AOP part 14: Shooting the Boots
I've already mentioned the boots. They really quite odd to look at as they seem to defy gravity According to Maja they are surprisingly comfortable and stable. A strong arch in the boot gives the same support as a heel, but without a heel. Anyway, enough cobblers (geddit?). How do you emphasise footwear?
Easy, get down to the floor and shoot wide angle. Now I am known for my abhorrence of wide-angle shots, by which I mean less than 80mm when shooting people.
Why? Because it introduces perspective distortion. Close objects look too big and distant objects look too small.
But of course this is exactly the affect I wanted to achieve here. I want the boots to be really strong in the frame and Maja just plays a supporting role. I was using 24mm focal length to achieve this.
A frequent problem with shooting wide angle is the introduction of too much background, not so much of an issue in an environment like this but a real pain in the studio where you see beyond the edges of the studio backdrops.
I have reduced this effect by having Maja lean forwards into the picture and giving a really strong tilt so the boots run diagonally from the corner of the frame. This lets me include more subject and less background in the image.
It also means that the lines in the environment are still working as leading lines. Notice how there are three different lines all leading to Maja's face. In addition the cable runs on the wall, the pillar and the horizon of the floor all lead to the boots.
This isn't accidental. My camera position, Maja's floor position and the details of the pose have all been adjusted to make this happen.
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This is an excerpt from "Anatomy of a Photoshoot" which gives a complete breakdown of two days shooting with a full in-depth step by step review of everything that I do.
It is available on Amazon
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