
Once I was happy with how these images turned out I then took the images into Photoshop so I could make some minor adjustments. I used the spot healing tool to get rid of some leaves and the ariel above his head as I felt like these little features were too distracting.
For the third set of images, I decided to not change the brightness of the background as I thought it was already quite dark and I didn’t want to lose any detail by making it darker but I did create a subject mask and increase the brightness so the model stood out a lot more. I also noticed the briefcase was quite dark as the light was not hitting it so I used the AI brush tool to create a mask over the briefcase and increased the brightness and contrast. I then added blue tones to the shadows and yellow tones to the highlights. I also added some soft grain to the images. I also used the colour edited tool and selected the red pathway, I increased the saturation and decreased the lightness, which made the model’s top stand out a bit more.
Once I was happy with how the images turned out I took the images into Photoshop and made some minor adjustments. I got rid of the big pillar as I felt like it was very distracting. I also used the clone stamp tool to get rid of any dirt and leaves in the background.
These are my final three images, I think they work very well together as a trio as they all have the same vibe to them but they are also very different from each other which helps make the three images quite interesting. As the background in the images as quite dark, they all are quite dramatic and the model and briefcase stand out which was the aim of the shoot.
Final 9 Images
I am happy with my final 9 images for my portfolio. They all show a very clear theme within the 9 images however they are all very different as I tried to experiment with different fashion, lighting and posing.
The first 3 images are very strong as I have used the lighting in the studio to create this captivating dramatic effect, but the lighting and poses also help draw attention to the model’s clothing. The first image is nice as the model is directly in the middle of the semi-circle making it more pleasing for the viewer to look at. All elements of the model’s outfit are visible however if I were to shoot with this lighting again then I would have the model show off more of the clothing as I feel like this image is more focused on the lighting rather than his clothing. The second image has a lot of movement in it which I am drawn to as I think it makes the image look a lot more interesting compared to if he was just standing there. I was also happy with the lighting for this image as it looks like he is stepping into a blade of light created by a window, this blade of light helps to highlight the key aspects of his clothing just as the jacket. I also really like the lighting in the third image as the strip of light going across the model’s face and chest helps highlight the necktie which was the focus of this shot. The crop is also different compared to the rest which helps make this image stand out as it is a detail shoot.
The middle set of 3 images is also very strong. I like the movement in the first image as you don’t tend to see shots like this in a fashion shoot, so it is very captivating and eye-catching. I like the lighting in the second image as I think it is very flattering. It helps to accentuate the model’s jaw as well as brings attention to the finer details of the model’s outfits such as the tie and shirt. Having a detail shot helps break up the three images making them not too like each other. I like the third image as you can see the environment more compared to the other two images. I also like the symmetry in this image as it makes the image more aesthetically pleasing. If I were to shoot this again, I would have a stylist on set making sure the outfit looks as good as possible as I noticed the tie was not in the centre of his shirt some of the time which made it harder in post-production.
The last set of images is also strong, I think they showcase the briefcase nicely and your eyes are drawn to the briefcase in each image. In the first image, the wide-angled lens helps draw the viewers’ attention to the briefcase. I also feel as though the darker background and brighter red jacket help draw the viewer’s attention to the centre of the image. I like the symmetry in this image as it makes the image more attractive for the viewer to look at. The briefcase being in the middle of the image helps draw the viewer’s attention to the briefcase which is the point of the shoot. I like the leading lines in the third image. The railings come round from the middle left of the image into the model and the staircase brings the viewer’s attention from the bottom to the middle where the briefcase is.
I am happy with these 9 images as I think they showcase the work I would like to do in the future.
Different Lighting Techniques
High key lighting
High-key lighting is a photographic lighting technique that creates minimal contrast resulting in no dark shadows. The image does not have a full tonal range. The background tends to be white and the highlights are very burnt out. High-key lighting is often used in wedding photography or newborn photography as it often creates a happy and peaceful mood within the image however, it is also popular in still life or food photos. I really like this lighting technique when the subject's clothes are lighter as I feel like this causes the viewer to focus on the details of the subject's face.
Low-key lighting
Low-key lighting is a photographic technique that creates harsh shadows, high contrast and dark tones. It is usually achieved by using a harsh key light with minimal or no fill. This lighting technique is used to create a mysterious feel within an image. Although this technique is mainly used in photography and film. Artists such as Rembrandt developed the technique in painting which influenced cinematographers. I really like this lighting technique as I feel like the photographer can be more creative when using low-key lighting compared to high-key lighting.
