Y2 DGP22204 Portfolio and Context
The Brief
Introduction -
This semester our brief has two parts to it. Firstly we will be taking part in a total of four workshops consisting of: high-key lighting, dramatic use of flash, environmental portraits and natural lighting. These workshops will inform us on different lighting techniques in which we will then use to produce 3 images of each lighting technique based on what we learnt.
The second part of this module is all about building our portfolio. This includes creating 9 images in total which shall include one of the lighting techniques we learnt in the workshops and these images will show our style and where we want to take our photography. As I have gone through the course I have found a love for fashion photography and editorial therefore I plan to do 3 photoshoots in this style and choose 3 images from each shoot for my 9 final images.
Portfolio Artist Research - Photoshoot 1 (Experimental Beauty Shoot)
My Ideas/Planning -
For my first shoot I am planning to do an experimental beauty shoot. The main thing I want to do is have fun with using obscure objects, materials and textures on the face and photographing the fine details of this. I plan to have a fairly simple lighting setup and focus on photographing a range of compositions and body parts.
I started by creating my mood board for my three final images based on composition and what exactly I want to photograph along with another board with several ideas for the makeup artist to reference. I got in touch with a makeup artist who I have worked with before during one of our masterclasses last semester. I chose this makeup artist as I know she has a very unique perspective on what materials we could use. I also got in touch with a model who I have also worked with on a previous assisting job and the reason I chose her was due to her presence during the photoshoot. She had a very strong and confident aura and I thought this would be perfect for my shoot. She also shaves her eyebrows which allows us to be even more experimental with the makeup aspect to the shoot.
Test Shoot -
I had previously sketched out a lighting diagram to test out beforehand which is shown below. I used a programme called Set.A.Light 3D to plan this out which helped me visualise what the setup would look like when I test it out in real life. The lighting setup I have planned is very simple as it is just one light on the face to the side so I can have some shadows and contrast. I also will be experimenting with using a source four light on the backdrop and cutting out a pattern in some cinefoil to place in front of the light. This is something I have tested before and it adds some nice dynamic lighting to the image which will add some interesting depth to it.
I copied the lighting setup shown above for my test shoot and I really like the outcome which is shown below. I added a grid to the light to avoid any spill of the light onto the backdrop as I will be using a source four light for the backdrop but as for the model, I really like the way the light was hitting her face and the shadows and contrast it created.
Without and with grid:
Edited:
The main things I want to ensure for my real shoot are the lights on the background, and getting some other props to include in the shoot. I got some feathers and dried plants so I can think about hanging them in the background or having my model hold them next to her face. For this I booked out more c stands, arms and knuckles as these will help me hang the objects from them with some fishing line. I think this will make my images look more interesting and add some depth.
Real Photoshoot -
Call Sheet -
Model Release Form -
Equipment list -
For the real shoot I used the lighting as I did in the test shoot with one profoto gridded as my key light on the model and I also added a source four continuous light onto the backdrop. For the source four I took some cinefoil and cut some slits into it so the light would bleed through these slits. This made the light on the backdrop to be less harsh and have a unique shape to it. I kept this lighting the same throughout all three looks we did. The only thing I changed was the backdrop colour being a sage green for the first look, a purple colour for the second and a red and blue backdrop for the last look.
My camera settings were ISO 400, shutter speed 1/30s and F8. Despite the slower shutter speed the flash was able to freeze the subject ensuring I could still get sharp images. However, having a slower shutter speed was great for capturing a little bit of motion where I wanted to. I also used a grey card to achieve the correct white balance.
The first shot had a simple makeup look so the makeup artist could build on it and save time throughout the shoot as we only had three hours in the studio booking. I think the three pearls on top of the eyebrows were really subtle and elegant and I really like the way it looks as if they are floating. This created a nice shadow on the models face to add some further dimension to my images. I directed my model in ways where she used her arms and hands to create different shapes around her body. I also had some where she had a more powerful stance which I really liked.
The second shot was one of my favourites. We had her hair wrapped in clingfilm which added a nice shine to my images from where the light hit it. There was a pop of blue on her eyebrows and halfway through we added some red lipstick on for an extra bit of colour which I think really complimented the rest of the look. I directed my model by telling her to use her hands around her head and have an expression as if she feels uncomfortable with the clingfilm. I really like how these images came out and one of my favourite parts is where, because the background light was brighter than the key light, there is a nice outline on the models arms and face in some images.
