Discoveries Pt 1

The photographic process of rapport, communication and discovery never ceases to amaze me. Take for instance, this wonderful girl on my left, who I met at a University of Sydney Photosoc event in passing, and did not have time to chat with as it was much too difficult to go around the room making portraits of everyone. I simply didn't have enough time. However the shoot almost didn't happen and panic ensued.

Find out about the remedy to both after the jump...

Maddie is a student, costume society member, general all round geek (do you want to see her pokemans?) and an incredibly bright and bubbly person. Just don't ask to play L4D2 with her, or you're in for some serious gamer rage.
After some deliberation I pitched the the concept to her of the classic, "girl in a guy's shirt" look but minus all the seedy that you can possibly obtain on flickr or elsewhere. It was a no-brainer that we would be placing our own spin on the concept of course.

The day started incredibly badly - I had packed everything EXCEPT the CF card. It was mass panic for a considerable amount of time until I remembered that third party capture software for remote tethering existed. A download later and with three USB cables daisy chained to the camera and we were on our way to shooting.

When it comes to lighting these days I am more apt to shoot with a more flexible approach - I would much rather spend time talking and looking behind the lens than adjusting the exact direction of the lighting. So, for the first time ever, I decided to try double diffusion - firing a speedlight through an umbrella and into the ceiling to create a base level of lighting, and then accenting with a second bounced light off the wall, camera left.

What this did was give me an incredibly large area of lighting - I had a ceiling and a wall lit, which mean that we could be entirely flexible in our arrangements and positions and still be ensured consistent even lighting.

Because the wall light was closer to Maddie, that became the key light. A small filter in post later and a partial Dave Hill look is achieved. Just because. The solution could not be simpler - the stage is there and all that's left is for the subject matter to work her magic in the photo.

And to prove I can shoot without post, here is another form of double diffusion - the shoot through into a veil above her head, simulating a bedsheet. Notice the incredibly soft twice diffused light, as the veil is now the apparent lightsource. As with physics, reduce distance meant less power, and you can see practically no shadows. In this case, the actual white bedsheet acted as a reflector for fill onto what would be the otherwise dark side of her face.


A successful first on three counts. The skill, the gear and the girl. If only everything would come together this often...

p.s.

Her boyfriend dropped by. How could I resist a quick couple in love portrait? Here the lighting flexibility is demonstrated - coverage is even even though the couples have moved a meter and a bit to the other side of the bed.