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for Haper’s Bazaar, Vogue and Elle. He specialised in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theatre and dance. Avedon’s camera choice was the Rolleiflex f2.8 for medium format and later on in his career, the Deardroff 8x10 and Sinar 8x10 for large format. You can tell he shoots on film as you can see the border of the film in the scans. He also used flash to light the image, you can tell as the lighting is very controlled. He also shoots in the studio. The models have been posed so they are facing the camera straight on. You can often get a sense of the model’s personality through the images. The images are very clear which suggests to me he used a high f-stop to make sure the model is completely in focus. The images are high in contrast as there is a large tonal range between the highlights and shadows. The images have a slightly older look to them. I am drawn to his work as his images are quite bright but the models are always wearing something to contrast the background, this helps make the images stand out.
David Bailey
David Bailey is an English photographer and director who is mostly known for his fashion photography and portraiture. He uses a 35mm Leica film camera and his first camera was a Rolleiflex. His work is shot in the studio. He also uses flash to light his images, you can tell as the light is very controlled. Bailey has shot this work as headshots so the main focus of the image is the model’s face. This makes the image more captivating as the viewer feels like they can connect with the model. The images are very high in contrast as there is a large dynamic range. The images seem to have a lot of texture and structure to them so you can see the smaller details in the model’s faces. I think this is what draws me to Bailey’s work, as fashion and portraiture photography often edit the model’s faces to make them look ‘perfect’ but with his work, you can see every single detail and imperfection of the model’s skin.
Workshop
In this workshop we looked at how to create a high-key and low-key lighting set-up based on reference images we were given.
In the morning, we started by working on high-key lighting. We started with a white backdrop and we had 2 Profoto lights with softboxes attached to them aimed at two polyboards which help diffuse the light even more. We exposed the background first to f11 and then lit the subject separately from the background. Our key light was shooting against a white polyboard, that was being held up with a clamp on a c-stand, angled towards the model so the light would be very diffused. We then placed another polyboard on the other side of the model to reflect the light onto the model to lighten any shadows created with the key light.
We then changed the key light to having an octagonal softbox on a boom arm that was raised above the model.
In the afternoon, we looked at low-key lighting. We wanted to create a small vignette of light on the background, to do this we used a Profoto lighting with a reflector dish, we had this light on a lower power and aimed it directly at the backdrop, behind the model’s head. We then placed another profoto light with a reflector dish and grid higher up aiming down onto the model. Once we were happy with these images we then added a rim light. For our last setup, we were aimed to recreate a Rembrandt painting. We started by changing the backdrop so it had a different colour and texture. We used an octagonal softbox as our keylight, this was placed on the right-hand side of the model. We light metered this light so it was f2, this made the background very blurry. We then added a polyboard on the left-hand side to fill in the shadows. We turned off the lights in the studio and used the modelling light as a continuous light.
More references
For my high-key shoot I want to make the images more interesting, to do this I want them to have expressive faces. I saw this sports photographer’s Instagram where he took photos of the crowd. I think he uses a full-frame digital camera as a lot of his work goes on social media and websites, I do not think he would benefit from having a medium-format camera, there is also no grain in the images which you would expect to be in the image if it was taken on film. He takes all his photos on location as he often shoots for the Dulwich Hamlets football club. You can tell he has used a flash as the subjects are very clearly separated from the background. The image is quite high in contrast which I think is due to the use of flash. The image is not hugely saturated however the accents of pink on the subject’s scarves make the image stand out. The models are shouting and are very expressive which is what I think makes the image stand out the most. This is what drew my attention to the images and what I want to recreate within my work.
Shoot
Equipment list:
- Fujifilm x-t5
- Fujifilm 18-135mm
- 2 x profotos
- 2 pollyboards
For this shoot, I used a white backdrop, 2 profoto lights and a Fujifilm xt-5 camera. The main light was pointed towards a poly board that bounced the light back onto the model, this ensured the light was as diffused as possible as I did not want any shadows on the model. I then added another poly board on the other side of the model to fill in the light on the other side of the model’s face. I used the other light and directed it towards the backdrop to make sure there were no shadows on the backdrop. Once I was happy with the lighting, I asked the model to scream. I did this as I wanted there to be emotion in the images, I thought the lighting was quite boring, so I wanted the model’s expressions to be the most interesting thing about the images. I got the models to pretend they were at a football match and their favourite team just won, this made the shoot a lot more fun and I think it adds a lot of personality to the images
With editing, I wanted the images to look very contrasty and I wanted there to be a lot of detail in the model’s faces. I have realised that a lot of images on social media tend to get rid of ‘imperfections’ and I wanted to do the opposite. As my work highlights the model and their personalities I wanted to show their authentic self by highlighting the details in their face. I started by making the images black and white. I then created a subject mask to increase highlights and whites, I also increased the shadows to make sure there are no shadows at all. I increased the clarity in each image as well as the structure so the details in the model’s faces could be seen clearly. To make sure the images had consistency within them I cropped the images the same making sure the model’s eyes were placed in the same position in each image.
