In conceptual photography, theme is the backbone which dictates all decisions that go into the final product. In my image titled “Offering,” the theme is one of bringing light into the darkness, needing to be highlighted with the location, color palette, and light.
In order to get the right lighting, I planned for my shoot to begin before the sun came up. This allowed me to shoot when the barest hint of light entered the sky, creating a purple sunrise in the background, and illuminating the subject (in this case, me) enough to reflect pre-dawn light.
The photo:
My choice of camera often revolves around how well it will do in low light. When I set up my shot, I couldn’t see in front of me because it was so dark. I needed to choose equipment with a high dynamic range that wouldn’t litter my image with noise because of my lighting choice. In this case, I chose the Sony A7R IV.
The lens:
The thing that made the biggest difference while shooting this image was the choice of lens. The grass near the lake had beautiful swirling patterns in it because of the water rising and receding, but shooting on a portrait lens didn’t get the kind of distorted feeling that I hoped for. I was aiming for it to look as if the grass were coming into the camera.
I chose to use a Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM lens at 24mm to give enough distortion to the grass. This helps lead the eye into the image, and the smoke line from the candles continues the eye through the frame.
The composite:
Since this is a self-portrait, I had to make sure I could set up and shoot by myself entirely. When you are chasing the sun — or rather, running from it — time runs quickly. From the time it was light enough to set up to the time the sun came up, I had about 30 minutes total to get my image.
I often choose a zoom lens for the flexibility it gives me to move and shoot at a moment’s notice. As a self-portrait artist, my job is to run back and forth between my pose and the back of the camera, often making slight adjustments each time so that the frame reflects my vision. The versatility of a zoom lens has been vital in that process.
