CREATIVE SESSION WITH EMERSON

I’m Gilmar Smith, I’m a creative portrait photographer based in Orlando, Fl. It is not secret that I love photography. More than a job for me is my obsession, my therapy, my happy place. So whenever I find myself in the studio I try my best to enjoy every second of the creative process by experimenting, testing and creating something different and new. This was exactly the vibe of this photoshoot with Emerson Walsh. We scheduled this shoot for my birthday, and I know, lots of people would rather have this date reserved on the calendar for some celebration, but for me, there’s nothing I rather do than spend my birthday in a creative flow instead of counting candles and everything that comes with that number.

To start, I put together one of my favorite photography set up. The setup I use is very simple, and it consists of a white seamless paper background and a V-Flat on the black side. You can get creative on the lighting, meaning you can light the subject on the black side by placing the main light on the side where the black V Flat by V-Flat World is placed so you can create contrast, or you can keep the darks and the lights separately by placing the light on the side of the white seamless. You can also place the V-Flat horizontally, as demonstrated in the image above.

PLAYING
WITH
STICKERS

This is one of the most fun and playful things you can do in a photoshoot. A while ago I came up with the idea of using dots stickers to decorate my background papers and give it a whimsy vibe and I bought lots of dot stickers in different sizes and colors. Now they have become a favorite cheap tool to use on my sessions.

Here I wanted to play in black and white and decided to incorporate stickers to my subject’s clothing as well. The results are super fun! 100% recommend 😉

My goal is always to create different looks in the least amount of time and effort! Using a spotlight reflector gives me the ability to create different looks with lights and shadows. As you can see here these images were shot on a plain white seamless paper. But the effect created with light and shadows make the pictures stand out. It gives them a mysterious element to the first two pictures with the stripe of light; and a playful element to the pictures were I used a star gobo.

DISCO BALL REFLECTIONS

Let’s get this disco party started! still using the same old white paper seamless, I brought in my favorite props. The disco balls! They create such a magical light atmosphere to the set.

Now, to get this effect with disco balls you have to make sure to use hard light. In this case, I am using a spot reflector and its pointing directly to my subject and disco balls. If you were to do this with a softbox modifier on your light, the reflections won’t be as noticeable. So keep that in mind!

ADDING COLOR.

Here’s another simple, but impactful set up modification. I’m still using the same white seamless paper as my background and the same spot reflector on my light. The only change made here from the previous pictures is that I added a red overall light. This can be done by either adding a red gel to your light or if you used RGBW lights, you just simply set it to red.

Point the red light to the ceiling to make it spread evenly all over the set and then play with the white light on the reflector to create shapes and shadows.

DRAGGING THE SHUTTER.

Another thing you can try on your next photoshoot is to add some blur in your images. You can do that by slowing the shutter on your camera. This technique requires a lot of trial and error until you get the right amount of blur, but it is super fun. The effects always look better when your subject has jewelry or an outfit that reflects light, so it can create a trace of light.

To finish up I added Mylar Paper to the floor and few different tube lights in different colors. The Mylar in combination with the color lights makes the most beautiful reflections on the white seamless paper and on the model’s skin.

I’m passionate about creating unique, captivating portraits that truly reflect the essence of my clients. If you’re looking for a creative portrait session that stands out, I’d love to work with you! Let’s capture your story in a way that’s beautifully you. Book your session today and let’s create something amazing together!