HOW i SHOT THiS

vintage love story
  • Artificial Light
  • calm
  • Colorful Light
  • Dark
  • gentle
  • Indoor
  • lower thirds
  • lying down
  • Moody
  • Rule of thirds
  • simple
  • Wide

The story behind the image

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The people that you can see in the picture are my favorite filmmakers. They asked me to take branding photos of them. They wanted me to take pictures wich showed who their really are, what they do, the way they live, so pictures that really reflect their old movie souls. We’ve looked through hundreds of vintage magazine covers, we scoured boards on Pintereset and we’ve watched several vintage movies to find some inspiraction for this shoot.

I wanted to create this feeling of cinema, through the use of light, the atmosphere, and even their actions. Having them do something that also tells a story and begs the viewer to ask questions.
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Directions

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

Since I had a big bond with the couple, I did not have to give them any special instructions. Something that I always ask them is to be close and in constant motion – that they keep touching each other. I always say that the most important thing is their comfort! For this shot, I simply had them lay on the floor and find a comfortable position – even one that they’ve found themselves in before.

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What did you say?

Guys, lets get you close to each other and lie on the floor. I want you (girl) to read the magazine while you (guy), lay with your head on her back. And just imagine you were hanging out with each other.

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Tone of Directions

Calm

vintage love story

Composition

When it comes to composition, we have a beautiful golden ratio here. The viewer is focused on the girl’s face. In addition, the photo is taken from a higher angle to emphasize the intimacy of the situation and make the characters seem smaller, vulnerable – which enhances their at-home relaxation and comfort.

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framing

Lower Thirds

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

People are the most important in this photo. That’s why I really wanted the face of the girl and her fiancé to emerge from the foreground. I moved the focus point over the girls face and since i had enough light on her, i had no issues locking the focus.

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Focus Mode

Single Shot

Focus POints

Single Focus Point

Focused on

The girls face

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Canon R6
Lens
Canon 35 mm f/1.4 L
Flash
None
Filter
None
1/100 @ f/4.0 ISO3200 WB-5800K

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

In this photo, I use three light sources. Two lamps which are a natural decoration of the room, and one lamp placed outside the window. I rarely work with artificial light so it was a really big challenge! Especially with matching the color temperature of all three lights. It seems to me that increasing the lighting power or placing a softbox to make it brighter will spoil the whole atmosphere of the photo.

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Light Type

Artificial Light

Time of day

Sunrise

Weather

Indoor

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

I always try to find naturalness in editing. I often compare the edited photo with the raw one. I check if the skin tones are perfect and if there are no unnatural colors somewhere. Moreover, I always try to check if the lights and shadows look the same as in the raw photo – I do not brighten up additional parts – I let this secret be kept. The basis of good editing is a good raw photo, the edition process should never be treated as saving a bad photo. I use my own preset.

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Editing Software
Preset Used
own custom preset

Challenges

I was most afraid that I would not be able to catch the beauty of this delicate, romantic, and definitely mysterious light. The use of artificial light, a lot of smoke, and the lack of daylight terrified me. But the most beautiful things are always the ones that scare us the most!

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Solutions

I overcame this fear, realizing that I love every kind of light and that I can handle every kind of light, I just have to think carefully about what exactly I expect from a photo

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Location

Location Name

"Studio Rzeka"

Location aDDRESS

ul. Długa 8/14 m. 4 00-238 Warszawa

Loation Type

Private Home / AirBnB / Apartment

Country

Poland

Always take on challenging projects, only they will really develop you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with light, find your dream couple, and go for it! This is the only way to learn new things!

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