HOW i SHOT THiS

  • black & white
  • Relaxed
  • top down
  • Thermal Springs
  • Thermal
  • Swim
  • Square Crop
  • Soft Light
  • Outdoor
  • calm
  • nude
  • Leaning on each other
  • intimate
  • Hot Spring
  • High Angle
  • Head on shoulders
  • Close up
  • Water

The story behind the image

Show more
I found inspiration in the film ‘Cold War’ from Director Pawel Pawlikowski, which I watched a few days before the photoshoot. The biggest challenge on the set was that everything happened in February when the temperature was below zero. It was very easy to work with people who love each other and who enjoy their love. Tajana and Đole are my perfect clients if someone asks me.
Show more

Directions

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

I didn’t have to talk much on the set because the clients knew exactly what they wanted. There was no hesitation. I asked my couple to lean back then I told him (he was much taller than her) to put his head on her shoulder. I was in a position above them with the camera.

Show more
What did you say?

Lean back to back. You [Guy] now lightly put your head on her shoulder and close your eyes

Show more
Tone of Directions

Calm

Composition

Since my couple was in such a position where their heads were facing upwards, I wanted to find a composition where I could capture their emotions. That’s how I found myself above them with the camera pointed down. I shot this with a 35mm and later cropped the image to a square format as I felt it just balanced everything out. We have a few lines in the composition too (if you look closely); the one follows from the breasts of the girl and the other of the pecs of the man. These lines create a form of symmetry and balance and help to direct the viewer’s attention to their emotional faces.

Show more
framing

Center Framed

Focusing

Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)

I chose to focus on the guys’ eyes. Since both their eyes are roughly at the same distance from me, and on the same focal plane, there was no problem keeping them both in focus. By shooting with a wide aperture, I was also able to blur out the breasts into the background.

Show more
Focus Mode

Single Shot Autofocus

Focus POints

Single Point

Focused on

The Guys' eyes

Equipment &
Exif

Camera
Nikon D750
Lens
Sigma Art 35mm f/1.4
Flash
None
Filter
None
1/200 @ f/2.2 ISO100 WB-6200K

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 used natural light for this shot as the light was very soft and diffused due to the clouds. I knew that if I wanted to have the best light (to have a bit of highlights & shadows) I had to have them face upwards towards where the light was coming from. This created highlights on their face with a soft shadow that fell down on their sides.

Show more
Light Type

Natural Light

Weather

Cloudy

Editing Workflow

How did you edit this image?

I edited this shot in Lightroom and converted it into Black & White. I wanted to have the feeling of nostalgia that you often get when looking at film photos, so i edited it to keep the whites from blowing out and the blacks from being too harsh. I then added in quite a lot of grain to really give it a texture. Finally, I created a manual vignette with the radial brush to have even more control over where the darkened edges were happening.

Show more
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Preset Used
Own personal Presets

Challenges

The biggest challenge on the set was that everything happened in February when the temperature was below zero. Fortunately, these are thermal hot waters, so the clients agreed to the challenge.

Show more

Solutions

I try to talk as little as possible so that they can sink into that “wave of love”.

Show more

Location

Location Name

Plaža Vrućica

Location aDDRESS

Srpske Toplice Banja Luka 78000 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Loation Type

Hot Spring

Country

Bosnia Herzegovina

Use natural light and do not be afraid of shadows because they are an integral part of good photography.

Read More

Login to your account

Oh no :(

This content has been marked as Premium and requires an active subscription in order to access it. We’re so sorry about that. But hey, here’s what you can do:

Join the
family

Get access to everything on the site as well as a ton of perks & benefits.

Have an account?

Well then, let’s get you logged in and hide this annoying thingy-ma-jig.