In this photo, you can see Marta prancing around in the gorgeous location of Roztoka Castle. The main idea was to capture the ethereality and lightness of the silk dress. We asked our model to run with grace to catch some air with layers of silk in her hands and we agreed that on command she will turn around. We wanted to catch her doing that specifically in the middle of the beam of light from one of the windows in the hall. We often show our models what we exactly want to achieve ourselves. Looks funny but works and releases the tension if our model is inexperienced.
We want you to run towards those doors and when I say “turn” I want you to turn around while still running. You can grab some of the dress so you don’t fall by accident.
Center composition is very powerful. We love how it grabs the attention of the viewer, especially when amplified by perspective lines. What’s interesting to us here is that the model is moving towards the light which is slightly off the center of the frame. We think it enhances the feeling of tension. The movement of the silk was crucial.
Center Framed
Picking the center single point continuous autofocus was the safest and most reliable choice. In shots like this we often follow our model and run with them too. It gives the photo that genuine feel but makes it tricky to execute, so it is good to practice that.
Continuous Autofocus
Single Point
Model's back
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 only light we used was natural light pouring in from the open doors on the left and a bit from the window directly ahead of our subject. Since it was a rainy and overcast day in November, the light was even softer than usual. This directional light works perfectly here as it adds dimensions to our subject and highlights the movement of her dress as she moved through the light.
Natural Light
Indoor
Very simple. Our Lit By Film Color preset was applied. We corrected the White Balance to warm everything up a bit. Then we used a brush tool to darken the bottom and left side of the photo to make the dress pop. Then we used a spot healing brush to remove the plate from a door and an electrical outlet from a wall. We also corrected the perspective with the auto-perspective tool within Lightroom.
It was back in November so there was a short time of daylight to work with and it was freaking freezing. The Castle, even though beautiful, had no working heating installation yet at that spot.
We had to take many breaks during which our model was warming up near an electric radiator in the make-up room. We used that time to scout the location and pick our next shooting spot.
Roztoka Castle
ul. Zamkowa 3, 58-173 Roztoka
Castle
Poland
We consulted our vision with the designer many weeks before the photoshoot. We created a mood board and shared inspirations to make sure that we are on the same page. After all, it’s all about the client’s satisfaction. Yes, Natalia is our friend but we still wanted to be professionals and make the whole process as professional as we can.
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