- calm
- lower thirds
- Warm
- sunny
- Soft Light
- Shade
- Posed
- nude
- Natural Light
- lesbian
- canyon
- holding each other
- Girls
- gay
- full body
- Facing Away
- cliffs
- Center Framed
- Wide
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I told them to face away, lean into one another and wrap their arms around one another,we tried a couple variations and got to this one that just looked so natural and peaceful. I also told them to rest their heads into one another to make it more relaxed.
What did you say?
Walk up to that little rock and stand together side by side facing away from me, then wrap your arms together. We might need to do a couple little variations until we find the right one. Hold that, and then melt your heads into one another and just relax.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I wanted them to blend in with the landscape as much as I could, so I cropped them from the booties up so their legs weren’t distracting lines. Centering them on the bottom of the frame allowed me to capture more of the desert formations and the dark walls helped to center them with the ombre’d dirt.
framing
Lower Thirds
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I locked in focus on them on my center point (I don’t back button focus, I just always keep the single point centered) and then repositioned my camera to frame and compose the way I wanted while keeping focus.
Focus Mode
Single Shot Autofocus
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
their backs
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/1250 @ f/2.5 ISO400 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
The couple stood in a small shaded crack between two walls, but the sun was still towards my back which helped create a lot of depth in the details of the shaded areas which helped it not appear so flat.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Sunny
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I edited with my Honey preset, mostly adjusting the white highlights to maintain detail in the blown-out section at the top of the image and adjusting split tones to keep skin tones and desert dirt from turning too orange/yellow/red and keeping it as natural as possible while keeping the image warm using brown tones. I also used my photoshop actions “base curve booster” and “gentle curve booster” on the edited JPEG afterward to create a little more contrast and softness in the highlights, as well as pulling any leftover yellow tones I didn’t catch my first go-round editing in lightroom.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Challenges
I didnt want to lose detail in highlights or shadows even though it was really contrasted to begin with.
Solutions
I set my exposure so the highlights of the couple’s skin still had lots of detail and made sure to pull highlights back in post so the detail in the blown out portion up top wasn’t completely lost.
Location
Location Name
BLM Land, Utah Desert
Location aDDRESS
Desert Utah 84525 USA
Loation Type
Desert
Country
United States
Always pull inspiration from your clients! I would have never attempted such a raw set up the image with anyone else besides these two in their special place where they feel the most comfortable and free. Have conversations with them beforehand so you can draw inspiration for their session from their stories.
