For this portrait, my goal was to keep the theme warm, cozy, and casual. The aesthetic that was captured was just what I was hoping for with some additional drama that I was not expecting but ended up loving. There were several elements of preparation that helped to accomplish this idea in my composition.
The first thing that I did was have the model, Charlotte, dress in a knit sweater cardigan with warm coloring to bring in that element of warmth that I was looking for. I kept her makeup application very light in order to maintain the casual feel but put just enough on to capture the light and add some extra dimension.
In the studio, I set up three lights with soft boxes to diffuse the light and make it less harsh on Charlotte’s face. Two were behind the model and one was on the right side of the camera. In addition to studio lighting, I used warm, white, battery operated fairy lights to add some more interest and warmth to the photo. I held some close to the camera lens for some softer, blurry light spots. I also had Charlotte hold some of them. This gave her something to do with her hands to keep the pose as natural as can be achieved in a studio setting. The backdrop is a gray, backdrop paper to compliment the use of the fairy lights and other lighting. The studio lights and backdrop brought some drama and the fairy lights combined with that became an interest combination.
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Alexis Bushman Photography 