Two weeks ago, I finally got the chance to complete a project that I have been wanting to do for some time. I’d like to say it was all my idea but that would be a distortion of the truth. I got the concept from an American photographer by the name of Jeremy Center, otherwise known in cyberspace as ‘Ogalthorpe’.
Jeremy’s concept was to shoot 20 people in one day. I varied it by combining a social event (an open house at Chez Ambry) with an all day portrait session. Ogalthorpe shot 20 adults, I shot about 30 adults and kids over two days (19 for the open house project, then another group 11 for a friend on Sunday night after the open house was over).
I am proud to say that I achieved some great results. I learned so much from the exercise, and I really want to thank all of the people who volunteered their time to pose for me.
If you would like to see a slideshow of the images, click here or on any image.
Enjoy!
Great portraits Shane. Well done
Cheers, will, you and my mum – a regular readership of two!
Catch you soon
Haha, Shane. Just keep writing and taking photos mate!
Perhaps you should talk a little bit about how and why you set up certain things certain ways (light etc). Not so much for the reader, but for yourself to reflect upon in the future. That way you can see if your thoughts have shifted through more experiences etc…
Goodluck!
Good Idea Will.
For those of you who are interested, these images were created with a Nikon D80, using the 18-135 kit lens (Santa please bring me a 24-70 f2.8 – I’ve been a good boy!).
Subjects were posed against a (too small) light grey painted backdrop, and lit in most cases with a single speedlight through an 80×80 cm softbox, camera left and above the eyeline of the subject. In some I had a bit of fill from another speedlight in a home made beauty dish from cam right.
I would have used more light if I had more distance between teh subject and the backgrop, but home studio setups make this difficult, so my light modifiers were those that could be used with little or well controlled spill.
Post production in Lightroom, using my favourite new technique, four grad filters to create a dramatic vignette. I also boosted blacks and contrast.
Overall I am happy with the results. If I were to do anything different, it would be a darker, larger backdrop and some separation light.
Hey Shane!
Great project to practice your lighting on. I think you did a stellar job and did well to get so many different looks. Might try this myself sometime.
Cheers Hayley, I recommend it.
I was pushed well outside my comfort zone – subjects who were children and hard to direct but enthusiatic, and others who were adults and reticent to pose. No backup photgraphers to help with the creative process or move lights, and a really tight timeframe to shoot so many people.
It’s this that drives me to be keen on Help Portrait