Today’s Post by Joe Farace
Yesterday I took a look at the Top Post listings and sonofagun portrait, glamour and boudoir posts were back in the majority. Yet, for some reason, my continuing series of images of the O’Brien Park gazebo is number one.
You might be interested in trying glamour photography but think it’s difficult requiring lots of expensive equipment but the truth is that all you really need is a camera, some lights and a subject. I’ve covered the topic of “Where to Find Glamour Models” in this post and with another follow-up here and based on some recent e-mails, I’m not done with this subject. Maybe next week?
I’ve been using Micro Four-thirds cameras for all my studio portraits since my friend Mark Toal introduced me to the Panasonic Lumix system several years ago, although I’ve now also embraced Olympus cameras and lenses and use a mix-and-match approach for my mirrorless photography.
During a portrait session the real advantage of using a Micro Four-thirds camera, or any mirrorless camera for that matter, with their electronic viewfinder, becomes immediately apparent. When you click the shutter, the image you just made is immediately visible in the viewfinder. You don’t have to remove the camera from your eye and “chimp.” You see the photograph right away, which means you can make refinements in the subject’s pose, lightning or exposure faster, all of which makes the shoot go smoother.
How I made this shot: Most boudoir photography is shot as environmental portraiture but I still get requests from women who prefer to shoot in studio, if only for privacy reasons. When shooting boudoir or intimate portraits I also prefer working in monochrome to produce a more quietly, pensive look.
At a risk of sending our younger readers rushing off to IMDB, Pamela Simpson’s chameleon-like performance in front of my camera gave off a distinct Jean Harlow-vibe. The portrait was shot with a Panasonic Lumix GH4 and Leica DG Macro-Elmariy 45mm f/2.8 lens with an exposure of 1/30 sec at f/4 and ISO 640. Lighting for the portrait was provided by Westcott’s (now discontinued) Two-Light Daylight D5 Softbox Kit. For this shot of Ms Simpson, I placed the main light at camera right with the second light behind the subject. Backdrop is a Savage Infinity vinyl Black backdrop.
The original RAW file was retouched in Imagenomics’ Portraiture before being lightly enhanced with Color Efex Pro. It was layered with the Glamour Glow filter to mimic the soft focus often used in movie glamour images of that era.
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My book Joe Farace’s Glamour Photography is full of tips, tools and techniques for glamour and boudoir photography with new copies available from Amazon for $32.04. Used copies are starting at the hard-to-beat price price of around nice bucks as I write this. The Kindle version is $11.99 for those who prefer a digital format.