Slowed a little bit by my recovery, it’s taken a while to get back into the swing of things photographically speaking.
I needed some full length images (of myself) for social media purposes. Having recently re-read Greg Heisler’s 50 Portraits, I liked the look of backgrounds showing the floor (so no cyc or seamless – or at least no background sweep). I liked what it did to the image visually. It also screams “photography background,” which is what I wanted. A little honesty, perhaps.
I have some half rolls, and decided to drag out a couple – especially this orange one that I used once before (for a people shot). Ah, memories.
I had purchased my first studio light – an Alien Bees ringflash, the ABR800 – and grabbed Natalie for some test shots. Note the distinctive shadow behind and the shadowless rendering of the light on her. The pose is also quintessential Natalie.
I don’t use the ringflash much anymore, but for some reason that piece of seamless called to me and well …
Shot with 3 lights. The mid-sized parabolic is my go-to now for images such as this. Coupled with a pair of rim lights (strips) it is predictable, forgiving, and adds just the right balance of punch vs. softness, especially for portraits of men. I chose not to light the background and let the parabolic do its thing there, too. Simple.
It’s often important to show what you look like body-wise. Good photography can make quite an impact on social medial sites. It is more effective when you combine a headshot with full-body images.