NYC portraits – Tatiana, violinist – photo session
Interesting people and photogenic characters – these are the subjects I was looking for in my forthcoming book project – Lighting & Design. An accomplished concert violinist, Tatiana, most certainly has an interesting life story so far … and quite photogenic. Tatiana was gracious enough to meet with me for a photo session. The location was up in Fort Tryon Park, NYC, where this older pathway and structure lent a certain classic look.
With a photo session, I always try for some variety – photographing the other person in a way that shows the personality, and specifically here, to make the violin very much part of the portrait of Tatiana. The image directly above (on the right-hand side) was actually a quick test shot to get my camera settings – but I like the fierce quality there in her look, so I kept it in the final selection. And with that, there’s a range in expression and setting with these images that I really aimed for, with Tatiana looking directly at the camera, and at times looking more introspective. I also changed my approach to photographic lighting here between series of images, to best enhance the look and feel of the place and ultimately, the portraits that we were creating. For more about Tatiana herself, do visit her website.
You did an awesome job Neil. Thanks for all you do.
Very interesting and attractive young lady. I notice she has some rim lighting to her right side. Is this natural or have you used flash?
Please elaborate on your lighting set up – I can’t wait for the book!
BTW, I particularly like the composition in the first vertical, where the arch of the violin is repeated in the OOF arch in the building>
Thank you! Yes, I did use a flash behind her for some rim-light for some of the photos. But I varied it during the session, between just available light, and one off-camera flash, and two off-camera flashes. I’ll discuss the setup in my new book, 60 Portraits.