Dramatic lighting
Dramatic lighting has light focused on one area of the photo but is not focused on the other parts. The light source can be focused on one particular area or you can create a pattern within the image. Dramatic portraiture is about creating a mood not just with the subjects themselves but also with how you can capture them.
Holly McCandless-Desmond
Holly McCandless-Desmond is a London-based fashion and portrait photographer.
She shoots on a digital Nikon camera. You can tell she shoots on digital as there is not a lot of grain within her work and if there is any grain it is normally added in post-production. Sometimes she shoots on a medium format digital camera as some of her work has been printed on a large scale. Her work is shot in the studio and she uses flash. You can tell she uses flash as the subject is separated from the backdrop and she also uses different modifiers to create very interesting looks. The models have been posed in ways which show off the clothes, she has also matched the posing to the style of clothing for example; in the second image, the clothing is quite feminine so the model has also been posed in a feminine way. The images are very clear and everything is in focus which leads me to believe she has used an f-stop of 8 or above to ensure the subject is in focus. The tones in these images are very even and the colours are quite saturated. Her work has inspired me to use a dramatic lighting set-up to help show off the clothes. I will also saturate the colours a lot more to make the image and the clothes stand out a lot more.
Radhika
Radhika is a London-based based photographer who specialises in editorial and fashion photography.
She shoots using a digital camera, I know this as she shows how she creates her images. A lot of her work has grain in it which she applies in post-production. I also think she shoots on a full-frame camera as her work is often posted on social media or in a magazine cover so a medium format camera would not be necessary for these shoots. She shoots a lot of her work in the studio and uses flash lighting. The models are posed in a way which shows their personality, this is clearly shown in the photo where the woman is laughing. The images are all in focus however they give the illusion they are not as they are very soft. The tones within the images are very even and there is not a great amount of contrast. The images are highly saturated they also have a very clean appearance. Her work has inspired me a lot with the way she has posed the models as I think using the models’ personalities helps to create a better atmosphere within the images.
Planning
Dramatic Lighting Workshop
On the 16th of February, we did a dramatic lighting set-up workshop. We worked together to create 3 different lighting setups based on some references we were given.
The first lighting set-up was based on an image from Wonderland Magazine. We started by using two lights angled on each side of the face with a reflector dish and a coloured gel on each. We then noticed that the light was spilling onto the backdrop so we flagged these lights off with two ploy boards so the light would no longer spill onto the backdrop. We then added a backlight with a snoot on it and a red-coloured gel. We also added another light, with a green gel, which was pointed at the backdrop to make the background green. Once we were happy with the lighting we put a piece of glass in front of the model and sprayed water on it to create water droplets in front of the model’s face.
For the second light set-up, we used the boom arm with a reflector dish and put a green gel on it. We pointed it down directly onto the model. We then used two flashes with a yellow gel on them and placed them behind the model, directed towards her back so they would act as a rim light. We then placed 4 poly boards, two of them were to direct the light onto the model and the other two were used to stop light from spilling and creating a glare in the camera’s lens.
For the third lighting set-up, we based the image on Paolo Roversi, an Italian photographer. We used light painting to create the dramatic lighting. We also had to use flash as the point of the workshop was ‘dramatic use of flash’ so we set up a flash with a beauty dish on the backdrop, this allowed the model to be separated from the backdrop. We set the cameras’ shutter speed to 15 seconds and the f stop to 8. This allowed a long enough shutter speed for us to come in with a torch and ‘paint’ the model with the light. We had to make sure to turn off all the lights in the room as we did not want any extra light affecting the image.
Test Shoot
With the first lighting set up, I had to meter to the background and I had a continuous light on the backdrop. I then metered the model to get the correct exposure. I had to add a flag to the key light as it was creating shadows on the floor. The end product works well as I really like the spotlight especially when it isn’t completely focused on the background and it creates this gradient on the background.
For the second shot, I set up a key light and rim light that were opposite each other. This created nice harsh shadows on the model as well as displayed the model’s clothing nicely. I used a beauty dish on the key light but when I do the real shoot I think I might use a reflector dish so I can have harsher shadows on the model.
For the third shot, I used an octagonal softbox on the key light and had a pollyboard with the black side facing the model so it would create a harsh shadow. I like how the lighting looks however it is not as dramatic as I wished it to be. When I do the real shoot I will use a beauty dish or reflector as it does not spill as much light therefore giving me harsher shadows.
