I asked the couple to lie down in the spot of light on the floor, cheek to cheek, close their eyes and enjoy the moment (breath in and out deeply, with help from music).
“Lie on the floor in the ‘window light’, cheek to cheek, close your eyes, take your hand and place it on your partner’s face/head, listen to the calm music, take deep breaths in and out and let yourself go for one little moment”.
Quiet, Calm
Photographed from an overhead angle, the couple was positioned to be in the play of light, deliberately using f/9 to “black out” the shadows completely (focus to be on the couple, the play of light, and emotions). Having this top-down perspective, it not only creates interest in the series but also helps to accentuate the leading lines created by the harsh shadows.
Broken RulesLeading Lines
Center FramedMiddle ThirdsClose UpIntimate FramingTop down
I used Autofocus in the Live View Mode with the folding display (since I’m short and held the camera up to have more distance between them) and also had to make sure that my feet are not in the picture.
It was difficult to make the decision from which angle and with which composition I photographed but ultimately I decided that the two should be framed diagonally in the image as it just felt more balanced.
Live View Single Shot
Single Point
Her eyes
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.
The room was dark and the couple was only illuminated by direct sunlight.
The closed aperture creates the strong contrasts I wanted to achieve, in order to fully focus on the couple, the pose and the emotions through the play of light.
As I had them lie in the spot of light on the ground, I purposely then exposed for the light as to create these contrasts mentioned just above. Here, the light plays one of the biggest roles in the entire image.
Natural LightWindow Lighting
Harsh,Directional
Afternoon
Indoor
I use my presets, which I usually only have to adjust for temperature, brightness, and blacks. I added grain and added sharpening as an adjustment. I use Adobe Lightroom Classic for all my photo editing.
Finding the right angle for taking photos so that the image composition remains exciting. Any other angle and the image no longer has the impact I was trying to achieve.
I tried different perspectives, completely shading the couple, I also shot wide open, but it didn’t look as “on point” as I had imagined.
I tried different perspectives, completely shading the couple, I also shot wide open, but I didn’t like it until they were in the light and I chose the perspective and settings as used in the picture. Sometimes you just have to try different settings until you create the WOW effect and that’s totally fine.
Old House
Nümbrecht, Germany
Old House
Germany
Learn to work in direct sunlight to become freer in your work. A closed aperture is not always “old-fashioned”, but allows you many options during the day in strong sunlight.
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