A Survivor

On May 7^th I did a very special session for Karishma, who was celebrating being a Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer survivor.  The ribbon color for Hodgkin Lymphoma is purple, so I incorporated purple into the set lighting and flowers. I also discovered while doing research for the session, that several images for the cancer awareness and survivors included butterflies, which I used as inspiration for the set design.

For this session I used:

Photography Equipment	Props
Cannon 80D Trigger 2 strobes 2 c-stands 2 Backdrop stands 2 speed light clamp mounts White backdrop Sandbags 1 octabox 72-inch umbrella with sock Dome reflector 40-degree grid 3 light stands 2 speedlight Purple gels	18-inch-tall posing box Fake flowers Purple tulle Fake butterflies Wire

The set up

For this shoot I used two sets of backdrop poles, one to hang the backdrop and the other to suspend the cancer ribbon made from fake butterflies. To light the set, I used two purple gelled speed lights mounted on the backdrop poles pointed directly at the backdrop to turn the backdrop purple. I then used a large 72-inch umbrella about 15-degress off the center to light the whole set, and an octabox set to 45-degree off center to add an additional pop of light to the model.  This created a nice bright set, lending to the cheerful mood of the occasion for the shoot.  Now close to the end of the shoot I changed the octabox out for a domed reflector with a 40-degree grid.  This changed let me put a spotlight on the model, essentially highlighting her in the photo.  I would like to note, I was having issues with the two speedlights which kept dropping connection the trigger. This is a recent occurrence, and I’m still testing to determine the issue as it does not happen outside my home studio. I think there might be interference from something within my studio space. 

Starting Lighting Set Up

I would like to note that it is impossible to find purple cancer ribbon balloons, they only come in pink.  Thus, I made the choice to make my own cancer ribbon out of purple butterflies and wire.  I made two ribbons, the first a smaller one for Karishma to were, because I want her to have something unique, and not do the standard cloth wrap as a ribbon. The second much larger ribbon, was made from three strands of wire covered with butterflies so it could work as part of the background.  This larger ribbon was suspended from a second backdrop stand with thin gauge wire that was removed during post processing, to make is look like the butterflies were flying in a ribbon shape.

Camera Settings

For this session I used ISO 100, a shutter speed of 1/250s, and an aperture of F8.  I used an aperture of F8 for the increased depth of field to ensure the image was crisp from head to toe. My focal length ranged from 18mm to 70mm with most of the images being taken at 18mm and 20mm. I used wide focal lengths to ensure I was able to capture the full height of the model as well as the full height of the ribbon.

The Photos

There were a lot of lovely images from this set, showing the joy of being a survivor. I would like to start with this simple image of Karishma sitting on the posing box with the butterfly ribbon framing her.  To get this image the gelled speed lights were pointed at the background, while the octabox was pointed at the model’s face, and the umbrella acted as fill to ensure the image was evenly lit. I had to ensure the main lights did not overpower my background lights or the purple would be washed out. In post I balanced the image, adjusted the exposure, then bumped up the purples slightly.  I also used some dodge and burn techniques on the tulle skirt to pull out the texture and layers.  I tend to use dodge and burn on the tulle to bring out textures, as they can sometimes get lost due the lighting of the frame. I also added a slight pop of light to the model’s face. I then removed all wires holding up the ribbon. I finished the image with a light vignette.

For this second image I turned off the strobe with the umbrella and changed out the octabox for a domed reflector with a 40-degree grid to create a slight spotlight effect on the model. This change also allowed more of the purple from the gelled speedlights to come through in the image. To edit this image, I first did the basics of balancing the image and ensuring the exposure was correct.  I then removed the wires holding the large ribbon in place. I then did a little dodge and burn on the tulle to make the texture pop. I finished the image off by adding a slight vignette.

This was a very lovely session, and I liked that I could be a part of Karishma’s survivor story.