When I was shooting I was quite disappointed with the images as they did not look like the reference images, however, when I started editing the photos they looked more like the reference photos.
More planning and References
Real Shoot
Firsts shot.
For this shot, I started by setting up a grey background. I used a grey background as I knew it would look darker when taking the photo due to the spotlight on the backdrop. Once the backdrop was set up, I then started setting up the spotlight on the backdrop, I used a Source Four junior and made sure all the flags inside the light were open to create a full circle. I also had to change the focus of the light as I wanted the circle to have a sharp line. Once I was happy with the shape of the circle, I then set up the two Profoto lights. I had one light with a reflector dish and grid on the right of me, it was placed high up and angled down onto the model. I then had the other light placed opposite the key light backlighting the model. Once I was happy with the positioning of the lights, I then had to meter everything. I started with the spotlight, my camera was set to ISO 400, shutter speed 1/60 and f5.6. I had to have my ISO so high and my shutter speed quite low as there was no way of increasing the power of the Source Four light, so I had to make it look brighter with the settings on my camera. Once I was happy with how the spotlight looked, I then metered the key light and backlight. Once everything was correctly exposed, I started to shoot. I had the model show off the jacket which is the piece of clothing I wanted to highlight. I also had him crouch down, I had to move the spotlight down, so the model was in the middle of the circle. I didn’t like how the circle was bending around the backdrop, so I used the inbuilt flags to create a semicircle. I also did some shots where I turned off the lights in the studio so the camera would not pick up any extra light, this allowed for the backdrop to be completely dark except for the spotlight. I am happy with these images as they look exactly how I imagined them to look, I also think the images show off the model’s clothing really well.
Second shot.
For this set of images, I started by changing the backdrop to a dark blue backdrop. I then turned off the backlight as well as the spotlight so the only light I used was a Profoto placed high up and angled down onto the model. This created a nice shadow on the backdrop as well as the model adding dimension to the image. My camera was set to ISO 200, shutter speed 1/125 and f8. Once I had taken some images with different poses, I then changed out the light for the Source Four light. I know this light does not come under ‘dramatic use of flash’ but I wanted to use it for my portfolio work. I used the flags inside the light to create a strip of light that was directed towards the model. I liked the look of this as it looked like the light was coming from a window, the only parts of the image that were exposed to light were the model and a very small part of the background on the floor. My camera was set to ISO 800, shutter speed 1/60 and f5.6.I asked the model to act like he was walking into the beam of light, this created a lot of movement in this image which I found quite appealing. I asked the model to wear a leather jacket for this shot as I thought the leather would reflect the light off nicely. I am really happy with how these images turned out as I think they are very dramatic and show off the model’s clothes in a way a nice way.
Third shot.
I wanted to do a close-up shot for the third shot as the other two were full-body images. I started by changing the background to red. I then added two backlights on either side of the model, I didn’t have a modifier in the light but then I placed two poly boards behind the lights so the light would not spill onto the backdrop. I then used Source Four to light the model’s face. I had my assistant change the shape of the light on the model’s face so different parts of his face and his clothing would be the focus of the image. The backlights create a nice rim light around the model, adding some highlights to his hair. As I didn’t have any lights on the backdrop the background was very dark, so the rim lights helped separate the model from the background. I really like these images as they are different to the other two and focus a lot on the smaller details of the model’s outfit.
I was quite nervous about how this shoot was going to turn out as I did not like how the test shoot went but I am really pleased with the images I have created as I think they show how flashlights can create a dramatic effect and make the images look very interesting.
Editing
First shot;
Some key things I noticed about this set of images that I wanted to change was how bright the background was, I wanted the background to be a bit darker, so I used the background mask in Capture One and decreased the brightness a little bit. This also darkened the spotlight so I used the AI brush to mask out the spotlight and increased the brightness so the spotlight would stand out a lot more. I changed the white balance slightly as the model’s face looked a bit green. I added blue tones to the shadows and pink tones to the highlights, this created a very slight purple tone which I think looks very appealing. I increased the contrast slightly to make the lighting a little more dramatic. I also wanted the highlights to have this glow effect, so I decreased the clarity. I noticed that due to the harsh shadows, a lot of the detail in the model’s trousers were lost so I increased the blacks slightly so the detail would come out a lot more. I made these adjustments to all of the images I had this lighting in as I wanted them to all have the same editing technique to them to have continuity between all the images. Once I was happy with the colour grading and tones within the images I exported them to Photoshop where I made very minor adjustments to the images. I used the spot healing tool to get rid of any hairs around the model’s head which were distracting and cleaned up the clothing a little by getting rid of any dust on the model’s outfit. Doing this helped make the images look a lot cleaner. Overall I am really pleased with how this set of images turned out, they are exactly how I imagined it and I think they show off the model’s clothing really well.
