Almost full body portrait disappearing into darkness

[nas-matko]

Hi there and thanks for taking time reading and more importantly commenting my posts.

This time I tried to achieve almost full body portrait from behind with emphasis on the face while showing some texture of the dress while letting it be gradually darker towards the bottom.

I used one octabox with grid positioned to left of camera higher than model at about 45 degrees to her and second flash with reflector and grid only positioned to the right at about 120 deg aimed roughly between shoulder and waist.

Somehow I couldn't get the lighting of the dress right, so I had to play with exposure and masking in camera raw and I came up with this which is as close as possible to my planned outcome


Again Canon R7, f 8, 1/200s, ISO 100, 50mm f1.4 lens.

My questions are
1. is there any way to position model better to show more of her face while still maintain angle from behind?
2. How else could I light the dress so I keep shadows there and gradual darkening without heavy post processing?
3. Now 24h post photo session looking at the picture probably framing could be different, maybe she should be more at the right third of the picture, rather then left as is she now.

Thanks for your opinion.

 

[cgw]

Do look at the many Lindsay Adler online tutorials on not just lighting but also posing.

 

[nas-matko]

Do look at the many Lindsay Adler online tutorials on not just lighting but also posing.

Will do, thanks.

 

[smoke665]

1. is there any way to position model better to show more of her face while still maintain angle from behind?

It's really nice having a willing subject to practice on. LOL First I have to ask why you chose this pose? I've done some of these in the past but typically with older women in low cut back gowns and a smoking derrière. I find very little interest in kids with this pose, to me the eyes of the child are THE most important part. That said, turning her on a 3/4 pose with face turned toward the camera is a better shot, if you want a silhouette, the 3/4 pose can still work. I see in your last question you already caught the error on space on the left side. I had to go back and dig through the past posts, but this is a very good video on posing that I posted back in 2019, and it still applies today. It's a little long, but there's a lot of information to digest so take your time watching.

2. How else could I light the dress so I keep shadows there and gradual darkening without heavy post processing?

I'd say the light reflects exactly what you did. Camera right you used a reflector then choked the spread with a grid what do you expect it to do? I couldn't find it, but I did a study sometime back showing the spread of a light with a standard 7" reflector at various distances from a screen. I also did one with a 10, 20 and 40 degree grid. It's a good teaching exercise that will help you when placing lights. I typically reserve my Octaboxes or Beauty Dish for Head/shoulder shots. For full body, my standard set is a 72" brolly with diffusion, a minimum 2x4 softbox for the fill, and a 7" reflector with 40 deg grid for the kicker/hair light.

 

[cgw]

Slightly OT but I've been deciphering the portraiture of Julia Margaret Cameron for a project.
Some of these "looks" just get me. That 1864 shot of Ellen Terry!

Julia Margaret Cameron - Ellen Terry, at the Age of Sixteen

Cameron, Julia Margaret: Ellen Terry, at the Age of Sixteen

www.museoreinasofia.es

 

[nas-matko]

It's really nice having a willing subject to practice on. LOL

Yes, I am aware of that, however I feel she is starting to loose patience shortly I will end up praciticing on self portraits

First I have to ask why you chose this pose?

I was reading a book about portraits and one example image there was similar and it looked interesting, so I decided to try it. But there were no technical details provided, it was merely posing example.

I'd say the light reflects exactly what you did.

Final image is close to what I wanted, but without post-processing light wasn’t good enough, that’s why I asked how would you execute shoot like this. My idea is, that I should be getting good results straight from camera, with minimal post processing.

 

[nas-matko]

Julia Margaret Cameron began to take photographs at the age of 48

Just like me, only I have started 2 years later. So I have a chance that 20 years after my death somebody will recognize my photos

 

[smoke665]

Final image is close to what I wanted, but without post-processing light wasn’t good enough,

One of the reasons I enjoy studio photography is the level of control it gives, but it also requires a bit of knowledge in lighting and posing. Understanding that will lessen the need for post processing.

" I was reading a book about portraits", For techniques, and processing I look to modern day books. Maybe I'm old school but for portraits and posing I look to old masters, artists whose work has stood the test of time for inspiration. Your image reminded me of this classic by Vermeer -
"Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Children's faces untouched by the riggers of life hold an innocence, not seen in adults. Notice how the white Pearl draws the eye like a magnet, and the scarf right acts like a barrier to bounce the eye rigt back to her face. Notice where the light and shadows fall, highlighting what the artist wants you to focus on and subtly concealing in shadow less interesting parts of the image.

 

[nas-matko]

reminded me of this classic by Vermeer -
"Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Thank you, that is famous painting, but I have never looked at it the way you described it. Its fascinating new world. Just for practice purpose, I will try to recreate this photographically

 

[cgw]

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Scarlett Johansson in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

www.imdb.com

Lots of post obviously but still some useful ideas and hacks:

Photographer Uses Backyard Shed to Shoot Gorgeous Natural Light Portraits

Calgary-based portrait photographer and YouTuber Irene Rudnyk recently put together a photo shoot that's getting some well-deserved attention. Using just

petapixel.com

 

[nas-matko]

Lots of post obviously but still some useful ideas and hacks:

I like it, she is really good, just natural light in the shed, almost hard to believe if I didn't see it on video. But there is heavy post processing and colour grading too (which you need to be good at too).

 

[nas-matko]

there's a lot of information to digest so take your time watching.

I started to watch yesterday and its really full of information, but as you warned me, very dense, I need to watch it two or three times to digest everything.

 

[smoke665]

I started to watch yesterday and its really full of information, but as you warned me, very dense, I need to watch it two or three times to digest everything.

The science behind posing in portrait photograpy is often missed by photographers because they get tunnel vision behind the lens, concentrating on the exposure, and lighting. The pose ends up being what it is when the shutter clicks. Or they try duplicating a pose they've seen without knowing the reasoning behind the pose. As the video discusses, the subject determines the pose, the photographer has to see it.

Another good reference is "Monty Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook".

 

[nas-matko]

Another good reference is "Monty Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook".

Yes, you recommended this book in my previous topics and I was lucky to find it on line in pdf, also very good reading. I realize now that posing is almost science... Its so much to learn about lighting, posing, post production, color harmony etc. etc. that I feel like its almost impossible to be a good photographer if its just a hobby.

 

[cgw]

With respect, Zucker's "look" now seems dated despite its fundamentals. That taxidermic approach leaves me cold in 2025. Shop around.

Winners: Portrait Awards 2024 – Dodho

Portrait features in Aperture are also worth a look.