The last shot included a red backdrop and also a blue backdrop. I personally preferred the blue as I think it was much more complimentary to the yellow face and deep purple petals on the models eyes. The makeup artist placed the petals in a really nice way and the shape acted in a way which gave the model a sad expression so I used this to my advantage and used this to help when I directed my model. I really liked how these images came out.
Overall I was really happy with the shoot and how my images came out, I felt confident with directing my model and feel like despite having limited time, it was managed efficiently and in a way where everyone was able to balance working and having breaks/eating.
Next time to improve the shoot I think I would print out the call sheet for everyone so we are all aware on the timings of the day and can stay on top of everything.
Editing and selecting my final images -
I kept the editing process of all of my images very similar to keep some cohesion throughout my work when looking at the colours and the textures shown in the image. Some things I focused on doing for all images was adding some slight grain, adjusting the basics like white balance with a grey card, exposure and saturation, and also changing the shadows, midtones and highlights. One thing I make sure to do is use the mask tool so I can edit the background and my subject separately.
For my first shot I was focused on adjusting the colour of the background as I felt making it more green complimented my models skin tone and hair colour. I also used the brush tool to select her eyes and add some brightness and saturation. I only added a small amount so they stood out and were a strong aspect of the image.
For my second shot I also changed the hue of the background and made it slightly more saturated and warm toned as again, it complimented my model a lot more. I used the healing brush tool to remove any small blemishes on the skin but I did not use this a lot as I like to keep my images looking as natural as possible.
For my last shot I focused on using the healing brush tool to get rid of any hairs which were poking out around the face so I could keep this area very clean. I also added some saturation overall to the image to let the yellow face paint bring some warmth to the image in contrast to the cool blue backdrop.
The final three images I chose from each look are shown below. I chose these images as I thought they showed the most emotion compared to the rest of my images. I also liked how these images really allowed the makeup to be seen as much as possible which makes the image really detailed. Overall, I am very happy with how my first shoot went and I think I was able to set a really good atmosphere throughout which made me feel good moving forwards to my other shoots.
Estimate and Invoice example -
Portfolio Artist Research - Photoshoot 2 (Fashion/Editorial Shoot)
My Idea/Planning -
For my second shoot my plan is to do a fashion/editorial shoot and I want to experiment with using different lighting techniques, particularly combining a use of dramatic flash from the workshop to show what I have learnt and how I have used it.
I created a mood board of images I have been inspired by for my final shoot. I want to try 2 lighting setups which are similar but with a clear difference. I plan to do one on a white backdrop and one on a coloured backdrop like light pink or light blue. I also want to experiment with using procreate on my iPad after to draw in some artwork on the background to create something which I might not be able to create through lighting. However before doing that, I plan to get some iridescent film and place this in front of my light on the backdrop which will allow multiple colours to reflect onto it.
I also created a mood board for the makeup artist to reference and I want the makeup to include a lot of gems and be quite colourful to match with the dreamy/magical look of the photoshoot overall. These are both shown below.
Test shoot -
I came up with a few lighting setups I wanted to try for my test shoot and these are shown below using the Set.A.Light 3D programme. Also shown below are the images from my test shoot, showing the process of getting the lighting I wanted for one of my shots.
The lighting diagram on the right shows what I want to do with my second set up however it will be slightly different as I have got some iridescent film which I will be placing over the snoot to reflect some colour onto the backdrop.
The images above show the process of how I got to my final lighting setup and the different ways I tried it. I started with just a snoot on the pink backdrop but I didnt like the darkness around it so we added two lights bouncing off a white polybord to show the pink. I did not like the shade of pink showing so we added a red and pink gel onto each light and then turned up the power of the snoot which was gridded. This created a really nice spotlight effect. I then added another snoot on the right hand side of my model which was directed onto the face and this was our key light. To make sure you could still see some of the details on the clothes below the face we added an umbrella behind me which added a little bit more light onto the model.
Edited -
I mainly focused on adjusting the colour of the background and the skin tone of the model as it was a bit too warm beforehand. I added some grain and made some minor adjustments to the overall brightness of the image.