Second shot:
When shooting I had to use a lighter backdrop compared to what I had in mind so I decided to use a background mask and decreased the brightness to make the blue seem a bit darker. I also added some blue tones to the shadows so there was this gradient from a lighter blue to dark blue to black on the background. I then changed the white balance as the model’s face looked quite yellow. A lot of the details in the model’s clothing got lost as it was very dark so I created a subject mask and increased the brightness slightly as well as increased the blacks. Once I was happy with the colour grading and exposure of the images I took the images into Photoshop and cleaned the image up. I used the spot healing tool and got rid of marks on his clothing as well as hairs that were out of place. I am very pleased with how these images turned out as they are very dramatic and I really like the posing with this.
Third shot
This set of images were quite hard to edit as I used two flashes and one continuous light, which meant the lights had two different colour temperatures. I preferred how the warmer colour temperature looked so I used the brush tool to mask out the areas where the two flashes were hitting the model’s face and increased the warmth of the white balance, I had to make sure I did not make the model’s face too yellow. As I used a red background you could see very small hints of red in the background which I did not like so I masked out the background and decreased the brightness the whole way. As I wanted the smaller details on the model’s top to show I masked out the shirt and increased the brightness very slightly as well as increased the blacks. Once I was happy with how these images turned out I took them into Photoshop. I then made small changes to the image to make it look cleaner. For example, I got rid of any catchlights in the model’s eye as well as cleaned up the clothing a bit as well as any extra hairs that could be distracting. I like these images as they are very different from the first two and they really show the smaller details in the model’s outfits.
Environmental portrait
An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment such as their workplace or their home. Environmental portraiture is also very different from lifestyle portraits, which usually aim to capture people doing everyday tasks in their everyday environments. The subject is usually lit with a flash so they can stand out from the background. Environmental portraits are also very common within sports photography as the athletes can be shot in the place they perform.
Brad Deel
Brad Deel is an American photographer who specialises in sports photography and specifically environmental portraits. His work has been featured by ESPN, Bleacher Report and Sports Center. He has also worked with Netflix.
Brad Deel uses a digital full-frame camera. You can tell he shoots on a digital camera as there is very little grain within his work which would not occur if he shot on film. His work is mainly used for social media so there is no need for a medium-format camera. I am also able to tell that he shoots with a telephoto lens as there is very little to no distortion within the images. He shoots on location and uses flash to light the subject. You can tell he uses flash as the subject has been separated from the background and the background tends to be darker. The models have been posed in a way which matches the sport they perform. Brad Deel edited the images by increasing the texture and clarity of the images which in some of the images make them look ‘dirty’. The images are quite high in contrast as there is a great dynamic range between the highlights and shadows. His work has inspired me to pose the models in a way which relates to the model’s profession/sport. I will also try and edit the images to have more texture as I tend to edit images in a ‘cleaner’ way.
Arnold Newman
Arnold Newman was an American photographer noted for his environmental portraits of artists and politicians.
Much of Newman’s work is done on a large-format camera however he did use a 35mm SLR camera. His work is shot on location. Newman preferred the quality of natural light but where necessary he supplemented it with additional lighting and reflectors in a way that retains a natural appearance. You can tell Newman shot on film as there is a high amount of grain. The models have been posed in a way to capture their everyday tasks. The images have even tones and they do have a great dynamic range which makes the images look very flat. His work has made me think about how I convey the models’ personalities through the images.
Workshop
On the 8th of March, we did an environmental portrait workshop. We started by learning the basics of balancing environmental light and flashlight. We did this by exposing the background first which was using the natural light around us, we then brought in the flash and exposed the model. Once we had learned the basics we then went to floor four and used what we had learned to create an environmental portrait. We started by exposing the background correctly and then we added a flashlight. Once we were happy with how these images turned out we then added two backlights, we also added gels to the two backlights which made the images more dramatic. We then went outside and did another environmental portrait, we started by exposing the background and then added the main key light. Once we were happy with the exposure and positioning of the main light we added two backlights, this made the model stand out a lot more as it made the model look more 3D.
More references
I have seen these posters around Canary Warf and I got inspired to use the Sprinter one as a potential pose for my environmental portrait. I think the photographer has used a medium format camera as the images have been blown up quite a lot so a medium format camera would be necessary so there is no detail lost. The photographer has shot on location and has used flash to help separate the model from the background. I am able to tell they have used a digital camera as there is very little grain within the image which would’ve occurred if they shot on film. The models have been posed in relation to the sport/ activity they are doing for example, the swimmer has been shot halfway through backstroke. The images are very sharp and clear, I think the photographer has used a large f-stop as the images have a deep depth of field. Some of the images, specifically the image of the runner, have vignettes on them to draw the viewer’s attention to the model. The colours in the images have been slightly increased in saturation to help the images pop more. There isn’t a great tonal range in the images. I am particularly drawn to the image of the sprinter as I really like the posing and the composition of the image. I will try an recreate a similar pose and composition within my own work.
