Deep in Thought John Lewis

John Lewis LRPS

This is not my typical genre of photography or processed in my style. I usually spend little time processing my images and they are normally not soft but have strong colours and lots of detail. I have struggled lately to enjoy my photography and had given up club competitions. Last year I attended a workshop in Hammerwood Park with Tim Pile and the model Lulu. I had photographed nudes in the past but this was the first time on location. It was totally outside my comfort zone but I needed to try something different. This was one of the last pictures of the day, using light coming through the window on the left. I loved the pose and the setting but the area was very untidy. The carpet was stained and ripped in places especially around the skirting board, so this had to be dealt with in Photoshop to obtain a nice even colour and look like new. Because the light was low the walls looked grey and the model’s skin was dark. There was a grey post supporting the steps directly below her feet, so that had to go. It still didn’t look right so I used two white layers to lighten the walls, statue and stairs, carefully masking out the model. Lulu was now too dark so I added another white layer, masking out the background so she could now blend in better with the background but I masked out her lips to leave a little colour.

I left it at this for a few days. Going back to the image I decided that Lulu needed to be softer so I created another white layer, masked out her hair, eyes and lips to draw attention to her face and, with careful dodging and burning, brought back the statue from the wall.