The use of digital technologies to create ‘impossible’ images is now fairly commonplace and this can be mostly seen in advertising imagery. Layer based compositing allows photographers to seamlessly blend a number of frames within a single image to construct pretty much any kind of reality they choose.
The subject of ‘levitation’ in particular (i.e. subjects floating in midair) is a popular technique many photographers use creatively to produce not only product adverts but also personal work.
RESEARCH
As a starting point I research and collect examples of digital composites that inspire me, from photographers such as Miss Aniela, Brook Shaden, Halsman- Dali, John Lamb, Sam Taylor Wood, Julia Fullerton Batten then producing a concept / visual interpretation of the word ‘weightless’
to create an advertising or editorial style photograph that questions the viewer’s sense of reality.
PLANNING
All the images will be taken at the same location during the same shoot. This endows all the components in my shot with consistent lighting, so that the separate elements in the composite shot look like they belong in the same scene.
By shooting a propped up ‘floating’ subject and then capturing a clean shot of the empty location, I can combine the images in Photoshop using a Layer Mask technique.
This shooting and photo editing technique saves the frustration of cutting the levitating subject out of one shot and pasting the model into another.
PREPARATION FOR THE SHOOT
Technical Settings: Shutter 1/125, f8-16, ISO 100-400 Manual Mode
Equipment: DSLR, STUDIO LIGHTING, TRIPOD, STOOL
CONSIDERATIONS
1. Use Manual Exposure Mode This ensures the exposure stays consistent throughout the entire range of frames. Setting Manual Focus will stop the focus point jumping around.
2. Keep it steady by using a Tripod It will keep the camera perfectly steady and in the same place while capture the scene twice:
3. Keep lighting consistent We’ve used a single flash head from a studio kit to light the scene, important thing is to keep the lighting consistent throughout. This is important to remember is shooting outdoors, it is important to keep an eye on the sun and make sure that it is not peeping out from behind the clouds.
4 Try out different positions and pay particular attention to the points where the subject’s body comes into contact with the stool/chair/ladder. When we remove the stool or ladder in Photoshop I don’t want clothes or body parts pressed flat against it the more floaty these areas appear, the more successful the effect will be
THE SHOOT
Photographer: Michelle Mercer
Assistants: Paul G, Liz Cummings and Kirstie Mackin
Model : Danielle - Tyne Tess Models
Location: Mouth of the Tyne (Tynemouth)
The subject of ‘levitation’ in particular (i.e. subjects floating in midair) is a popular technique many photographers use creatively to produce not only product adverts but also personal work.
RESEARCH
As a starting point I research and collect examples of digital composites that inspire me, from photographers such as Miss Aniela, Brook Shaden, Halsman- Dali, John Lamb, Sam Taylor Wood, Julia Fullerton Batten then producing a concept / visual interpretation of the word ‘weightless’
to create an advertising or editorial style photograph that questions the viewer’s sense of reality.
PLANNING
All the images will be taken at the same location during the same shoot. This endows all the components in my shot with consistent lighting, so that the separate elements in the composite shot look like they belong in the same scene.
By shooting a propped up ‘floating’ subject and then capturing a clean shot of the empty location, I can combine the images in Photoshop using a Layer Mask technique.
This shooting and photo editing technique saves the frustration of cutting the levitating subject out of one shot and pasting the model into another.
PREPARATION FOR THE SHOOT
Technical Settings: Shutter 1/125, f8-16, ISO 100-400 Manual Mode
Equipment: DSLR, STUDIO LIGHTING, TRIPOD, STOOL
CONSIDERATIONS
1. Use Manual Exposure Mode This ensures the exposure stays consistent throughout the entire range of frames. Setting Manual Focus will stop the focus point jumping around.
2. Keep it steady by using a Tripod It will keep the camera perfectly steady and in the same place while capture the scene twice:
3. Keep lighting consistent We’ve used a single flash head from a studio kit to light the scene, important thing is to keep the lighting consistent throughout. This is important to remember is shooting outdoors, it is important to keep an eye on the sun and make sure that it is not peeping out from behind the clouds.
4 Try out different positions and pay particular attention to the points where the subject’s body comes into contact with the stool/chair/ladder. When we remove the stool or ladder in Photoshop I don’t want clothes or body parts pressed flat against it the more floaty these areas appear, the more successful the effect will be
THE SHOOT
Photographer: Michelle Mercer
Assistants: Paul G, Liz Cummings and Kirstie Mackin
Model : Danielle - Tyne Tess Models
Location: Mouth of the Tyne (Tynemouth)