How You Shot It is a series where you show us how you shot an image. Many who use our presets love to share their special processing recipes. You can join the SLR Lounge Textures and Presets group on Facebook and share your favorite images and recipes as well!
Gear
Camera: Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon 50mm f/1.4, Canon 85mm f/1.8, Canon 35mm f/1.4
The Concept
I love all things bohemian/gypsy-ish. I am obsessed with Free People, and Spell and the Gypsy. I love cruising their Instagram accounts and pulling inspiration from their amazing styling and photos. I also love shopping, so I have been buying pieces for my styled shoots anytime I see something good!
Nicole and I had been talking about shooting for a while now, and when I had a client reschedule I called Nicole and informed her she was getting in front of my camera in three days! Since I have a little bit of a shopping problem (or so my fiancé says), all I asked of her was to practice her “sexy” face! A friend offered to do her make-up and I curled her hair.
With her being 6 feet tall, I knew I needed to get some amazing full body shots of her. We started playing with the blanket topless. Then I asked if we could do some fully nude (nice way to break the ice right?) 10 frames in. I shot a close up first cropped right under her butt, and when I asked her if side booty would be ok to post and she said, “totally!” I instantly took a few steps back and started shooting.
I live in California, and I’m pretty sure this year our winter got lost on the East coast! We started shooting around 3:30pm, with that yummy “golden hour” light that I am addicted to! I shoot 100% natural light with the help of a reflector sometimes. Shooting this in full sun, I needed to bounce a little light onto her. Here is my simple set up, nothing fancy:
Post Processing
When I started culling this session and came across the final image, I immediately knew I had “the one!”
- I opened the image in ACR and adjusted the temperature, and fill light.
- I then transferred over to Photoshop and started with a little skin smoothing and skin tone adjusting.
- I adjusted the brightness with a new curve layer.
- I used the stamp tool to remove all the cow patties (yes I make my clients pose in poop!)
- And finally, I added a matte layer by playing with curves.
[PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT: LIGHTROOM PRESETS & WORKSHOP V5]
Before & After
Conclusion
If you shoot Boudoir or are interested in it, bribe a friend or find a model and take them outside! Trust me, once you do you will never want to go back into a studio again.
Check out some more of my work on Facebook or my blog, Dollhouse Boudoir.
About the “How to Shoot It” Series
This educational series highlights amazing images from our writers as well as our community. The goal is to not only feature inspirational work but to provide valuable education for our photography community. If you would like to submit your work, please click here for more info on writing for SLR Lounge.
Get Connected!