Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try out this “art noir photography fashion” thing for a while now. It just looks so cool and dramatic, you know? So, I finally decided to give it a shot today. Here’s how it went:
Getting Started
First, I needed a model. Luckily, my friend Sarah was totally up for it. She’s got this amazing look that I thought would be perfect for the noir vibe. Then, I had to think about the outfit. We went with a classic trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat, and some killer heels. Very film noir, very dramatic.
Setting the Scene
Next up was finding the right location. I wanted something that felt a bit moody and mysterious. I ended up choosing this old alleyway downtown. It had these awesome brick walls and fire escapes – perfect for that gritty, urban feel. The lighting was a bit tricky, though. It was a pretty cloudy day, which was good for the overall mood, but I needed to add some extra light to make sure Sarah didn’t disappear into the shadows.
Playing with Light and Shadow
This is where the fun really started! I used a single, off-camera flash with a small softbox. I positioned it to create some strong shadows on Sarah’s face and body. The idea was to have a lot of contrast – really bright highlights and really dark shadows. I played around with the flash position a lot, moving it higher, lower, closer, and further away to see what kind of effects I could get.
- High flash position: This created long, dramatic shadows, almost like she was under a street lamp.
- Low flash position: This gave a more mysterious, almost sinister look, with the shadows falling upwards.
Posing and Composition
Posing was crucial. I had Sarah lean against the brick wall, tilt her head down, and look off into the distance. We tried a few different poses – some with her looking directly at the camera, some with her looking away. I wanted to capture that classic noir feeling of mystery and intrigue. I also played with the composition, using the lines of the alleyway and fire escape to draw the viewer’s eye to Sarah.
Post-Processing
I shoot everything in RAW so that when I get to edit I have total control. I imported all the pictures and started the culling process of picking out the best ones. Once I had the best ones I opened them up in my editing software to start making them black and white.
I bumped up the contrast – a lot. Noir photography is all about those deep blacks and bright whites.I also added a bit of grain to give it that old-school film look, dodged and burned some spots and boom. I had some great-looking pictures.
The Final Result
Honestly, I was pretty stoked with how the photos turned out! They definitely had that art noir vibe I was going for. It was a lot of fun experimenting with the lighting and posing, and I learned a ton. I’m definitely going to try this again, maybe with a different location and outfit next time. Maybe even add a prop, like a vintage cigarette holder or something. The possibilities are endless!
