- Adobe Lightroom CC
- holding hands
- Single Focus Point
- Overcast
- off center
- Nikon D750
- Natural Light
- Lake
- Intimate Framing
- Hand movements
- AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G
- Funny
- Excited
- Continuous
- Close up
- Autofocus
- Austria
- afternoon
- soft
The story behind the image
During our Zoom Call we ended up choosing a location that is near to their home. It was a little lake and therefore a new location for me, since I never was there or had a lake-photoshoot before.
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
The photo itself looks like silence, but my direction was actually excited and funny! While they played a game and answered my questions on, “Who would rather…?”, I never payed attention to their faces. They thought I capture their reactions and laughter, but I actually payed attention to their silent communication: Their hands.
Hands have their own love language. And while J & M concentrated on the questions, they haven‘t payed attention to their hands at all. So I captured the language and the natural movements of their hands. I tried to capture the silence within all the spoken words.
What did you say?
Can you come a little bit closer to each other and hold your hands? I would love to play a game with you, if that‘s okay? I‘ll start to ask questions beginning with ‘Who would rather…?‘ and I want you to answer this question with your own or your partners name. I will count “one, two three” and then give me your answer! So. Who would rather…
Tone of Directions
Excited, Funny
Composition
I cropped it to a little bit off center, because I love the space around it and how it gives you slightly more dynamic than a center-cropped photo.
Compositional Rules
Off Center
framing
Close UpIntimate Framing
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
The only troubles I had for focus, was when their hands disappeared behind their bodies. Since I haven‘t told them that I payed attention to their hands and not their faces, they sometimes lowered them or let them disappear behind their bodies. But patience was the key.
Focus Mode
Continuous
Focus POints
Single Focus Point
Focused on
the fingers
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
1/800 @ f/2,5 ISO640 WB-Manual
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
The light was very soft, so I had no difficulties with harsh shadows. But it was my first time shooting at a lake and I had to get to know what it means to have a reflecting surface in the background. Since we had no harsh sunlight it wasn‘t that bad but a surprise from how many directions it influenced the photo.
Light Type
Natural Light
Light Quality
Soft
Time of day
Afternoon
Weather
Overcast
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
One single word: cropping. I spoke about the love language of hands, how they communicate so much without saying a word at all. To support this non-spoken and intimate language (and since I haven‘t told them that I photograph their hands, so I stand a bit further away from them) I cropped quite a lot. Don‘t be afraid to straighten and crop a photo. Cropping = magic. Cropping = intimacy.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom CC
Preset Used
Personal Preset
Challenges
One challenge was to stand further away, distract them with questions/games and secretly capture their hands, although they sometimes lowered them or moved their bodies between the camera and their hands.
Solutions
Patience is the key. I went on with my questions/games as long as possible to get a few shots of their hands. To support my idea of this shot I cropped it quite a lot.
Location
Location Name
Großer Viehofner See in St.Pölten
Location aDDRESS
Dr. Adolf Schärf-Straße 21, 3107 St. Pölten
Loation Type
Lake
Country
Austria
Don‘t be afraid to crop a photo! I repeat it: Don‘t be afraid to crop a photo! This can give your shot a completely different meaning and vibe. It often brings way more intimacy into a photo.
