by Andrew Brooks ‘19
Camera settings:
Nikon D3400
1/200 ss
F 6.3
400 ISO
1. Setup
I used a plain white background with a stool in front of it for the model. I placed two flashes at 45° from the stool, one on each side. On the left flash I put one red and one pink gel, overlapping, and set the level to 5.0. On the right one I put one blue and one purple gel, overlapping, and set the level to 6.0. I used box diffusers on both flashes. Both flashes were about eye level with the model and were about five feet away from the stool.
2. Modeling
I used a spray bottle filled with water and a medium piece of plexiglass, repeatedly spraying the glass to get larger water droplets rather than a foggy mist. For some photos I also rubbed my fingers through the droplets to create designs or to make an area with less droplets to frame the model’s face. The model held the glass, covering all or part of their face. (I also placed a trash bag on their lap as a courtesy!)
3. Editing
I used Lightroom to make minimal adjustments to the photos. I usually slightly increased the blacks, clarity, and highlights, while decreasing the shadows. I also added a slight negative post-crop vignette. I increased the grain level to 20, and set dehaze between -2 and -15 depending on the image to create a dreamlike feel.
That’s all, thank you for reading!