Today’s Post by Joe Farace
It’s been my experience when working with a new model, even when photographing a professional, it takes time for them to become comfortable working with the photographer. Even though the images Pam and I made on our first shoot were quite good, I believe any really great photographic relationship takes time.
The image at right was created on our ninth shoot together and was almost one year after our initial one. I remember the exact second that I clicked the shutter on this photograph as if it were yesterday: It was the same moment when I realized that every one of the images we were making that day would be and were great! And that trend of excellence continued over the next several years that Pam and I worked together.
How I made this portrait: Film noir is usually thought of as a black and white medium but I challenge that assumption as Alfred Hitchcock’s film Vertigo literally explodes with color. For this portrait, two Westcott Daylight fluorescent D5’s were placed on either side of Pam, as seen above right. Pam was photographed with a Panasonic Lumix GH4 and Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 lens. Exposure was 1/100 sec at f/4 and ISO 640.
To echo the vibrant Technicolor used in Vertigo, I used Exposure Software’s Exposure plug-in with the 2-Strip Technicolor preset. A light touch of Color Efex’s Glamour Glow filter was used to mimic the soft focus often used in movie still images of that era.
This image, I feel, captures the essence of a beautiful, uniquely stylish woman who is strong, confident in who she is as a modern woman and is in total control of her craft as a model. There were other interesting and impressive images that we created later on but this one remains in my mind as the first time we made photographic magic. I hope she agrees that this portrait captures her essence.
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If you’re interested in shooting portraits and how I use cameras, lenses and lighting in my in-home studio, you can pick up a used copy of Studio Lighting Anywhere from Amazon.com for around thirty-three bucks, as I write this. The Kindle version is $19.99 for those preferring a digital format.