Update: Yesenia will be joining me on our Wild West Adventure workshop in June. Here are all the details. Join us for the trip of a lifetime. All the details are here :)
The stars had aligned and all our planning and preparation payed off. I met up with Yesenia at my rented loft apartment in Harlem for a day of shooting lifestyle boudoir and nudes. I had one of my top clients flying in from Atlanta to join me on this 1:1 session. It’s not an easy task to plan and put on events in another time zone some 3000 miles away but Blaise and Laura at my studio pulled out all the stops. NSFW
01. My sumptuous penthouse apartment was in the beating heart of Harlem, right opposite the famous Harlem Shake diner where Bill Clinton pops in from time to time. He lives just a few block up town from here. The area around 125th street is alive with character and the buzz that is New York.
02. Yesenia is a bundle of fun and I styled her here in a silk night dress.
03. The painting of the girl on the mantlepiece intrigued me and I needed to include it in the set so I directed Yesenia into thew corner and lit her with the Lupo. The boho top was from ebay.
04. The realistic air brushed painting/ photograph of french doors in a Parisian villa was printed onto a flock wallpaper and hung in the apartment. It looked fabulous and added a bit of interest to my portraits. I matched the direction of light from my Lupo 650 to align the shadows.
My client and I both shot on Fujifilm X-T2 cameras and I used 14mm f/2.8, 23mm f/2, 35mm f/1.4 and a 50mm f/2 lenses. Lighting was by one Lupo 650 spotlight with an Alto Scattergel. The 650 is a super little light that delivers a crisp light with a variable colour temperature to suit the environment. I used a monopod throughout the day to slow me down somewhat and to provide an extra degree of refinement to my composition.
05. I controlled the contrast in the scene by partly closing the blinds in the room. I kept the tones delicate to match the mood and styling. I used a glancing sidelight on Yesenia but kept it off the background in a way that only a spotlight can achieve.
06.
07. I added some real punch to these pictures by concentrating the light from the Lupo onto Yesenia. The shot bottom right used a mirror to reflect the key light to create a backlight thus creating two lighting directions with just one light. It’s a bit of lighting magic that I picked up during my career in television.
08. Yesenia needed a rest after lunch and a Stella at the Harlem Shake so I set up this loft living lifestyle shot ‘Tumblr style’. Check out Bob Sala on Tumblr.
09. I used window light as a key and the Lupo 650 as a kick light for this shot taken from a high viewpoint.
10. Chinks of sunlight are great fun to integrate into the composition. I used the stellar 50mm f/2 lens for my close ups. It worked really well and was as sharp as my 56mm f/1.2. I still prefer the 56mm as it has become an old friend.
11. A high viewpoint like this creates a vulnerability that is countered by an intimate connection.
12. The face at rest is beautiful when lit with window light. I used the Lupo from beyond Yesenia to provide the glancing sunlight that gives this shot depth.
13. The warm light here is coming from a patch of sunlight hitting the sofa in front of Yesenia and the cool light is from the crisp blue sky. I like to vary my viewpoint as it gives a set of pictures variety and added interest.
14. The Stars and Stripes top was an Ebay purchase. We were still in the after lunch chill zone when we took these.
15. I showed my client how to create punchy Hollywood style portraits with the Lupo 650 spotlight too.
16. The last session of the day was set aside for nudes. I used the Lupo for this portrait.
17. A pool of natural light from just one window gave the right look to these figure studies.
18. Glancing window light and ambient reflections provided the illumination for Yesenia.
If you would like to join me on a 1:1 shooting/ training session somewhere in the world drop Blaise or Laura a message here. My adventures and workshop events are published here and I strongly suggest you subscribe to our newsletter for advanced information on all my talks, workshops and training events ahead of publication.
Update: Yesenia will be joining me on our Wild West Adventure workshop in June. Here are all the details. Join us for the trip of a lifetime. All the details are here :)
Please feel free to comment on these pictures below.
Beautifully photo shoot X-T2 seems to be a very good camera but is also down to the photographer I use a X-T1
Thank you Dave,
I agree entirely, I don’t really mind what camera I’m using. These shots would look great on an iPhone as I lit them all with natural or continuous light. The X-T1 is a great camera and served me well for over a year. I just go with the flow and use the best kit available for the job within budget constraints ;)
Cheers, Damien.
