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16

DIGITAL CAMERA

AUGUST 2018

DIGITAL CAMERA 17

Start with the subject

When I’m shooting a look for compositing, I like to start with the shot that will contain the subject. For this image, I had my sister-in-law sit on a stool and place her legs on a table, since I planned on doing a levitation image. I also had her flip her hair forward, for a more mysterious, dreamy feel.

Capturing motion

Next, I had my model fling her dress so that I could capture it in motion. Using a fast shutter speed and continuous shooting mode will allow you to capture multiple sharp images. That being said, I sometimes don’t mind some motion blur, as it can look more natural.

Adding extra elements

For the last shooting step, I used my camera remote to take shots of music sheets I threw into the air. To ensure that the compositing process will be easier, be sure to have your camera mounted on a tripod for these images.

What’s in my bag

Generally, I like to keep my equipment to a minimum; I rarely even use a tripod. However, for more complicated images like this, where consistency is important, using a tripod is a must. My go-to lens is my 85mm f/1.8; however, my favourite would be my 70-200 f/2.8, as I’m a sucker for the bokeh it produces.

I tend to prefer shooting outdoors with beautiful natural light. All I may need is a diffuser or reflector, and I’m ready to go! In this image, I used all natural window light, a tripod and my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with a 50mm f/2.5 lens.

After importing your images into Photoshop as layers, you will want to use Layer Masks to blend everything. You can paint white or black on each Layer Mask to show and hide areas of each image. You can see above where I cut the pieces out. www.