Thinking back on the assignments we have completed over the last ten weeks, my favorite one was taking portraits. For my final project, I will compile ten people, varying from young to old. I will be using lighting and expression to convey a variety of moods.
The rawness of human faces is something that I have always found so beautiful to photograph, so I decided to combine that with some of the people I hold close to my heart. Using a blank white background, colored lights, natural lighting, and bright lamps, I want to convey many moods by having my models make different facial expressions. I want to use little to no props, making their facial features the main subject. Adding a hand or two can enhance the emotion I want to represent. The models will have free reign to do their hair and makeup however they want (if desired) but are told to wear a black T-shirt with no print.
I took into consideration my schedule and the access I have, which led me to decide to take the pictures in my house and use my family and friends as my models. I want to use a combination of different lighting, so I plan on shooting during the day while the sun is out and while the sun is setting to get warm-toned natural lighting. I also plan on shooting at night while using LED lights to make the room a different color and bright lamps to create a shadow.
For the shoot, I plan on using a DSLR camera and my phone to see which gives the best results. When using the camera, I will experiment with the ISO, the shutter speed, and the aperture to play with the lighting. The models will have their faces at different angles, such as front, 3/4, and side profiles, and I will also be moving around. Going closer to fill the frame, shooting right below the chest
Take a look at the work of Mamadi Doumbouya:
https://www.mamadi.co/
This is however studio work so let’s think about how you can create similar effects with simpler means. You may want to invest in some gels. You can use them even with a desk lamp. And use window light. It can give such great results.
And if you want to get great color maybe ask the models to wear a white tee-shirt that you can bounce color onto.
If you are going to shoot at night, remember you do need a source of light. Keep the shutter speed over 1/60 and raise the ISO.
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