So before anyone gets offended, we had all the authorizations for this photoshoot. The place is desacralized, and if you are following on social media, you probably already know that because I’ve created images there already in the past…
So in this video, we are going to do things a little bit differently, I will break down the making of 5 images of this session. First, the gear… I had the Fujifilm GFX50s that day and 3 lenses, The GF23mm, the 32-64mm, and the macro GF120mm. Yes, I didn’t have the 110mm this time and I sure did miss it. The place is really dark as you can see on the footage, the light coming in was constantly changing inside the building, so using a flash or 2 was inevitable. The First Time I worked there, I broke my flash before the photoshoot. I made a video about it (see link above), and we had to make our images with the ambient light which wasn’t ideal.
For this first one, we used the GF23mm… I placed my main light on my right side, the Broncolor Siros L with the 90 x 120 softbox and a grid to focus the light.
Olivia Lindon (Toulouse - Dôme de la Grave)
Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR
1/125sec f4 ISO640 at 23mm
My 2nd light was used as a rim light and was placed on the far left behind my model. To add my little touch we attached a black fabric to the model and I just asked my lovely assistant to toss it slightly in the air to add a little movement.
We quickly moved to the 2nd spot for something completely different. I wanted to include the steps on this one as if we were walking up to her and concentrating the lights on the top half of the image. Lights were placed camera left and right on either side of Olivia who was placed in the middle as if she was stuck in a light sandwich… that’s why you have the shadows on her body facing my camera.
Olivia Lindon (Toulouse - Dôme de la Grave) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR 1/125sec f4 ISO640 at 60mm
Let’s move on to the 3rd shot, it’s the typical kind of image where I figure out the framing and composition first. I used the widest lens of the GF line again the 23mm. Once my camera was on a tripod, we tried different poses. Once we found something that worked for both of us, It was time for me to add that little fabric to the mix.
My main flash was placed camera left and I made her turn her face towards it and my 2nd light was placed behind her on her right side with a silver umbrella for a harsher light. I wanted her outfit and the fabric to be a bit more white… So I had to fix this in post.
Olivia Lindon (Toulouse - Dôme de la Grave) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 23mm f/4 R LM WR 1/125sec f4 ISO640 at 23mm
For this 4th image, It’s pretty straightforward. Both lights were placed roughly 60-65 degrees camera left and right. At first, I grabbed the 120mm lens, but after a couple of test shots I ended up using the 32-64mm again.
Olivia Lindon (Toulouse - Dôme de la Grave) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR 1/125sec f4 ISO640 at 64mm
For these last pictures, I wasn’t sure it would work and if she would be able to find poses that would fit inside such a little space. The confessional has openings on both sides that would let light in, so I had to find a way to place both of my flashes on the other sides. Of course, there was no room for any light modifiers so I used them bared bulb. To get a softer light, I bounced my light off the wooden walls for indirect light.
Olivia Lindon (Toulouse - Dôme de la Grave) Fujifilm GFX100 + GF 32-64mm f/4 R LM WR 1/125sec f4 ISO640 at 32mm
I have to say I am really happy with the images we made, we managed to get different looks, used different outfits, and created different moods. Olivia was amazing as always, fun and professional, I hope some of these will inspire you for your future shoots. I am almost done with my images made in 2019… Yeah, I did write 2019, I am still not in 2020, but I am almost there...