If you know me, I have a thing for mirrors and reflections. I love the play on duality and the way it elucidates angles that we cannot see ourselves. For this shoot, I thought, why not instead of one mirror or two mirrors, add a third one!
Something about this set, hair/makeup and flash bouncing off the mirror reminded me of those old school Hollywood photographs of movie stars. So that’s what I went for — except I wanted a modern twist so I opted for cool tones and a pop of neon. If you zoom in, you’ll actually notice that the model’s earring is a red lip that matches hers. I love the little details and how they play off of the mood to create something more funky, unique and modern.
For this set, I used the Profoto A1 flash with a silver umbrella. The mirrors reflected the light back and illuminated the model’s face so I didn’t feel like I needed any other lights. However, I did have to retouch some clutter in the reflections but that was pretty simple; since the background is black, I brushed all the mess in with black. The strobe lighting in the back is both done in-camera and enhanced in photoshop using the lens flare tool. I went for the “Movie Prime” selection to reflect back on the old school movie theme.
This is one of my favorite photographs of 2018. I also think the crisp lighting and dramatic makeup could also pass as a Tom Ford or NARS beauty campaign!
Model - @GraceCotton
MUA - @Noparast.MUA
Styling/Creative Direction/Photo - @TheMusingEye