Real Shoot -
Call Sheet -
Model Release Form -
Equipment List -
For the real shoot I ended up having a total of three lighting setups. I used my original lighting setup with the pink backdrop and spotlight first which I really liked.
For my second lighting setup I decided to experiment with reflecting a source four light off of a silver sheet to create a water effect on the white backdrop. I did this as I had some extra time and I really loved how it turned out. On my model was a source four to light her face, and I had a fill light behind me to make sure we could see some of her clothes.
The third lighting setup included the source four on the backdrop with the iridescent film wrapped around it. I directed my assistant to keep moving the film in different motions around the light so it looked different on the backdrop in each image. These are some of my favourite images from the shoot.
Unfortunately my makeup artist was not able to make it to the shoot therefore I decided to use my own skills and do the makeup and hair myself on my model. I think this ended up turning out very nice.
The first shot included the pink background and spotlight. As I ended up having a different set of lights to use rather then the exact same lights I has for my test shoot, I managed to get the same effect despite it taking a little bit longer. For the makeup I placed pearls on my models face and her hair was slicked back in a ponytail. As I did not have a makeup artist I did not want to spend too much time on the makeup just incase I made any mistakes which could have cost us some time. I kept it very simple and the same throughout, to compensate I made sure to have three outfit changes. These images were my least favourite out of the three lighting setups I had as I think my 2 other lighting setups were much more intricate and interesting. Nonetheless I was still pleased with how the images turned out.
The second shot was one of my favourites because of the really interesting lighting I was able to create with the help of my peers in a short amount of time. I had always wanted to try and reflect light in this way so I was very happy with how my images turned out. I also really like how the green dress is complimented and stands out, allowing the slight golden shimmer in it to creep out. I wanted my shoot to have a very elegant feeling to it so I kept this in mind when directing my model.
The last shot was also one of my favourites as I was really pleased with the lighting once again. I was a bit nervous as I was not sure if using the iridescent film would work as well as I wanted it too but after experimenting I think it looked really nice. I added some feathers to my models hair and I think it created a nice soft texture. I also experimented with taking a mixture of full/mid body shots and close ups from a range of angles.
Overall, I think the shoot went very well and I had fun being able to experiment on the day with different lighting setups. I think despite having no makeup artist I was able to use my own skills to compensate for this.
Next time I would try and plan out the last two lighting setups in advance just to save some time.
Editing and selecting my final images -
I edited in a similar way to my first photos as I wanted there to be cohesion in this sense within my images, like I said above. I kept the shadows, mid tones and highlights the same and made smaller adjustments to the models skin tone and also the saturation and tones of the backdrop. I decreased the clarity on the image layer and used the mode 'punch' which gave a nice glow on the brighter areas of the image. As this made the overall image very soft I added some structure to increase the definition where needed.
Below I focused on adding some saturation to the skin tone and also adjusting the pink on the backdrop as I really wanted it to be bright and pop. I like the softness on the images overall. I had a fill light behind me for the clothing but I still added a bit of exposure to the bottom half of my model to make it slightly brighter.
My main focus in these images was again, to adjust the skin tone of the model and also decrease the brightness as my subjects face was a little overexposed. I also added some brightness to the dress to let the golden strands shine through a bit more along with some contrast on the background to make the lighting look a bit stronger and harsher.
The images below are some of my favourites as I love how elegant and ethereal they look. When editing them I added a good amount of saturation to the background to let the colours be really strong and show off the lighting as much as possible. I also adjusted the tones of the colours slightly by making them cooler or warmer depending on my personal preference.
My final three images are shown below. I chose these images as I think they gave a good variety of close ups to full body. I also think the images I chose show off how experimental I was with my lighting. Overall I really like how the images from this shoot turned out and I think the shoot itself was very enjoyable.
Portfolio Artist Research - Photoshoot 3 (Location Fashion Shoot)
My Idea/Planning -
For my last shoot I want to do a fashion shoot on location as I have done this a few times before and really enjoyed it. What I want to do differently with this shoot compared to my previous shoots is the way I am posing the model. I want to create a much more fun environment and make sure my model is having fun and feeling relaxed and comfortable.