Lovely set, Damien. In particular, I love the subtlety of the set in #6. Great light (and whatever you did in post).
Thank you Mark,
Set 6 is exactly as shot apart from the white level being set to make the files match on the page. I used ProNeg S film simulation and a glancing Lupo 650 with a Scattergel. As you know, the room curtains weren’t effective light blockers so the mood is set by the dim ambient light and the exposure settings.
It was fab meeting you at last and shooting with you in NYC. I’ll be posting our Hollywood glamour set later today.
Kindest regards,
Damien.
You mentioned that the 50 f2 is as sharp as the 56, but you still prefer the 56. what is your reasoning? I go back and forth as to which to purchase. I like the extra 6mm of length of the 56 and the speed of the 1.2. The negatives of the 56 are size / weight and price. I’m looking for a good used 56 or I’ll purchase the 50 f2. I just can’t decide.
Hi Kevin,
I prefer the 56 for the look of the shots, not the sharpness. Take a look at the first few shots on this gallery to see why. Your assessment of the pros and cons is spot on.
Cheers, Damien.
Thanks for the reply Damien. I also looked at your 60mm f2.4 gallery. It’s a tough call, but I’m going with the 56. I (we, other blog followers) really appreciate your input. I know it takes a lot of your time, but it means a lot to “us”. It’s like having a personal mentor.
Thank you Kevin. I’ve been using the 56 instead of the 60 since I got it a few years ago. I like the extra aperture. It’s a good way to go. Thanks for the feedback.
Kindest regards,
Damien.
Another set of images that ticks all the boxes for me, nice work Damien and great model. My faves are 6 11 & 18, just quality image creation with model style and lighting.
Thank you Adam,
I nearly didn’t include 18 as it didn’t really go with the rest of the set however Yesenia really got the strong expression spot on and that makes the shot work.
Thanks for the compliments,
Damien.
Great set as always. Love the lighting and also the setting is spot on. I looked up your clients photos he has posted and they look great as well :)
Thank you Peter for your continued support and kind comments. Cheers, Damien
These are so beautiful and pure to look at, you did a good job. Congratulations to Damien and Yesenia. I love your work
Thank you Danny,
Sometimes it’s what you leave out of a shot that creates the purity. There was quite a bit of furniture moving to get clutter free images. I was really careful to get the camera upright too by using my monopod throughout the shoot.
Thank you for your kind words,
Damien.
Stunning images Damien, beatiful skin tones, the xt2 delivers superve results
Thank you David.
I had to work a bit on these tones but I got there in the end. I was editing in the airport on my laptop and I needed to rework a few frames on the big screen at the studio. I’m really loving the X-T2 right now and the GFX shares it’s DNA so life is good right now. I’ve never been happier with the look of my pictures than I am now.
Thanks for the compliments,
Damien.
I can see your work been studied in institutions in the next century . Your works are just phenomenal. Inspired!!
Thank you Bayo – Wow!
Thank you for your generous praise.
Damien.
Yet again very inspirational quality images. Your lighting, compositional and camera skills together with your choices of location, pose and apparel all serve to enhance and capture the beauty of the models you photograph.
Thank you Pete,
When good preparation comes together success happens. Your kind words mean a lot to me.
Damien.
Lovely
A master ar work!
Thank you Jed,
It was a pleasure to meet you and get to shoot with you last week. I’m working on a blog post from our shoot right now. We will meet again I’m sure. Thank you for all the kind words and compliments you have given me since our shoot together. Stay inspired and keep photography fun.
Kindest regards,
Damien.
Stunning… simply…
Hi David,
Thank you for your continued support and praise.
Kindest regards,
Damien
Love 14 and 15 in particular…. great stuff Damien :)
Thank you Mike.
I love those too. I find that close beauty shots with closed eyes lets the viewer explore the detail in a more relaxed way. There must be some top psychology behind it. I love shots where many of the facial muscles are in a relaxed state. I started shooting this at weddings where quite a few of my bridal portraits had closed eyes. Not blinks ;)
Kindest regards,
Damien.
Damien,
Stunning set of images, but then I have come to expect only the best from you.
Such inspiration indeed.
Well done.
Thank you Nigel,
I love to explore soft and delicate tones and contrast that with crisp hard looks. The emotions have to match and that is where the challenge often lies.
Kindest regards,
Damien.
Just pure perfection as always Damien.
Thank you Richard :)