Shoot
Equipment list:
- Fujifilm x-t5
- Fujifilm 18-135mm
- Neewer ML 300
I have a friend who is a professional athlete, I asked him if I could take photos of him at the track and in the gym. The location was Norman Park, an athletics track I had visited a few times before.
My first shoot was in the gym, I started by rearranging the room so the viewers would be able to tell that the environment was a gym. I then metered for the available light in the room, I ended up having my settings set to ISO 400, f5.6 and shutter speed 1/100. The room was quite dark so I had to increase the ISO to 400 as I wanted most of the background to be sharp, so I kept my aperture at 5.6. My model was also not the best at keeping still so I left the shutter speed at 1/100. Once I was happy with the exposure of the background I then added the flash. The flash was placed on my right, I used a stand to put it high up and angled the flash down. I got the model to sit on the bench and look directly at the camera. I really like this shoot as the background is darker which adds drama to an image. I also really like the symmetry in the image as I think it is very appealing.
We then moved to the indoor track where an exercise bike was. The exposure was the same in this room so I had the same settings as the shot before which were ISO400, f5.6 and shutter speed 1/100. The light was placed to the right of me angled to hit the model’s face and the middle of his body. I then asked the model to look at the camera as well as straight off in front of him. I don’t really like these images, if I were to take them again I would bring the model further away from the wall so the shadow falls a bit better.
I then got out a hurdle and asked the model to lean on it. My camera’s settings were set to ISO 400, f5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/125. The exposure increased slightly but I didn’t want to close the f-stop any further as I wanted the background slightly blurred as the background in this image is not that exciting. The flash was placed on my right, I used a stand to put it high up and angled the flash down. I used the lines on the tracks to help frame the image, I made sure the line was in the middle of the frame which added some symmetry to the image making the image more attractive to the viewer.
We then went to the outdoor track. I asked the model what he wanted as this shoot was also to help promote the new Adidas kit he was wearing He wanted a deep depth of field so the background was in focus so I increased the f-stop to f9. The shutter speed was set to 1/160 as the model was moving very quickly, I didn’t want to go much higher than this as the flash is quite slow. My ISO was still set to 400 as it was quite a dark day. The flash was set up on the right of me, it was lower down than the other images as he was on the ground. I took some images where he was in the starting position and also when he would take off the blocks. I am really happy with these images as they look very clean and exciting.
I am really happy with how these images have turned out, as all look very clean and sharp and I think the viewer would be able to easily tell what the model does. In a lot of the images, the background is darker than the model which makes the images more drmataic and interesting. My favourite images are the ones taken with the hurdle and on the outdoor track.
Editing
I started the editing process by selecting the images I liked, I found that I was drawn to the environmental portraits that were landscape and that had movement in them.
First set of images – I started by editing these images by creating a subject mask and increasing the brightness very slightly. I found doing this helped the model stand out a lot more as he was quite dark in this set of images. I also increased the blacks in the images as I found that the floor and his trousers lacked detail so increasing the blacks in the images helped bring out the details within this image. Once I was happy with the exposure of this image I took the image into Photoshop. I made some slight adjustments to the image by taking out distracting elements in the image such as the exit sign, the exit button, and the outlets. I did this by using the clone stamp tool. This helped make the image look a lot cleaner and more pleasing to look at.
Second set of images – I started by editing these images in Capture One. I added a background mask and decreased the brightness, so the image was more dramatic and the model stood out a lot more. I also added a subject mask and increased the brightness slightly to help him and the hurdle stand out. Once I was happy with the exposure of the image, I imported the image into Photoshop. I used the clone stamp tool to get rid of any distractions within the images such as power outlets and marks on the wall. This helped to clean up the images making them more attractive and appealing to the viewer.