For my lighting I am going to do what I usually do and just use one flash to one side of my model as I quite like how it can be both harsh and soft depending on where I put it.
My shoot -
Call Sheet -
Model Release Form -
Equipment List -
For the shoot I went along the Thames by my university and chose several different locations as I was walking by. I looked out for different textures and walls I could use to make my images look different and more captivating for the viewer. I used my Fuji XT3 and my Neewer ML300 flash. For my images I had the flash on one side of my model from a higher angle to make my images look slightly more dramatic and high in contrast.
For the first shot I wanted to do a close up and I really liked the texture of the surroundings. I directed my model to sit down on a stool so he would not get any of his clothes dirty, and to look down and to the left. I like how this looked as it felt like it created an effect of wind blowing with the direction of his hair and the plants. I had my flash behind me and on the left hand side of the model. Regarding the styling I had my model wear his own clothes as I liked his style and thought it would suit the images well.
For the second shot I went to a wall which had a nice texture and pattern to it. The two images on the left show how I tested the light. I had the light to the left hand side of my and pointing directly at my model. I moved it further around to adjust the shadow and how much light was hitting my subjects face. Before doing all of this I metered to the backdrop to make sure this was correctly exposed. I directed my model to take a step and push his jacket outwards as I wanted these photos to be more candid.
The last shot was focused on getting a close up of the clothes and accessories. I had the light on the right hand side of my model and from slightly above. I took images of both his collars and his hat as he had nice detailed pins on them which I thought would be good to capture.
Editing and selecting my final images -
The editing process was again similar to my previous images but I made sure to focus on decreasing the clarity, especially on the first image as I felt like the soft look really complimented the location of the image. I used the healing brush tool to remove any small blemishes and also fix the background in the second shot. I also adjusted the models skin tone as the flash adjusted the colour temperature and I needed to add some saturation back in. When editing I knew which three images I wanted to use for my final ones and these are shown below. I think it shows a good variety of close ups to full body again and I like the details I was able to capture in my images.
I am pleased how the images turned out but I think next time when shooting on location there are some things I could improve. For example scouting the location beforehand to know exactly what three locations I want to use as this would make the shoot go much more smoothly. I also think next time I would sketch out some ways I could direct my model as I did this for my last shoot on location and it helped me massively.
Final 9 images and personal statement -
In conclusion I am really happy with how all three shoots went for my portfolio brief. I think i was able to show a range of my skills but also show how these skills have developed over time. I pushed myself to work at an industry standard throughout it all by working with professional models, makeup artists and stylists.
I also believe I was able to work past any hurdles I ended up having. For example having my makeup artist cancel but doing the makeup myself.
Next time, if I were to do this brief again, I think I would place more focus on telling a story within my images and making sure they have more meaning and substance to them. This is something I have been trying to do as I have moved on from these shoots as I think I can be more creative in a way when I tell a story and send a message out through my work.
Throughout second year I am mainly focusing on fashion photography with a very confident mindset when working in the studio. I am precise when it comes to my technical skills and managing a creative team. The skills I have learnt in the past few months regarding lighting and how the way you light your set ultimately effects your images have been built upon constantly. Having the chance to create my own shoots in whatever direction I wanted felt like a great opportunity to get to know my own style in more detail. I focused on beauty/wellness along with fashion photography in a very experimental way focusing on innovative makeup looks and alternative lighting techniques.
In the future, I hope to continue learning new things every day and my main goal with where I want to take my photography would be to shoot for the brands and people that I love. I want to be able to keep experimenting in what I do and using my creative freedom to curate shoots which mean something to both me, the team, and my clients.
Workshop 1: High-key and low-key lighting
Our first workshop was based on high-key and low-key lighting. We chose a few different example images and our aim as a class was to create a lighting setup which would result in us taking an image with the most similar look to our example. We started with High-key lighting.
Our first lighting setup included a white backdrop and we had 2 profoto lights with softboxes on the backdrop. We exposed the background first for F11 and having the backdrop and subject lit separately added some depth to our image. Our key light was shooting against a white polyboard which was being held up at an angle with a clamp on a c-stand. This created a nice high angles soft light on our model and we bounced this off another polyboard on the other side of our model to create some fill light for any shadows.
