Escaping the Box

On May 25, I did a conceptual photoshoot with Anastasia.  The idea behind this shoot was escaping the box you put yourself in in your mind.  I thought of the concept based on comments I have seen about people saying things like “I’m not sure if I should post these pictures of myself that I like” or “I’m scared to post because these images don’t seem go enough.”  Sometimes it is hard to escape the box in your mind but when you do it opens up new experiences. 

For this session, I used:

Photography Equipment	Props/Miscellaneous
Cannon R6 24-105 mm Lens Transmitter/Trigger 2 rectangular soft boxes 2 Phottix Strobes 2 C-stands Sand bags	PVC pipe & fittings Plastic drop cloth Tape Flowers Sunscreen Bug spray

The set up

The first thing I did was find a shady spot in my backyard to set up the box.  I then assembled the box using PVC pipes and corner fittings that were painted silver.  I then wrapped the box on three sides with a 3 mil plastic drop cloth used by painters.  The 3 mil was a good thickness as you could see through but not perfectly, and also acted as a giant light diffuser.  I only wrapped 3 sides so the model could enter the box from the back and have some semblance of air flow.  I then placed one strobe 45-degrees off center of the box to my right and a second parrel to the side of the box on my left.  This was the starting position, as I wasn’t sure how it would look once, I started shooting.  I ultimately decided to move the strobe parrel to left side of box to the back of the box pointed straight at me. This lit up the whole box creating a dreamy look.

Camera Settings

For this session, I used ISO 100 and alternated between a shutter speed of 1/200s and 1/250s depending on the intensity of the shade.  My main aperture was F4.0, and I took a few images at F6.3.  My focal length varied from 24mm to 70mm with most images being taken at 24mm.

The Photos

I will be honest this shoot did not ultimately turn out how I envisioned in my mind, which is my fault.  I switched up from it being done as a studio shoot to an outdoor shoot with live flowers the night before, which I shouldn’t have done.  However, the model rocked the concept, and I was able to pull out a few good photos. 

My favorite image of the whole shoot is the one below.  It is a close crop of the model starting to escape the box and taste the freedom of the outside world.  In Lightroom the first thing I did was adjust the white balance and pull down the exposure and highlights slightly. I then increased the texture and clarity of the image.  I then adjusted the colors pulling down the saturation of the oranges, yellows, and greens and slightly bumping up the situation of the reds.  From there I added a very subtle violet(shadow)/yellow(highlight) color grade and finally a light vignette.  Then in photoshop I removed minor blemishes and some stray hairs.  I also removed the pipe going across the top of the back of the box, expanding the light from the strobe.  I then created a second layer that I used to create more of a glow coming from the inside of the box and make the soft box lighting the box less obvious.

 

I like this image because it shows the model trying to escape the box, which would stand for our inner arguments with our minds.  I like the image because you can see the model and her expression, but it isn’t perfectly clear, just a little foggy.  Sadly, the strobe didn’t fire, but the sunlight peeking through the shade lights the model’s face and the box well, so the image still works.  In Lightroom the first thing I did was adjust the white balance.  I then increased the contrast, texture, and clarity of the image so you can see the details of the model.  I then adjusted the colors pulling down the saturation of the oranges, yellows, and greens and slightly bumping up the situation of the reds.  From there I added a very subtle violet(shadow)/yellow(highlight) color grade and finally a light vignette.

 

This next image is very similar to the first image, but I would say at the hesitation stage of exiting the box.  I like this image because of how the plastic covers half the model’s face as she is exiting the box.  In Lightroom the first thing I did was adjust the white balance and pull down the exposure and highlights slightly. I then increased the texture and clarity of the image.  I then adjusted the colors pulling down the saturation of the oranges, yellows, and greens and slightly bumping up the situation of the reds.  From there I added a very subtle violet(shadow)/yellow(highlight) color grade and finally a light vignette.  Then in photoshop I removed minor blemishes and some stray hairs.  I also extended the light source by filling in the gaps between the model, the strobe, and background bushes with white, so the back of the box looks solid.  I then created a second layer that I used to create more of a glow coming from the inside of the box and make the soft box lighting the box less obvious.

 

I now leave you with this final image, that I feel really captures the apprehension of leaving yourself made box and looking at the outside world.  The model’s face in this image is just perfect and the framing of the tear in the plastic sheet helps with the framing. In Lightroom the first thing I did was adjust the white balance and up the exposure slightly.  I then increased the texture and clarity of the image.  I then adjusted the colors pulling down the saturation of the oranges, yellows, and greens and slightly bumping up the situation of the reds.  I also added a very subtle radial gradient around the model’s face to brighten it up so there was better separation between it and the plastic film.  From there I added a very subtle violet(shadow)/yellow(highlight) color grade and finally a light vignette.  In Photoshop I removed a few blemishes and some distracting dimples in the plastic.

Final Thoughts:

This was a good first attempt at this concept, but I want to reshoot it because I think I can do it better.  The model rocked the concept even though she was slowly roasting inside the box even though the back and top were open.  When I set it up it was in full shade but by the time the shoot started the shade was quickly disappearing.  Next time I will shoot this in studio, so my model doesn’t melt on me.

The main thing I would change would be to bring the concept indoors and possibly reinforce the box, so the sides do not move as much.  I also think I would like to use a clearer plastic to wrap the box or possibly no wrapping at all.  I also would change the lighting and use a full diffusion panel in the back instead of the soft box.  I also might consider lighting it from the top instead of the back, possibly with a different color.  I also would work on decorating the box more, with ivy to show it is stuck and overgrown.  Overall, I think the box I made is very versatile and can be used for a variety of sessions and I look forward to exploring its versatility.

Finally, I’m generally happy with the results of this shoot.  Yes, improvements can be made but that is why we experiment.  You can see all images from the session here: The Box II

 

Credits:

Model: Anastasia (IG: @brunklestein)

Set Design: Heather (IG: @munchkin_photos_by_heather)