Third set of images – I created a background mask and decreased the brightness. I did this for a few reasons. The first reason was to make the image more dramatic which helps make the images look more interesting to look at, the second reason was to help the model stand out, as the model wanted to show off the kit I thought making the model stand out will help emphasise the outfit and your eyes get drawn straight to the kit. The third reason was to bring some detail back in the sky, I felt as though the sky was slightly overexposed so bringing the brightness down helped to bring back any of the details. I also created a mask over the top of his shoes as they were slightly overexposed so I could decrease the exposure. Once I was happy with the exposure I imported images into Photoshop to clean them up. I got rid of anyone in the background as a few people were working on the track. This made sure the viewers’ attention was drawn straight to the model. For the image where the model is sprinting, I decided to get rid of the starting blocks by using the clone stamp tool, this made the image look a lot cleaner. I then used the object selection tool to select the model, I then created two different layers of the cut-out of the model. On one of these layers, I went to filters, blur, motion blur. I then used Command + T to move the motion blur where I wanted it. I then placed the other layer of the model above the motion blur to make sure he was visible. I added a mask and used the brush tool to make the blur and the model blend better together. I found this made the image look more interesting.
Natural lighting
Natural lighting refers to the ambient light supplied by the sun or the moon, not a flash or other artificial light sources. Natural light can also include lights you would find naturally in the environment you are in.
Duane Michals
Duane Michals is an American photographer who began creating narrative sequences of staged photographs. Michals uses a 35mm camera to capture his images. You can tell he has used a film camera as there is grain in the image. He used an Argus C-3 which made it easier to task double exposures. He shot on location and used natural lighting to help light his images. I think the use of natural light made the images feel more like real life and not staged. The images are quite high in contrast as the highlights are quite bright compared to the shadows. I like his body of work called “Things are Queer” which consists of three sets of three images taken in the same scene just from different perspectives. The first image of the three images is often a close-up of an object, this causes the subject in this image to be the main subject and the objects the viewer focuses more on in the later images. As the images progress the perspective becomes wider allowing the viewer to see the full scene. Another body of work I like is “The Spirit Leaves the Body”. I particularly like how there is the same photo throughout this sequence which creates consistency, the double exposure almost looks like a ghost and the different positioning of the model creates a narrative within the sequence. I also really like the sequences called “The Fallen Angel” and “I Build a Pyramid” they remind me of stills of a film, and there is a clear narrative throughout both sequences.
Nigel Shafran
Nigel Shadran is a photographer and artist. A lot of his work has been exhibited at the Tate and the Victoria and Albert Museum. In the 1980s Shafran worked as a fashion photographer before turning to fine art photography.
His series of work called ‘Washing-up 2000’ consists of pictures he has taken in a kitchen at the same angle but just at different times. It looks like he shoots on a digital camera as there is very little grain in the images. This body of work was shot on location and he uses the natural light from the window to light the scene. Using natural light helps to tell a story within these images as some images are darker than others due to the time of day they were taken at. the colours in each image are not extremely saturated but they look very natural, it does not look like much post-production was done to any of these images. I found this series very interesting as it shows how the environment is constantly changing while you are living in it
Workshop
To start the workshop we tried recreating some images of paintings. We set up a backdrop near a window. The light from the window was very soft as the O2 diffused it. We experimented with different angles and used props to create shadows. We added a poly in to fill in the shadows that were created by the natural light. Once we finished shooting we discussed what settings we had all set our cameras to, there was a wide range due to everyone having different lenses so they could only go down to a certain f-stop.
After lunch we got to go outside and shoot our own work, we experimented with using a reflector, backlighting, direct light and reflection. We also shot in black and white to see how much tonal range we were achieving.
Shoot
For my natural lighting images, I was inspired by Duane Michals’s images and decided to create these long-exposure images to make it look like the subjects in the images are ghosts. I was also inspired by Nigel Shafran to have the three images et at different times of the day. My set of images is based on a typical Saturday morning in my house. To start I set up my camera on a tripod in a place where you are able to see my kitchen, I then set my ISO to 100, f8 and shutter speed to 1/4th. I kept my ISO low as I knew I would have a longer shutter speed and I wanted to have as much detail as possible. I used f8 as I wanted everything in focus. I used a self-timer to allow myself to be placed in the frame. I took one photo as a base photo and then I took photos of me and my mum acting out typical tasks we would be doing on a Saturday morning, such as eating breakfast, doing work, cleaning the house etc.
Once I was happy with the images I took the images into Capture One, I made the images black and white and increased the contrast, slightly, I also increased the highlights and decreased the shadows slightly. I also created an adjustment layer over the windows as they were slightly overexposed due to the harsh lighting outside compared to inside the house. Once I was happy with the tones in the images I took the photos into Photoshop, I had the image with no subjects in it as the first layer, I then put the other images over the top, I changed the opacity of the other images to make it look like the subjects are ghosts. Changing the opacity of the images also allowed me to see if the images were aligned correctly, if they were slightly off I pressed Command +T which allowed me to move the images making sure they were aligned. Once I was happy with how the images looked I used the straightening tool, which allowed me to rotate the image slightly. I am really happy with how these images have turned out as I think they tell a story that the two photographers I researched managed to portray.
