I love doing fashion work because I get to be more edgy in my creative approach, and I get to make women look great which is what portraits are all about.
For this shoot, I had a very fun and beautiful model named Molly with very pretty eyes. We set up multiple lights and other equipment to create some really unique looks quickly on our outdoor location. I especially love the balance of this first one, with her to the far right side, lit from a strong angle, thoughtful expression, and hair blowing back into the image.
Another one of her with hair blowing. I love her eyes in this image, and the toned b&w treatment.
I love this next one of her smiling. Though many of my favorites (as you can see here) were serious expressions, she really had an infectious and genuine smile, and this image shows that.
Here’s one of my favorite mid-lenths of her, a fantastic and sassy image with Molly framed by the trees.
And this close-up of her was in the same group of trees. I love the lighting on this, as it really accentuates her expression and her hair softly falling across one eye. All of these images also are finished with my new line of custom edges that I have created and sell to photographers all over the country giving images a unique finished look.
All around this was just a great shoot that produced some great images. If you’d like some great images of you or someone in your family, now is the time to book an appointment and come in. Give me a call at 801-728-3317 and let’s talk about your dream portrait.
We may have had a short shoot, but the images were fun to create and she looked so great! This first image utilizes my own custom made edges and overlays. That is the only image with any enhancements, by the way. The rest of these are still un-retouched, but I like them as straight images. They have such a sense of reality to them without any retouching or effects.
And for this final image I added some heavier edge lights to set off her hair and collarbones. There is a lot of dimension in this and her smile and sparkle in her eyes is so genuine and real. I really hope that she loves these images. It was great getting to know her.
But then when you add night to the mix of shooting in a city, you add another layer of difficulty — LIGHTING! Lighting isn’t used to create an exposure, but rather to specifically sculpt a subject. Therefore it must be used specifically! It must come from a very specific angle depending on the model, despite any surroundings. And at the same time light has to balance with the background in both intensity as well as color temperature to avoid creating images that are too dark, flat, or dull looking. An image, even when created at night, should instead seem 3-dimentional and have pop!
I love this smiling close-up above, and this serious expression in the image below. Both created in the same spot. The vertical lines in the background above play off her angle and her soft hair, while the curve of the sidewalk in the image below leads your eye back to her and adds balance to the left side.
I really like the shadow of a the figure off camera in this next image below. It helps create a mysterious mood. It was created by some stranger walking by, and I liked it and waited to take the shot once the shadow moved into the open space of the image where it wouldn’t visually touch and compete with the rail in the foreground.
I used the effect of light color temperature to create different moods and looks throughout the shoot. I love the color, the angle, and her expression and stance on this image below. The hair softly blowing at an angle really makes this image work!
Dallin did the Senior Mix Session, which includes both Color and B&W, both indoor and outdoor portraits using a number of sets, and multiple clothing changes. We mixed looks and created images that show his interests and hobbies.
Miranda got a Senior Mix Session, which includes both Color and B&W, both indoor and outdoor portraits using a number of sets, and multiple clothing changes. This image on our rock path was one of my favorites from the outdoor shoot.
I have a number of very cool sets at the studio, while also having a half-acre of English style gardens. In one place you can get a huge variety of images quickly.
I lit this and all of these outdoor images with one light, set manually — me personally holding the light in one hand, with my camera in the other. That’s the way I can control exactly where the light is going to hit her face as she moves and bends. Also, none of these images have been retouched or enhanced. The colors, contrast, cropping, smoothness of the skin, whiteness of the eyes, and even the color “effects” or anything else you notice, are all done in camera. This was part of the class, to learn how to create awesome images in camera, without having to “fix” them with Photoshop or other software.
Contrast the feel and look of these images above with this next image below, created in the same spot, but different lenses, different lighting.
I took this model also down to the docks and created these in a huge boathouse/warehouse. These first couple are shot using the setting sun coming through a window. One of my favorite things about this is shadow from the window panels on her. Again, no color or other adjustments. The idea of this workshop was to be completely creative while being completely technical — balancing the two halves of the brain in harmony.
Then switching up the lighting and lenses, I used the same room to create some completely different looks. Many photographers have or know only one style of lighting — all their images look the same. I believe that an artist should be versatile, being able to do anything they can imagine. Photographers need to be able to masterfully create images in all sorts of styles, using all sorts of lighting patterns and light sources — and the images should still be awesome!
And here’s one of my favorites of her friend, using the light from outside to wrap around and light her.