Backstory
I couldn’t have imagined a better outcome for this planned shoot. We had the perfect sunset to show off just how amazing you can make your photos with Atmosphere Aerosol. Click here to view more pictures from this shoot and read more about how it was planned.
Set-Up
At the beginning of the photo shoot, I was very disappointed with how quickly the Atmosphere Aerosol blew away before it could even be captured in a photo. It wasn't even a windy day! However, with a little trial and error, we realized that we needed to use a lot of it to make an impact. Once we got the hang of it, it became much easier to work with. After getting some shots in the woods with the light shining through the trees, I decided to chase the light a bit and looked around the park for another spot. As soon as I noticed a little patch of light streaming through the trees, I positioned my model right in front of the light. I positioned my off-camera flash camera left.
I vigorously sprayed the Atmosphere Aerosol behind my model. The air was still, and I was amazed with how much time we had with the light like this. It may have been 5 minutes or 15, I'm really not sure. I just kept taking pictures (and loving every second of it). I remember putting my camera down a minute here and there just to stop and look to admire the light and how much I truly love photography!
Gear and Settings
Camera: Canon 7d Mark ii
Lens: Canon 100mm f/2.8L
Camera settings: f/3.2, shutter 1/160 and iso 250
As you can see from this shot without the flash (below), I exposed for the background. Then, I set my flash to add a kiss of light to my model. (I prefer the pose in the above picture as it is a more relaxed and natural expression.)
Post Processing
My post processing included minor adjustments in Lightroom: white balance, slight contrast boost (+14), slight vibrance boost (+5), tone curve adjustment and added a slight vignette. I also decreased my highlights (-27) to darken the yellow sun beams and I tweaked a bit of the green luminance in the HSL panel to darken the grass.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Erika Sneeringer is a litigation paralegal and hobbyist photographer living in Baltimore, Maryland USA. Outside of photography, her favorite activities are hiking and exploring the outdoors with her family. You can view Erika’s portfolio here or follow her on Instagram at esneer1.