The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Laura poses against the wall, between the shadows of two window frames.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/500
- Aperture: f/2.8
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Composition and Processing
- I considered posing Laura away from the wall for this shot, but felt that would turn the background into “wall with shadows”. By moving her directly against the surface, she’s effectively in the same plane as the shadows themselves. The wall almost vanishes as a background, and the shadows now surround her, framing her in the shot. In addition, the angled shadow of the window sill glues the two frames together, along with Laura’s shadow, and breaks up the otherwise north-south lines of just about everything else.
- The shoot with Laura was on a windy, partly cloudy day. That meant constant shifts in exposure, sometimes by as much as three stops. More important, the light was constantly changing from soft to hard and back again, revealing shapes that were otherwise not there. This shot was taken moments before this one, where a passing cloud completely wiped out the shadow frame and turned one edge into a smooth gradient. So while it helps to pay attention to how the character of light changes, it’s worth watching how it reveals or creates new subjects and backgrounds.
Original:
April 08 2009 | Photography | 2 Comments »
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Can you figure out where I shot this from, given the reflection in the window?
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/500
- Aperture: f/4
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Composition and Processing
- I really wanted to use the strong reflection in the window as a background, but was concerned about catching myself in the photo. I run into this problem sometimes with modern dance — the mirrors in the rehearsal studio more or less reflect the entire room. In those cases I usually shoot slightly off center so that, if I am in the shot, I’m usually clear of the subjects and can be easily removed in Photoshop. For this image I shot straight on, twisting my body to align my feet toe to toe in an effort to become thinner. I also crouched slightly so my shoulders and head were below Laura’s shoulders. Laura’s open jacket helps too, although not all the shots in this series were like that. As you can see from the original, I didn’t actually have to remove anything in post (well, nothing related to my reflection that is).
- The lines of the window frame line up nicely with the lines of the buildings in the distance. But the more interesting lines to me, the ones that really give it depth, are the bricks. They extend in the direction of the horizon and appear to be an extension of the ones in front of Laura. That, combined with the angles of her jacket, drive your attention to the top of the frame and Laura’s face.
Original:
March 25 2009 | Photography | 1 Comment »
The Daily Photo series focuses on the two or three key creative choices, in terms of composition and processing, that go into creating an image. Specific technical details about the shot have been left out — you won’t hear me talking about tone curve adjustments and whatnot unless it was a key component of the end result.
Laura leans against the wall in the soft light of the overcast sky.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/250
- Aperture: f/2
- ISO: 200
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Composition and Processing
- I frequently process an image multiple ways, comparing different styles until I find something that best matches the image. Sometimes that happens entirely in Photoshop — perusing various Nik Color Efx filters, for example. Other times I’ll actually save the different versions and come back to them later, after I’ve had time to think about it or want to view them in a different context. There’s danger in either approach though, because color is relative (as is lightness/darkness/contrast/etc). As I mentioned a couple posts back, how we perceive an image is dependent on the context we see it in; equally important is what we saw immediately before. Try looking at the first image below without looking at the other versions I included after the original. Remember your impression of it. Then look at the others, and come back to the first one again. Does your impression still hold?
- The large windows in my apartment don’t quite cover the entire south face. There’s a small strip of wall, maybe 12 inches at most, that adjoins another wall running perpendicular. On cloudy days, the shadow cast by this strip creates the nice soft gradient you see here. One of the reasons I chose the cross processed version was the way it brought out the gradient (which appears in all three images) and offered a more interesting background for the subject.
Original:
Version 2:
Version 3:
March 13 2009 | Photography | 1 Comment »