Kylie Returns to the Studio

Digital original

Because of how tight our schedules are, when Kylie did have time available to model, we made the most of it - three sessions in one day is not common; except when I was in Alberta with Victoria in 1999, I doubt I work three times in a day with a single model more then a couple of times a year. That being said, with access to three different settings/styles of work available, we took advantage of the possibilities.

Digital original

We started our studio session with an evolution of the semi-silhouette images I'd made with Miranda earlier; this time I was able to get closer to my intention. My first attempt with frustrated me because the background was too distinct because the flash was so bright and I needed to stop the lens down on the digital camera to a smaller aperture to compensate; this time I used a neutral density (ND) filter to reduce the depth of field. The final results were very pleasing, both from a technical perspective, with a better mix of shadows and light, and a more pleasing depth of field. I think I will continue to pursue this idea, as between the images of Miranda and this session with Kylie, I have made a number of images of this type that really jump out at me.

Digital original

Once we finished working with the painted backdrop and the strong side lighting, I changed the room around to a more traditional set-up (for me, at least), with the black backdrop and my single light to the front, providing a pleasing light for portraiture. Again, having only a single flash-head to work with was somewhat limiting but by the same token, my usual frustration with studio work was somewhat mitigated by the simplicity of the set-up - with a single light, there are only so many options.