The Before and After 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.
Zion poses in the gap between some shadows from the late afternoon sun.
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 had Zion tilt her head up partly to make it look like she was enjoying the afternoon sun, but also to reduce any shadows on her face and arms.
- I like using internal elements of an image to frame the subject — sometimes that’s a window frame, or other people — but in this case it was simply the shadows cast on the wall. As a plus, the diagonal shadow runs in the same direction Zion is facing, tying the two together.
Original:
May 07 2012 | Photography | No Comments »
The Before and After 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.
Zion poses against a wall in the early evening light.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/125
- Aperture: f/1.4
- ISO: 800
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Composition and Processing
- I wouldn’t normally want the subject looking right off the edge of the frame when they’re that close to it and with so much negative space behind them. But Zion’s pose, with the arm crossed over the body, is closed off and somewhat fits the indifferent look away. We’re not sharing this scene with Zion, merely observing from afar, something further reinforced by the large empty space around her.
- It’s subtle, but the shadow at the top matches the angle of the arm across her body, connecting the two (and perhaps keeping the eye somewhat in the scene instead of trailing off the right edge).
Original:
May 01 2012 | Photography | No Comments »
The Before and After 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.
Breeanna poses in the late afternoon sun.
Exposure
- Shutter: 1/250
- Aperture: f/4.0
- ISO: 400
- Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
- Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Composition and Processing
- We had a lot of hard sunlight hitting most of the room by this time of day, so I wanted to find some way to soften it a bit and create an interesting gradient in the background. So I pulled the window shades down to act as a background scrim, then placed a large white translucent panel directly between the sun and Breeanna. That softened things quite a bit and made it look more like artificial light than the sun.
Original:
April 24 2012 | Photography | No Comments »