August 2011 Photography Competition - Entries
Discussion
andy-xr said:
Wow!! Thanks Rob!!! I wasn't expecting to win and hadn't checked the thread til just now!!
@DD - I can't say why Rob judged it the way he did, but maybe if I tell you why I shot it like that then it might help? The subject has the ability to look a bit scary in an Eastern European skulky fashion model way when her chin is down, her facial features lend her to that sort of look and it's something I'd noticed about her when shooting just normal portraits.
I fancied doing something that added a ghostly or unnerving element to what could be a regular portrait, so added two things. One was a micro fibre chair stood on it's end, literally millimetres from the lens (I think it's an 85mm but can't be sure off the top of my head). Thats what the black lines are. The second was using a longer-than-whats-standard-for-the-studio shutter speed, but using studio flash to freeze her.
I'd lit her deliberately from one side knowing I had fill from the other already and the exposure would be there or thereabouts at the aperture I was shooting at. When the shutter opened I moved left and right with the camera to get the blur, ending up focused on her for when the flash fired, I think it was a 1 second exposure, so that gave me enough time to 'ghost' her on both her left and right sides. The downside was that in moving left I'd run into a knot on the chair seat I was shooting through, so thats why there's a bit more black on the left, as if her body's been separated. I kinda liked it like that though so left it as is
Ultimately it was more interesting to me to play around than just shoot 1/125th, which would be typical studio shutter speeds
Er wow! Brilliant explanation Andy and it's all very clear to me now. Congratulations! @DD - I can't say why Rob judged it the way he did, but maybe if I tell you why I shot it like that then it might help? The subject has the ability to look a bit scary in an Eastern European skulky fashion model way when her chin is down, her facial features lend her to that sort of look and it's something I'd noticed about her when shooting just normal portraits.
I fancied doing something that added a ghostly or unnerving element to what could be a regular portrait, so added two things. One was a micro fibre chair stood on it's end, literally millimetres from the lens (I think it's an 85mm but can't be sure off the top of my head). Thats what the black lines are. The second was using a longer-than-whats-standard-for-the-studio shutter speed, but using studio flash to freeze her.
I'd lit her deliberately from one side knowing I had fill from the other already and the exposure would be there or thereabouts at the aperture I was shooting at. When the shutter opened I moved left and right with the camera to get the blur, ending up focused on her for when the flash fired, I think it was a 1 second exposure, so that gave me enough time to 'ghost' her on both her left and right sides. The downside was that in moving left I'd run into a knot on the chair seat I was shooting through, so thats why there's a bit more black on the left, as if her body's been separated. I kinda liked it like that though so left it as is
Ultimately it was more interesting to me to play around than just shoot 1/125th, which would be typical studio shutter speeds
I would have put McMacro's bubble first but that probably just reflects the fact that I am not qualified to judge a photography competition as I had no idea of what you did to produce your shot
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