Our second setup included a minor change to our first which was changing our key light. Our key light became an octagonal softbox on the boom arm and was much more above our model. We also changed the backdrop to a light grey by adjusting the power on our 2 lights hitting the backdrop.
In the second half of the afternoon we looked at low-key lighting and completed a total of three setups.
For the first setup we copied an image which had a very sharp but small amount of light hitting the models forehead only. Additionally there was a small vignette of light in the background behind the model. To replicate this we had one profoto light with a reflector dish and grid high up, and aiming down at the models face. The grid helped to stop the light from spilling anywhere. On the backdrop we had another profoto light with a reflector dish, we kept this on a low power and had it aimed directly at the backdrop with the model sitting in front of it.
The second setup was similar but the key light was hitting majority of the models face with a harsher shadow on one side. We kept our background light where it was, moved our key light around and more frontal to the model and added a rim light as we could see this in our example image.
For our last setup we were aiming to recreate the lighting of a Rembrandt painting. The painting was created with a natural light source however we did not have this, so we tried to recreate it with out light sources which we did have. We started by changing the backdrop to a different colour and texture. Our key light was an octagonal soft box on a c-stand and this was to the right hand side of our model. We added a polyboard on the left hand side to reduce the amount of shadows. We kept out key light on continous using the model light so we could see our model, this is because the studio lights were off due to them affecting our final image. We kept the model far away from the backdrop and the photographer far from the model and shot with a shallow depth of field being F2.
High-key Lighting Artist Research
My high-key lighting shoot -
For my high key lighting shoot I wanted to do a lot more experimentation in post production. I was inspired by one shoot done by @radhika.photos on instagram in which she did a pretty simple high key lighting setup in the studio and scanned in her images. When she scanned in her images in post production she layered paper on top by ripping it and creating holes or ripping the images and piecing it back together. She edited these scans after to adjust any colours and I thought this was a really cool concept so I decided to try it myself.
Moodboard -
Call sheet -
Model release -
For my shoot I had a very simple setup including a white backdrop, 2 lights on the backdrop bouncing off of a white poly to make it even, and one light on the model with a poly on the opposite side to fill. I had my model do a variety of poses which gave off a more playful feeling as I thought these would suit what I wanted to do in post production more.
I selected my favourite images and edited them by adjusted the colour balance, cropping to get rid of any negative space and making smaller adjustments. The smaller adjustments included increasing the exposure of the background to make it brighter and cleaner, and also adjusting the skin tone to make it more true to real life. To do this I selected all areas where the skin was showing like the face and arms, use the dropper on skin tone and adjust the temperature and saturation.
The next thing I did was take some of the selected images and put them into a word document. As I had to have three final images I wanted to make three collages, plus one extra so I had choice on which ones to use for my final three. I printed out the four word documents at home and I started to rip and cut them up. I used extra pieces of paper to stick behind or in front of the images as well. I did not have a clear path I wanted to go down therefore I decided to do whatever I felt like doing in the moment and I really liked the outcomes. I took these back to the printer and scanned them in and onto my laptop.
After scanning I took the images back into capture one and adjusted the colours, however only very slightly as I liked the white and think it allowed more texture to be seen. I increased the contrast and lowered the brightness to enhance the texture and I also added structure as some details were lost through the printing and scanning. However, I quite like the look of the final images.
I am very happy with how these images turned out, it was out of my comfort zone but it has inspired me to experiment more with collaging in the future and also look into scanning my images after taking them as I like the texture it adds to them.
What I would do differently next time would be to print my images better quality and see how this affects the final outcome.
Workshop 2: Dramatic use of Flash
Our second workshop was based on a dramatic use of flash. We chose some different example images and our aim as a class was to create a lighting setup which would result in us taking an image with the most similar look to our example.
Our first lighting setup was a Wonderland Magazine cover. All of the lights we used were profoto lights. We had 2 key lights on the model, one with a blue gel and one with a yellow gel. We had one light on the backdrop with a green gel on a reflector dish and another rim light with a red gel on the left hand side of the model from behind. The two polyboards on either side of the model blocked the 2 key lights from spilling onto the backdrop. We experimented a lot with the placement of each light to make sure we were replicating the original image as best as possible. The last thing we added to this setup was a big glass pane in which we sprayed water on it to get the water droplets similar to the original image.
