“Nathalie”

• Shot on a Nikon d40 in Notre Dame Media Lab
• Shutter speed: 1/25
• Aperture: f/22
• ISO: 200

For this interior portrait I wanted to explore a studio setting, so I used the backdrop and softboxes in the media lab. I used two softboxes with a wireless trigger to activate ‘flash sync’, which created a soft and flattering light on my model. The white background reflected the light well enough to exclude the use of back light. The pose and angle of the model’s head creates a 2:1 ratio, as her cheek is turned away from one of the light sources, creating beautiful shadows and some drama.

“Acacia”

• Shot on a Nikon d40 in a laneway in Fremantle
• Aperture: f/5.6
• ISO: 400
• Shutter speed: 1/160

This photo was taken midday in a thin laneway with high walls, creating an akward position for lighting. However, bright, direct sunlight was shining through the left side of lane. I used a gold reflector to bounce the direct sunlight onto the model standing in the shade. The gold reflector also casted a warm light on my model, while the tall walls of the lane worked as a diffuser of the harsh midday sun.

“Silenced”

• Shot on a Nikon d40 – portrait is taken outside and background is a wall inside Hush Espresso
• Aperture: f/5.6
• ISO: 400
• Shutter speed: 1/13

This is made of three different photos; the background, the portrait and the hands. I initially wanted to improve my Photoshop skills, and achieving this final result really did! After cutting out the different elements of each shot (the hands, person, eye and mouth), I experimented with different blend modes, and with the clone stamp tool. However, I felt that each edit just made the photo look slightly creepy, and not very visually pleasing.

After many attempts I finally had an epiphany when I was researching HDR photography online – layer masking was definitely the answer I was looking for! By using layer masks on each element I managed to blend the photos together, as well as include details such as lines and wrinkles. I’m really happy with the result, and the artistic and abstract feel of the photo. It is exactly how I visualised it when I first had the idea for the keyword ‘abstract’. As I’ve spent so much time editing this photo I’m slightly obsessed with it, and feel like I could keep on changing things constantly, such as how well the layers are blended together. However, I’m really pleased with the final result.