ISO 400, 1/30s, f/4
ISO 400, 1/30s, f/4
Short description : The subject in my photographs is Caroline Messier, a sexologist and Ph.D student. She is featured on the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine because she recently opened her own office. Since she is a therapist and works with people, it is important to portray her as the engaging, trustworthy and sensitive professional that she is. In order to do that, my subject has a relaxed pose and nice smile, and the background is bright, to give a very light and relaxed feel to the image.
1. What worked well for you on this assignment.
One of the things that went well on this assignment is that I picked the right subject. I knew that Caroline was comfortable in front of the camera, so that helped me be comfortable as well and take the time I needed to shoot get the right pictures.
2. What would change in your approach if you had the opportunity to go back and do it again.
If I could go back, I think I wouldn’t hesitate to try other things to get the right pose. I really wanted to use the red chair, but the teacher made me realize that maybe it wasn’t the right chair for the kind of pose I wanted to do. Next time I’ll hesitate less to try new things to get what I want instead of sticking to my first idea, even if it doesn’t work that well.
3. Any information you would like to contribute to accompany your image.
At first I thought I would use a light with an umbrella to light the background, but since it was a really sunny day, I was able to expose the background and get a very sunny ambiance. I’m very pleased with the fact that I got the kind of overall feel I was trying to achieve.
4. What did you learn about this type of photography.
This kind of photography can be harder than it looks. If we have to shoot a subject in his/her own work environment, it might not always be the best decorated space and we have to compose our shot in a way that makes the place, and more importantly the subject, look good.
5. What did you learn about yourself as a photographer from doing this assignment?
With the shoot, I realized that I’m becoming more and more comfortable with giving directions to my subject. I don’t hesitate and go and show them how I want them to pose, instead of just waiting and see if I’ll get what I want. If the subject and I have a great connection, I can even go and move the subject if my directions aren’t clear enough. This allows me the achieve the result I want.
Kim Hurley 