- Back lit
- calm
- Close up
- Directional Light
- gentle
- Hand touching
- Indoor
- intimate
- Intimate Framing
- Leading lines
- lying down
- Natural
- Natural Light
- Rule of thirds
- Soft Light
- Window Light
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I always play sensual music during my indoor shoots so that the couple can totally relax and fall into the flow of the music. I explained this to the workshop students too. For this picture, I asked the woman to gently stroke her partner’s beard or chin with her hand, close her eyes and enjoy the moment.
What did you say?
I want you to gently stroke his beard with your hand. Or even his chin. Just close your eyes, forget everything and enjoy the moment.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I wanted to capture a very intimate frame for this shot and I purposely chose to cut most of the guy out. It just brings the viewers closer to the moment which makes everything feel a lot more intimate. I did, however, keep a bit of his nose, cheek, and chin in frame which also formed a sort of triangle – leading towards the girl. This shot wouldn’t have had the same effect if I shot it wider.
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I focused on her nose in the picture and deliberately chose an aperture of 2.8 so that the picture would not be too soft and you would not know what to focus on in the picture. Since her eyes were closed, I saw no need to focus on her eyes. I chose Live View mode so that I could show my student directly what the image would look like if you got close enough.
Focus Mode
Live View Single Shot
Focus POints
Single Point
Focused on
Her Nose
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/250 @ f/2,8 ISO640 WB-6050K
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 was lying on a bed, the woman with her back to the window, through which we got by with available light on a bright, sunny day. (There was no direct sunlight, however). The window was large and the room painted white, which was perfect to brighten couple enough. The light from behind provides contrast and light-shadow play through the contours on the face, which makes the whole picture even more interesting than if the couple had been completely lit directly.
Light Type
Natural Light
Weather
Indoor
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I use my presets, which I usually only have to adjust for temperature, brightness, and blacks. I cloned away a couple of skin imperfections, softened the skin, and added sharpening as an adjustment. I use Adobe Lightroom Classic for all my photo editing.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Own Personal Presets
Challenges
The only challenge was finding the right angle, since I was shooting down from an angle. As soon as the angle is not right, the image composition no longer works.
Solutions
I take several photos and change my angle only very slightly.
Location
Location Name
Nümbrecht
Location aDDRESS
Nümbrecht
Loation Type
Old House
Country
Germany
Learn the rules and break them.