The second lighting setup included 3 lights total. We had one main light with a coloured gel on the boom which was hitting the model from above. We changed the colours of the gels on each light depending on which image we were copying. We then had 2 backlights with the same coloured gel which created a nice outline of colour on the model. We moved these behind the polyboards to limit them spilling onto the front of the model.
The last lighting setup was really fun to do as we used light painting with torches. We were inspired by Paolo Roversi who is an Italian photographer and he uses a long exposure to make the presence of his subjects much stronger. We had one light on the backdrop and used a torch with a slow shutter speed to paint in different areas of the image which we wanted to be exposed.
In the second half of the afternoon we looked at low-key lighting and completed a total of three setups.
For the first setup we copied an image which had a very sharp but small amount of light hitting the models forehead only. Additionally there was a small vignette of light in the background behind the model. To replicate this we had one profoto light with a reflector dish and grid high up, and aiming down at the models face. The grid helped to stop the light from spilling anywhere. On the backdrop we had another profoto light with a reflector dish, we kept this on a low power and had it aimed directly at the backdrop with the model sitting in front of it.
The second setup was similar but the key light was hitting majority of the models face with a harsher shadow on one side. We kept our background light where it was, moved our key light around and more frontal to the model and added a rim light as we could see this in our example image.
For our last setup we were aiming to recreate the lighting of a Rembrandt painting. The painting was created with a natural light source however we did not have this, so we tried to recreate it with out light sources which we did have. We started by changing the backdrop to a different colour and texture. Our key light was an octagonal soft box on a c-stand and this was to the right hand side of our model. We added a polyboard on the left hand side to reduce the amount of shadows. We kept out key light on continous using the model light so we could see our model, this is because the studio lights were off due to them affecting our final image. We kept the model far away from the backdrop and the photographer far from the model and shot with a shallow depth of field being F2.
Dramatic use of Flash Artist Research
My shoot using a dramatic use of flash -
For my shoot using a dramatic use of flash I reached out to a modelling agency called Blue Agency as they were looking for test photographers. I thought I could use this as an opportunity to expand my portfolio, along with the models while still being able to use the images in my work.
I started with some initial ideas with the lighting diagrams shown below and these were still used in my final shoot but i made some smaller adjustments on the day. After speaking with the model back and forth about what sort of shoot we wanted to do we decided we wanted to have quite harsh lighting with a pop of blue in the image however it be. I reached out to a makeup artist and sent over some references to her and told her that we wanted to focus on a pop of blue throughout the look.
Moodboard -
Call sheet -
Model release form -
For my lighting I ended up using a black background with two profoto lights from behind on either side of the model. As my model was wearing all black this added a nice rim light and silhouette. I used 2 black polyboards between each light and the backdrop to prevent the light spilling. On the model I used a source four and this enabled me to control where the light was hitting, whether it be full body or just certain areas of the face when I shot close ups. As the source four is a very warm light this affected the skin tone when shooting so I used a blue colour corrector to achieve a better white balance make it a bit more blue toned.
I felt like using the source four light was a really good choice as I was able to be really precise with what areas of my models body and face I was lighting. I did a variation of small slithers and bigger areas.
We had one outfit but added some accessories along the way like various hats and also did some with a jacket and without a jacket on. I made sure to get a variation of full body shots and close ups experimenting with different angles. When directing my model I wanted them to give off quite a strong stance but I also wanted my images to show some emotion. I told my model this and directed them in a way in which their facial expressions and body language would help achieve this.
Editing and selecting my images -
The screenshots below show the process of me editing my images. I started by adjusting the brightness of the image and then did the colour balance adjusting the shadows, midtones and highlights. I did the same as I usually do with the colour balance to keep my images going into my portfolio and work looking consistent. I then made smaller adjustments to the skin tone if necessary and to my models clothing and the makeup.
I added a nice glow to the entire image by decreasing the clarity and using the 'punch' mode. This made my image look really soft in any light areas and if necessary, I added some structure back into it to give some definition back to the face.
