Dockside Shoot for iStock
Posted on 05. Apr, 2009 by Leo Kowal in Portfolio, Portraits, Stock
The idea for this shoot was more of a reason to get out of the house then an actual planned shoot, but I was still happy with the result! Obviously hair and makeup are VERY important no matter where you shoot (studio or outside), you might as well get that right so that you don’t spend too much time editing the photos afterward. You can only edit a photo so much before it is no longer acceptable as a stock image. As I like to say, “You can’t polish a turd”.
For this shoot, I brought my 70-200 f/2.8, a medium reflector, a reflector stand/arm and my Whibal. The first shot shows the subject with semi filtered sunlight on her face, while the remainder of the shots have the sun to her back. In the latter shots, I had the reflector bouncing the sunlight onto the subject. I had to adjust the distance from the reflector to the subject a few times, until I felt it was just right. It was also very windy on the dock, so a small dumbell helped keep the reflector stand in place. (A person holding the reflector would be ideal, but not always possible.)
The makeup, white balance and exposures were pretty much perfect, so there was very little to do in post editing. Just a few touch ups to make some of the mid tones pop, a little more contrast and a slight vignette and that’s it!
You’ll also notice alot of blank space in my photography, especially when I shoot for iStock. For those that don’t know, that is called “CopySpace” and is great for designers! A nice out of focus (bokah) space for copy (words, ads, text, whatever you want to call it). I don’t always shoot this way, but I find that it helps sell the image. I always like to mix it up, some shots with copy space, some shots with no copy space. Cover all corners for maximum ROI.
