Blair Academy Photography
By Duc Dinh ‘22
Materials
Geometric Cutouts
Best material: Styrofoam boards - Light weight, better absorption of spray paint, smoother cut with X-acto knife.
Hot Glue Gun
Black Spray Paint
Color Gels for Lights
At least two illuminating from each side to achieve maximum color vibrancy
Steps
1. Start by sketching out the shape and design of the cutout that you want to be turned into a shadow
2. Cutout the desired shape, hot glue gun the pieces together, and spray painting the shape black to create a shadow illusion
3. Attach the cutout onto a C-stand with a boom arm and position the cutout.
4. To create the shadow effect, place the light behind the cutout to backlit the background, then place the cutout between where the model will be and the light. Start shooting!
5. Editing is a crucial part. First, use lightroom and adjust the lighting in an extreme manner to intensify the black tones as well as lower highlights to brighten colors. Then, use the color mixer to enhance existing colors!
6. Then, using the brush tool, add grain and a lighter exposure on the face to create a pocket of light on the face and make the photo painting-esque!
7. To create the pink tear, transfer the photo to photoshop, and make a copy of the background layer. Select the brush tool, make a dot at the desired spot and use the smudge tool at 10% strength and brush up from the base to create a tip for the tear.
8. Lastly, add finishing touches by using the spot healing tool to edit out any undesired spots. Use Liquify to fix and ensure the symmetry of the shapes. Use dodge and burn, both at around 2% strength, in order to add shadows and lights, depth, and contour to the face, as well as the circles.
This is the final product!