Final 12 images
Dramatic use of flash images - The first 3 images are very strong as I have used the lighting in the studio to create this captivating dramatic effect, but the lighting and poses also help draw attention to the model’s clothing. I like the first image as the spotlight helps to create this dramatic effect and the viewer’s attention is drawn straight to the model. I also think that the rim lights help make this image look dramatic as it separates the model from the background. I also like how you are able to see some of the model’s body outside of the spotlight as, to me, it looks like he is climbing out of the spotlight. The composition of this image is also quite nice as the model is in the centre of the spotlight making the image more aesthetically pleasing therefore making it more eye-catching for the viewer. I also really like the second image. I used a lighting set-up similar to a Rembrandt lighting set-up, I used one flash from quite high up angled down onto the model. This lighting set-up creates a dramatic lighting set-up with very nice shadows. The models’ posing is also nice as they are leaning slightly centre which creates this diagonal line which is quite aesthetically pleasing. I also think the lighting shows off the model’s outfit very nicely as the light is hitting the model’s left shoulder/ arm highlighting the model’s jacket. I also really like the lighting in the third image as the strip of light going across the model’s face and chest helps highlight the necktie which was the focus of this shot. The crop is also different compared to the rest which helps make this image stand out as it is a detail shoot. If I were to shoot this set of images again, I would get a stylist in to improve the clothing in these images.
High-key lighting images – I like this set of three images as I think they look very cohesive. I purposely cropped the images so the model’s eyes and mouth would be in the same area in each image. I think the editing helped these images a lot as I thought the lighting was quite boring, using editing software I increased the contrast in the image which made the images look more interesting. I also got the models to pretend they were in a football match screaming, this also made the images look quite interesting. If I were to shoot with high-key lighting again I think I would do a look-book style.
Environmental portrait – These images used a mixture of environmental light and a flashlight. I like the first image as the use of flash helped capture the model mid-run. This is the best image out of the ones I took on the day as the model form is perfect and he is in the centre of the image. His body creates a diagonal line across the image which is aesthetically pleasing to look at and draws the viewer’s attention from his foot to his head. The model is sponsored by Adidas so I wanted to make sure the Adidas logo is in focus, I could not have made sure his whole body was in focus without the light otherwise there would be too much movement involved in the image and the logo would be blurred. The flash helps to separate the model from the background making him stand out, his clothing is also quite bright and loud compared to the dull background which also helps make the model stand out. The background is darker compared to the model which I think gives the image this more dramatic feel, making it more interesting to look at. I think removing the starting blocks helped clean up the image as the starting blocks were quite distracting. I also found that adding the motion blur made this image more interesting however, I made sure it wasn’t too strong as I felt like it took the viewer’s attention away from the model. I also think you are able to tell what the model does for a living as you can tell he is on an athletics track, which I think is vital in an environmental portrait. The second image is also very nice as the flash separates the model from the background helping him stand out. The model is wearing quite bright clothing which helps him stand out of the image even more. The background is quite dark which adds some drama to the image and makes it more interesting to look at. I really like the composition of this image as it is very symmetrical making the image very aesthetically pleasing. You are able to tell what sort of athlete the model is as they have a hurdle next to them and are placed on an athletics track. The lighting of this image is very nice as I have set it up in a ‘Rembrandt’ style, this creates a nice shadow to fall off the model. I like the third image as it is taken from a different angle compared to the other two images. The lower angle makes the model seem more dominant and important. The model is placed slightly off-centre looking away from the camera. The flash helps to separate the model from the background but I also think the model’s clothing helps him stand out as well. The background is slightly darker creating this dramatic effect within the images. I am really happy with all three images, if I were to do this shoot again I think I would try and be more creative with some of the images, similar to the first one, instead of just stills.
Natural lighting – I really like this set of three images as I think they tell a story, having the first image with no subjects sets the scene for the rest of the images. The subjects in the image almost look like ghosts walking around due to the double exposure look. I like how in the middle image and in the last image you have one subject closer to the camera making them the focus of the image and then the viewer’s attentions go to the other subject in the background. I really like the tonal range created by the natural lighting as there are quite strong highlights in places near the windows and deep shadows the further you get away from the window. I like the idea of using a few images to create a story and I think I have portrayed a typical Saturday morning in my house quite well. I think if I were to shoot this again, I would get more people involved and maybe shoot more images and create a story with 5 images instead as I feel like I would be able to tell a more detailed story.
I am really happy with how this module has gone and has taught me a lot about how to work with different types of light to create different effects. It has also taught me what type of light I like working with, I was drawn the most to the dramatic use of flash as well as the environmental portraits as I feel like these images are the most interesting.
