Behind the scenes of Studio Portraiture Session

Photo Session with Northumberland Artist Diana Fitzpatrick

So what’s it like behind the scenes of a studio portraiture session in my Northumberland Studio CameraWork45? We’ve all seen films where the camera zooms out of a photoshoot, revealing the set-up with its lights, stands, background, and so on…

For sure, a studio is not the most natural environment to have your photo taken in. Especially headshots and half-body shots where the sitter is often hemmed in by all sorts of kit with little wriggle-room to spare. It’s the price to pay for that unique studio-lighting look. And it’s why photographers need to be as adept at helping their sitters forget that the kit is there, as they are at setting it up in the first place.

Behind the scenes, what the studio set up for portraiture looked like.

With Diana, we agreed on a classic portraiture lighting set-up that we adjusted now and again. The photos below show how the studio was set up for her portraiture. Diana stood approximately where the stool was.  

For all of that kit and constraints, Diana quickly relaxed…

As I’d tethered the camera to a computer, we were able to review the photos regularly on a big screen as the session unfolded. Together we made a first selection of about 30 photos. Diana went on to select her five favourites. Each of these received extra attention in post-production. For example, I adjusted the colour of the background, removed the odd stray hair, and rebalanced the light where necessary.

Having your portrait taken is always a sensitive affair. It was a real treat to capture these portraits of Diana.

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Diana Fitzpatrick, Northumberland Artist Specialising in Printmaking and Stained Glass.

Diana is as warm and friendly in real life as she is in this set of photos. Talented printmaker and stained glass artist, you can find samples of her work on her Facebook Page @dianafitzpatrickartist. Better still, consider visiting her studio in Gallery Forty5 to meet her and see her work. You’ll have a wonderful time.