My final three images -
For my final three images I chose one full body, and two close ups as I think it gave a good variety in the sequence. I also chose three images which each had an aspect to them which stood out. For example, I really like the posing in the first image, in the second image I really like the emotion being expressed from my model and in the third image I really like the composition of it and feel like it is one of my strongest.
Overall I am really happy with how this shoot went and I was happy to hear that my client was as well. If I were to do this shoot again I would potentially get a stylist involved so we had more than one outfit to experiment with but apart from that I am very pleased with the lighting and how smooth the process of the shoot was.
Workshop 3: Environmental Portraits
We started our day with a small workshop and went through the basics on using flash. We used one profoto head and one elinchrom 1000 head and looked at the differences. We did some images where we closed all the curtains and looked at the effect of flash on its own, and some where we opened the curtains and looked at the flash accompanied with environmental light.
To do that we used the light meter for the environmental light first and then we added the flash and adjusted our settings depending on what we had and what we wanted. So we figured we could use a low shutter speed as the flash would freeze the image and we had the camera on the tripod. We also found that if you change the shutter speed the exposure of the image will be the exact same as the same amount of power from the flash is coming through to the image in whatever time we had the shutter open for.
Then we got into groups and did environmental portraits, we went group by group and we started on the fourth floor by the ping-pong table. We had one key light on the model (we used the elinchrom ELB 400 kits as they are battery operated) and we exposed the environment light first and then added the flash. We also had the camera on the tripod. Then we added two side lights to create some depth within the image. After experimenting with the placement of the side lights we added a blue gel to one, and a red gel to another.
We also changed the direction we were shooting from to give us some variety within our images.
We went outside after and did the same thing, setup the camera on the tripod, metered the environmental light, then the key light. Then we added the two side lights and just kept experimenting with the placement of our lights and the angles from which we were shooting at.
Environmental Portrait Artist Research
My environmental portrait shoot -
For my environmental portrait shoot I decided to take pictures of my dad at home. My dad is a DJ so a large part of his job involves the pre-production of his gigs and this is all done in his office at home. I thought his office was a perfect place to do the shoot as it is surrounded with cds and records all over the walls so the environment clearly shows what he does.
Model release form -
The shoot -
The photoshoot for my environmental portrait took place on my dad’s office room at home where we are able to see all of his cds, records and equipment he uses. I had one flash of my own to use and I set this up behind my and bounced it off of the ceiling. This created a nice bright wash over my images and was able to expose both my subject and his surroundings. This also worked well as the room is not very big and the walls are all bright colours whether it be white or a very light grey so the light bounced around the room nice and evenly.
I started with some images of him sitting at his chair with his equipment surrounding him. I quite liked these images as the room is fairly narrow so I was able to get a good amount of the room in the image. My settings for these images were ISO 80, F8 and shutter speed 1/125s.
For my second image I wanted to get a picture of him next to and using his equipment. My dad put a record on his decks and showed me how everything works. While he did this I took some images of him working and then got him to stand by the equipment and look at the camera. One of the important things I remembered during this shoot was to get a variety of images so o had a good amount to choose from in the end. The light for this one was moved a bit further back as I had moved back in the room myself. I continued to bounce it on the ceiling.
For the last images we went to his shelves of cds and took some portraits in front of here. For this image I wanted it to be a bit more dramatic so I put the light directly on him and to the side slightly. I like how the images were dramatic but not too harsh. I got a variety of expressions from smiling to serious but I preferred the smiling ones as I think it showed my dad’s personality better.
Editing and selecting my images -
When editing the images I did not want to do too much to them and i wanted to keep them fairly simple. I adjusted the colour balance very slightly so it didn’t look too harsh and adjusted skin tone of my subject making it more true to real life as sometimes the flash can make the image quite cool toned. As I did not have a grey card I did the white balance in capture one myself. I made other small adjustments to all of the images regarding the overall exposure of both my subject and the background as well.
I selected one image from each variation we did and also included both some smiling and some serious for some variety. Overall I’m happy with my selection and pleased with how the shoot went. From this I learnt more about lighting on location and different methods to achieve different looks, for example bouncing the light on the ceiling. If I were to do this again next time, what I would change would be my equipment. I think it would be a lot easier with another light or a poly so I can achieve a more evenly lit image.
