Whenever we’re running a workshop or masterclass, there isn’t a fixed path or a list of things we’re going to do – part of the fun of a group of photographers getting together is that we all have an input and guide the day to get the most out of it.
This image, like others in the Vault, was from one of our Mastering Advanced Studio Lighting workshops. We run this workshop a few times a year and it is one of my favourites and always seems to result in beautiful imagery – sometimes subtle and elegant, sometimes theatrical and full of smoke and a myriad lighting kit.
This shot is the former. I asked Millie to sit on the stool and then over a sequence of images, I fine-tuned the pose, ultimately asking if she could get her feet and bum on their at the same time (I know I couldn’t have done it but Millie is petite and supple! As they say, nothing venture, nothing gained…) So after a lot of laughter, she managed to find a seated position that was really elegant as well as being really compact.
We used a dark paper background for this; I like paper because it still reflects some light depending on the angle which means you can create natural halos if you position the light precisely.
The lighting is an Elinchrom FIVE with a 100cm x 100cm Rotalux Softbox. Simply my favourite lighting modifier. The soft light these boxes give out is second to none (and I should know, I’ve tried most of them!)
I adjusted the position of the light until I had the precise pattern I wanted: soft light on Millie’s face and a gentle pool of light on the backdrop. Our studio isn’t vast so it’s easy to feather the light as it bounces around the studio, reducing the contrast. Feathering is a bit of an art – it’s not hard but it can take a little practice (just use your eyes!)
I am always unsure how an image will look until actually I ‘see’ it. In this instance, when I shifted back and dropped the camera’s height, pretty much to floor level, I felt it had the look I wanted. Simple. Beautiful, of course. But simple.
Then we adjusted Millie’s pose shot-to-shot, moving her face, her pose and her expression, always keeping an eye on how the light played off her features so that she looked stunning in each frame.
If you fancy one of our workshops (or longer-term mentoring) details of all our education can be found on the Academy pages.
Enjoy!
Lighting Diagrams
Equipment And Settings
- Nikon Z9 with Nikon AF-Z 70-200mm f2.8
- Elinchrom FIVE with 100cm x 100cm Rotalux Softbox
The ‘Other’ Shots!
Sometimes it’s useful to see the shots either side of the one I thought was the ‘hero’ image. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below!
