Challenge 3 Dan Mold
Since Dan switched to his 50mm after photographing Betsy, he decided to leave it on to begin working with Lee. Sticking with his tried and tested facial recognition mode and shooting at a fast 1/500th of a second, Dan shot a plethora of images of Lee in a short time – and one of them had to be a winner.
“Lee is a professional ballet dancer and performer,” says Dan. “Just like Hamish from the first session, he was sharply suited. He’s a lively chap and full of beans, so he gave the focusing system on my Canon EOS 6D Mark II a run for its money!
“While taking some close-up portraits with my 85mm, Lee was giving me a bit of attitude and leaning into the camera – my camera struggled to lock on, but I did get this shot where his eye was in sharp focus and I like his angsty expression.
“The lighting coming from the Rotolight Titans was a bit too orange and overpowering – if I could have changed anything in this shot, I should have definitely balanced out the shadows on the right of Lee’s face with another light and perhaps also a contrasting colour.”
Expert opinion
The lighting setup in the entrance hall was delivered by a bunch of top-end Rotolight Titan X1s. Although full-on, Dan has made the light work, and his tight crop draws the eye to Lee’s menacing visage.