My final three images -
Workshop 4: Natural Lighting
We started the day by looking at various images of paintings and discussing how they were lit, which was with natural lighting and usually in a studio with a big north facing window. We discussed where our north facing windows were in the studio and found our available light in the studio.
We set up a backdrop opposite this light and had various people model for us as we experimented with different angles and thought about what objects we could use to create some fill light for any shadows. We added a polyboard to do this. We took advantage of using the whole studio and looking at the different ways light was coming in and where the sun was coming through. We had a discussion about what out camera settings were as there was a range of responses across the whole class. This was due to us having different cameras and lenses with different focal lengths and different lowest F-Stops.
I have shown some of these images below.
In the second half of the workshop we were asked to go outside and experiment with how we can show the effect of using natural lighting in out images. We experimented with backlighting, direct sunlight, reflections and using modifiers such as a silver reflective sheet for some fill light. Shooting in black and white allowed us to show a nice tonal range.
Below are some of the images we took as a group.
Natural Lighting Artist Research
My natural lighting shoot -
Moodboard
Call sheet -
Model release -
The shoot -
For this shoot I was inspired by a book I read called Ikigai. This is a Japanese concept and the book describes how the balance between all aspects of your life will help you find your purpose in life. I wanted to show the sense of happiness and fulfilment you feel when you find your ikigai, your purpose in life.
To do this I had the idea of shooting in Kensington gardens and using the nature in the surroundings to create a very ethereal feeling to my images.
I got in touch with a stylist and described what I wanted with the outfits and she was able to curate two amazing outfits which really showed what I wanted.
For the shoot I used completely natural lighting and chose a day where the sun was going to be out. I got lucky as the sun was out for most of the shoot and it was really harsh and bright as I went early in the morning. I started by a big tree stump for the first look. I then went to the pond and took some images by the pond and on the grass. We got our model changed into the second outfit and stuck to one area of the park for this look as I really liked what it looked like and shooting from different angles gave me a good variety of images in this one place. I really experimented with the angles in which I took the images at and directed my model in a way that made the images feel very natural. I directed for there to be a lot of movement in some, stretching the arms, facing completely away from the camera as if I wasn’t there and more. I had my friend assist me and the main things I made him do were look after the belongings and make sure the model was not cold, for example bringing her coat to her when we weren’t shooting.
I was really happy with how the shoot went. I felt confident in the way I directed and felt very lucky with the weather. Overall everything went to plan and I am very pleased.
Editing and selecting my images -
When editing the images I started by making a select of images. I made sure I selected a good amount of each outfit and each location. I started by adding a soft look to all of my images, I did this by decreasing the clarity by a good amount on the mode ‘punch’. I also added a small amount of structure to make sure it was not too soft. I adjusted the colour balance how I normally do with all of my images which is shown below. I selected a mask of my subject and added some saturation to her skin tone after selecting her skin tone specifically. This was due to the fact that the sun was so bright at times and washed out her skin tone and the clothes a lot. I made other adjustments to the colour of the sky and the grass as I wanted the colours to be slightly muted so there was not too much going on in the images. I increased or decreased the exposure depending on the raw image and I also added a positive vignette on some which I thought added a nice bright and airy feeling to my images.
Some images had a lot of people in so I took them to photoshop and used the clone stamp tool or generative fill to remove them and this made the image much more pleasing to look at with less distractions in the background.
Below are my final three images for this workshop.
My final three images
Conclusion -
In conclusion I am extremely proud of myself and all of the work I have done for these workshops and overall this semester. I spent a lot of time refining my skills regarding lighting and directing models and by the end I felt so much more confident in both aspects of photography. I think the workshops helped a lot with this as it took us back through the fundamental knowledge of lighting but being able to curate my own shoots in my own direction also encouraged me to experiment with what I wanted to do and I am very happy with the outcomes I got.
I also think this semester I spent a lot of time networking with other creatives for example, shooting with modelling agencies, and this has been extremely useful and made me feel like I am at a good point in my work for being in year two.
Some things I want to expand on next year would be set design. I think the lighting in my images is good but experimenting with set design could make my images slightly more interesting and add some dimension and story to them. I want to keep collaborating with as many people as I can along with shadowing others to see the ways in which others work.
