Window Light Beauty Photography
March 25th, 2010This is Elicia from Next Models. We shot this using just the late afternoon beautiful crisp window light. Her expression and body language with the necklace make this photo so evocative and maybe even erotic depending on how you as an individual looks at it. Notice the soft hands that are so important when photographing tight beauty photography. And that is also what makes a photograph great. If every viewer can take something different from your photo, then it is something special in my book. Another quality that makes this photo special is that it is all natural with no retouching.
Elicia Perkins : Fashion Model
March 26th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Jason, what lens did you use for this shot?
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Jason Christopher Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
Hi Janis,
I used an 85mm shot at f/4.0. My ISO was 1600 ! That Mark 2 is an awesome camera isn’t it ?
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March 26th, 2010 at 2:23 am
Super soft
Window at camera left, and some bounce fill camera right?
Terrific work once again, Jason
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Jason Christopher Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Hi Destry !
The window was right behind me and it was a very wide and tall window. I didn’t have any bounce fill because I didn’t need it. Because my light source, the large window, was so wide and large it provided a nice wrap around the model. Remember that even when you aren’t dealing with a soft box or an umbrella or any kind of light modifier, the same physics apply.
Thank you for the compliment Destry !
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March 26th, 2010 at 5:25 am
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March 26th, 2010 at 7:48 am
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March 26th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
I like the picture in itself, but I’d hardly call it a beauty shot. Beauty to me is about really close crops with a lot of skin texture. That would be more of a portrait as far as crops go. Just my opinion but thought I’d drop it anyway.
Regards.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Hi Robert,
Thank you for the compliment. Actually the reality is people get so caught up on what a beauty photo is they end up getting too technical and confused. How many ads have you seen with a woman wearing just some underwear covering her breasts with her arm and the ad is for skin care or body cream ? That is still beauty. It’s not fashion. I think it is a fine line however, the line is still there and rules are made to be broken.
Bottom line is, if it looks great, who cares what category one files it under ? Don’t get all caught up in cropping and skin texture and all the technical bullshit. Just shoot what you love and let the consumer decide what to call it. As long as they buy the product you are advertising then it is a moot point.
Yes this is my opinion however, it is derived from 12 years of shooting. Thank you for the comment and please continue to comment. I always welcome a different opinion.
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March 26th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Awesome image, Jason. I’m a big fan of natural light shots, so was thrilled to see this. Must admit, I’m curious as to how you established the correct white balance in this. Did you just eyeball it on a profiled, calibrated monitor, did you custom white balance in camera before you shot it or did you use a white balance reference (like a WhiBal) for example? The more I’m getting to grips with this, the more I’m learning that good white balance and good exposure are inextricably linked and you can’t have one without the other, so I’m always interested in hearing how others do it, especially when they do it as well as you do!
Agree with your comments on “beauty”. The same goes for “glamour”, which over here is often used to classify images of models in swimwear and lingerie and yet to me, glamour can apply equally to a fully clothed model or a fully nude model. But I think it makes life easier for us if we can categorize things into neat little boxes – not just in photography, but in everything we come across on a day to day basis. I think the image above has buckets of glamour, but it wouldn’t be classed as a glamour image by most people. Nice work!
- Thorsten.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Hi Thorsten,
Thank you for the compliment ! I used a color checker card made by X-Rite. I shoot a shot with the model holding it in the light. I then import all the images into Lightroom and use the color card to set my white balance. I must say that most of the time I end up tweaking the white balance myself because I want the photo to have a different look than the average or correct white balance. The art and craft of making images with a camera is all subjective.
Just the other day a friend of mine told me he didn’t like the color tone of this image. I said to him well, that’s your opinion and I don’t care lol. It’s ALL subjective. You just shoot how you want to shoot and the rest will fall into place.
I actually agree with you about the whole beauty glamor and even head shot thing. I just shoot man. I like what it looks like and if it has to be filed under a certain category then fine. The bottom line is this: ask yourself if the image just kicks ass. If it kicks ass, then file it under the category titled kick ass ! LOL
You know what I mean. Just shoot great images and let the worry worts put their lives in neat little boxes. I like to think outside the box
Thank you for your contribution Thorsten. I always enjoy your comments.
Cheers !
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March 27th, 2010 at 12:53 am
Hi!Jason I don’t get in English to much,but I’m following you,I like her expression it’s as you said.It very good if you come in my blog and comment me for help me advance.
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Jason Christopher Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Hi Joe !
Thank you for the compliment. I will visit your blog as well.
Cheers,
Jason
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July 11th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Hey Jason,
Was this picture shot using only available light? It’s a beautiful picture
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Jason Christopher Reply:
August 19th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Thank you Chris. Yes this was just window light.
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