Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?–Frida Kahlo
Each year from September 15 to October 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of those American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
This observation began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson as Hispanic Heritage Week. It was expanded in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan to a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15 and was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. September 15 is a significant date because it’s the anniversary of independence for the Latin American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile who celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Columbus Day or El Día de la Raza, which is October 12, also falls within this 30 day period.
In the Studio
In my little corner of the Internet I want to use this time to highlight some of the wonderful Hispanic models that I’ve photographed over the years, beginning today with Safina.
She is a multi-talented woman and as an artist, writer or model she excels at all of these roles. I was constantly surprised by the many skills and interests this fabulous woman was involved in and she bought all of that talent to bear during our sessions together. I only photographed Safina twice and today’s featured image is from our second session and in it she exudes a deliciously retro vibe that expresses one of the many sides her unique personality.
How I made this portrait: Lighting was provided by using Nikon SB800 speedlights mounted inside a FourSquare FSK48 48-inch softbox that was placed at camera left. You can see the exact lighting setup above right. The soft box may be large but its only 20-inches deep allowing it to be used in tight spaces like my 11×15-foot home studio. For location work, it knocks down to just 20-inches long, slipping easily into the pouch included with the kit. My friend Cliff Lawson and I shot in my home studio using the 48-inch Softbox in several configurations, some with only the front diffuser (more light, less diffusion) and both inner and outer diffuser (less light, more diffusion.) We shot various versions of this portrait using four sppedlights, then three, then trying two speedlights before ending up with using only one SB-800 set at one-quarter power that was used to produce the image at left.
The background was one of Silverlake Photo Accessories’ Colorsmacks backdrops, in a more classic style, that was clipped to my JTL background stands. The camera used was a Canon EOS 60D with with a Lenbaby Velvet 56mm lens with an exposure of 1/100 sec at f/8 and ISO 100.
My book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is full of tips, tools and techniques for glamour and boudoir photography and includes information on all of the cameras and lenses used as well as the complete exposure data for each image. Used copies are available from Amazon for $45.08, as I write this. The Kindle version is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.