Using window light in different ways

Recently, I had a fun filled lifestyle campaign photography shoot. The location was a very large space with many windows, without any window treatments. The indoor lighting was daylight balanced and a skylight provided additional lighting. One area in the very large space, had window sills that were large enough for anyone to sit on, near a window. I decided to use this area for a portion of photography content. The sunlight coming through the window provided enough light for me to capture my subject at a reasonable ISO and lens opening. I used the sunlight in different ways, to provide choices to the client.

The first set up, I had the subject sitting on the windowsill without any direct sunlight on her at all. I used the white wall as a background and also as a fill light. The warmth of the sunlight provided a soothing skin tone, with small highlights on her cheeks and nose.

I had the subject move slightly closer to the window. I positioned her just at the point where the sunlight highlights were on the top of her head, along her arm and hair. Her arm is slightly blown out in the highlights, which could have been changed with repositioning the subject slightly to her left.

I moved the subject to the edge of the wall, closer to the window. The highlight on her face is edgy but I like how different it is. The highlight on her arm is pretty blown out which could be fixed in post retouching.

For the last setup, I moved the subject's head and body to be more face on with me. She has slight highlights on her face and the book's cover has enough light to read the text. For this series, I made sure there was enough room on the rightsize for adding graphics, text or removing the building's exterior. Playing around with sunlight can be exciting and trying new setups will keep your photography work fresh and exciting!

All images ©LisaRamsay 2019 

Beauty Photography 101

I love all things related to beauty:skincare, makeup, hair styles and nutrition! When I get ready to photograph a beauty shoot, I ask myself what is the most element I want to feature? who is my audience? and what are the trends that are happening in the editorial, advertising and fashion world?

Once you have your idea or concept that you want to highlight or focus on, you have to select your team and your model (s). A recent beauty photography shoot I captured, I wanted three models of different ethnicities, facial features and personalities. I was very lucky to have three models from State Model Management, NY. I thought it was important to select a model that has experience, can evoke a mood or inner light and works well with others. I would look at their portfolios the modeling agency emailed to me, very carefully. Did each girl have good skin? Did each girl know how to use their face and body in their modeling work? How would they "look" when photographed together?
The creative team and I wanted to showcase clean beauty and spring makeup looks that were fun and playful. I wanted to use lighting for some of the images that was dramatic while also using simple, gorgeous light for a majority of the work.

Talking with your model before shooting helps with your intimate experience of beauty photography. Photographers get close, the model generally does not wear a lot of clothing and the model is really exposing her inner self to you. It's important to have your model connect with you, have life behind their eyes and create a visual dialogue with you. I love these beauty images! They could be used for a lingerie advertisement, skincare, makeup or anything else. Having that diverse potential usage, is very important. You also want to have images the modeling agency can use without a ton of makeup.

Leading the team to change makeup and hair is a key element to a successful photography shoot. Displaying examples of poses help your models project for you. Try different versions of your favorite pose. Dramatic lighting adds an painting element to this image. I wanted to add seduction to our spring makeup looks. It is important to instruct your model to turn their heads in a way that is flattering and showcases your beauty story.  Try photographing a beauty story this summer. Use different lighting and poses to express yourself. ©LisaRamsay all images copyrighted.

Give Yourself Self Assignments and Have Some Fun!

Give yourself Self Assignments. What do I mean by that? Photograph a subject, event or genre that you usually do not photograph on a regular basis. The point of this blog post is to encourage you to put yourself in situations that you are not used to and flex some creative muscles, and have some fun!

I think as creatives, it is important to challenge yourself or flex some skills you may not use on a regular basis.

I know I can get very busy with all aspects of running my business. I have a number of subjects I photograph regularly. I look to improve each photography shoot with different angles, lighting set up and point of view. But there are times where I decide to give myself a self assignment to photograph a short story or subject matter I do not usually do on a regular basis. Some photographers create projects that can go for a few months, even a few years. My idea for a self assignment is a bit shorter.
I try to plan a self assignment once a month. Whether it is a magazine submission, portfolio refresher, a potential art show submission, or working out a concept or idea. What time frame that works for you is a starter in this process. Writing down ideas you want to explore, a concept or a cause you are passionate about. Creating an outline will help you before picking up your camera or cellphone. I sometimes journal, read books or watch movies to let my creative side of my brain to think about my ideas and concepts. Walks in nature, viewing gallery shows or exercising also works to point my concepts in a clearer vision. Now these things work for me. You may have an activity or relaxing method that works for you.

 I do use my cellphone for some projects as a way to work out ideas I may have or to make note of colors, textures or locations I may want to use later. For editorial submissions, I create a concept board to outline my idea, inspiration and reference images for the creative team. For portfolio refresher, I may have one to two ideas I want to do at an session and really explore those specific ideas. If I want to submit to an art or gallery show, my process takes a little longer to do this. I find that art projects can take longer to explore, change and come together to create a cohesive collection of works. Art show photography needs to tell a story in 10-12 images, with a number of alternate images to have on hand in case a curator asks for more images to view.

For this beauty editorial, I had reference images to send to the creative team. We looked at all reference images before getting started with any hair or makeup. Once we were all on the same page, we dived in to create our beauty fantasy, with hair styles, makeup and lots of fun poses.
Until next time! ©LisaRamsay