I thought I’d do something different for this post and just share my thoughts and methods on how I captured this image…
I took a trip to Utah this July with three photographers who work out of RAW Photographic Studios with me. Five models came along and we shot for two full days in various places. One of these spots was this very narrow slot canyon. It was late morning and the sky was extremely bright. Because it is such a narrow slot canyon, the light was blocked from coming in, so it was somewhat dark, but at this spot, the canyon it opened up a little so I had enough indirect light to work with.
I had just taken some images of Axel at this spot and got one of the photographers, Joe, to jump in and pose with her for this shot. Because the light was flat, I positioned a flash back into the canyon about ten feet behind Axel and aimed it up toward her to highlight the edges of her body and separate her from the canyon wall. I didn’t use a light meter, so my first shot was just to get a sense for light levels. As you can see from this picture it was way too hot.
I adjusted the power level on the flash from the remote trigger on my camera. I got lucky with my guess and you can see from the second test shot that the light is essentially where I needed it to be. The ambient light was enough to expose them sufficiently and the level of the flash gave a kiss of light to her body without blowing out the whites. Unfortunately, it was late enough in the morning that the bright light shining high on the canyon walls on camera-left blew out any details in that corner. But there was really nothing I could do to correct that. I was hoping I could recover some of that in post production or at least crop it.
Now it was time to capture the shot. I had suggested this pose where the female character has a powerful stance and the man is subservient, looking up at her with adoration. They totally got it and moved into those positions quite instinctively, so there was not much to adjust in terms of posing. On this third try I think Axel lost her balance and the expression was off.
On this forth and final shot, she nailed it. She leaned into the hip, dropping her right shoulder and creating what we call a contrapposto pose. Her head is turned to that hip to finish it off nicely, creating a beautiful S-shape with her body. Her nose is within the edge of her cheek so we see the beautiful contours of her face. Her nose is not hit by the flash, which would have drawn unwanted attention to her nose. Her arms frame her face nicely and contribute to her sense of power. Joe nailed his positioning as well. I really had no significant adjustments to make. I was happy with the result and we moved on to another pose. Keep scrolling to find out what editing I did to get to the final image.
In post production, I decided to use AI to replace the blown out areas in the top left of the image. I liked the spot of sky as it put this small canyon into perspective. I also loved the texture of the walls and didn’t want to crop them too much.
The light adjustments were minor. I pulled up the exposure just half a stop and that was all for global adjustments.
I brought up the highlights on Axel a tiny bit and because Joe’s skin was so white compared to Axel, I turned down the exposure on him.
I put a radial gradient that covered Axel’s upper body and Joe’s head, then inverted it to create a very broad vignette and focus the light on their faces and expressions.
There is no skin retouching. The light is soft and flat enough to hid imperfections.
In terms of issues, my focus is a little soft. The light was not perfect, but was good enough to capture this shot. I had spread out Axel’s dress along the ground hoping to create a leading line, but we were working fast and did not take the time to lay it out carefully, so instead of straight leading lines formed by folds in the fabric, we ended up with what looks like a heap of crumpled fabric, so I cropped most of that out. There are some fine wrinkles in the dress, but I don’t like editing and I don’t want to take the time to smooth them out. This image is only going to be seen on Instagram and I don’t think anyone’s going to notice.
And here again is the final image. It works partly through design, but also a bit of good luck. The environment is stunning. The warm, earthy colors and rough textures of the canyon stand out against the softness of the skin and fabric. Axel and Joe posed brilliantly.
I’m not big on the idea that every photo needs to tell a story. Coming from a dance background, I tend to focus more on line, shape, and form and take a more aesthetic approach to photography rather than a narrative one. But I am inspired by early European art and this image reflects that. It has a bit of a mythological feel to it, where the woman represents a goddess or a powerful feminine archetype, and the man a worshiper or devotee. There is a purposeful display of this woman’s power. This could also represent a moment from a “hero’s journey,” where the male figure has reached a point of surrender or learning, guided by the feminine figure. However, some viewers might look at it differently and focus on the subtle eroticism.
I was pleased that I was able to capture this shot in only four clicks. My photography man-crush is Damien Lovegrove who typically sets up his lights and nails his shot on the first click. It’s an incredible skill. Maybe one day I’ll get there.