- almost kiss
- Back lit
- calm
- Center Framed
- Close up
- Colorful
- Colorful Light
- Dark
- Harsh Light
- Indoor
- intimate
- Intimate Framing
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I told them before that this was going to be an intimate scene where I’d want them to almost not kiss, as to display the tension right before a kiss. I usually tell my couples to stop just before their lips touch and try not to make a duckface while doing so :) I let them pause a few seconds – plenty of time for me to get the shot and then finally let them kiss.
What did you say?
Guys, I want you to go in for an “almost kiss”. Get real close and just before you’d make contact, stop.
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I really wanted to put the side of their faces into shadow – showing them as silhouettes and have the contours of their faces be leading lines for the eye to follow. Naturally I placed them in the middle of the frame and wanted for the light behind them to line up with her eyes. I was also very close with my lens to be able to replicate more of that intimacy.
Compositional Rules
None / Simple
framing
Center FramedClose UpIntimate Framing
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I focused on their mouths in continuous autofocus mode (as 99,9% of my shots). The Sony A7iii handles these kind of backlit situations like a pro usually.
Focus Mode
Single Shot
Focus POints
Single Focus Point
Focused on
mouth
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/250 @ f/2.5 ISO1000 WB-5500K
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
I had two of the Pavotube 30C and placed one right behind them and set it to orange – it’s visible in the final shot and backlights the couple. I also used a 1/4 black pro mist in front of my lens to diffuse the light and make it “bleed” over the silhouette edges and give it a bit of a vintage look. I also filled the room with haze from a hazer that I brought with me so the light would diffuse even more and create more depth in the image. The second tube I placed above them and set it to a blueish/turquoise color but only as a fill light to fill in the shadows a bit and to create a complimentary color to the orange backlight.
Light Type
Artificial LightFlash
Light Quality
Harsh,Backlit
Time of day
Night
Weather
Indoor
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I used the Yosemite pack from Anni Graham and modified it to my liking. I usually apply the preset and use that as a base for editing. The original photo was shot at a way too warm white balance so I brought it down to 4500K from around 5500K and also shifted the hue from -4 (green) to +70 (magenta) in Lightroom. I brought up the exposure by about one stop since I underexposed the photo in the beginning. I also added a gradient from the bottom to the middle of the image and brought down the exposure + added blur on top to draw more attention to the middle of the image.
Editing Software
Preset Used
Anni Graham Yosemite Pack
Challenges
It took me a while to find a good balance between how much saturation the colors of the light should have as to not look to trashy. To find the right amount of intensity and so forth took a few minutes. What helped me was to communicate that before I actually tried to dial everything in – that way the couple knew that they could just relax a few minutes while I experimented with the lighting.
Solutions
If this is not communicated before it can lead to awkward situations where the couple might think that they are the problem and it takes away from the good vibes of the shoot. I try to communicate as much as possible what I’m about to do so there is no second guessing :)
Location
Location Name
Home
Location aDDRESS
Austria
Loation Type
Private Home / AirBnB / Apartment
Country
Austria
I learned how to use complimentary colors in a way that I did not before – it was also the first time where I used haze and all I can say is that it helps not to have any windows or doors open since it would be gone again in a minute or two. I openly communicated that the last few shots were going to be experimental and that it might or might not work out. This put their and my expectations at a healthy level and gave me also the room to take more than a few minutes to set everything up and just be playful about it. It also took away the pressure from the couple since they knew that this is either going to work out really well or just turn really shit and they just won’t see the photos ;)
