Senior portrait photographer, Ali Johnson, shares her story behind the shot in this Film Noir inspired senior session.
Every year I plan different creative sessions with my senior models. For this shot of Sydney Small, my goal was to capture the drama and sophistication of a 1940’s, Film Noir movie. I wanted hard light with lots of shadows and contrast. I used an Einstein flash unit with a 22” gridded beauty dish as the main light, and an AlienBees B800 flash unit with the 7” standard reflector and 20° grid, to add some light to the background. I love the quality of light that comes from the Einstein. Even turning it into a hard light source, it still produces beautiful results!
EQUIPMENT USED
Einstein Flash Unit
22” Silver High Output Beauty Dish
AlienBees (B800) Flash Unit
7” Standard Reflector
20° Honeycomb Grid
ADDITIONAL IMAGES FROM THE SERIES
*Photographer’s Note: The cigarettes in these photos are fake, and were used only as part of the Film Noir theme.
About Ali Johnson
Ali Johnson, located in the Central Virgina area, is a nationally published professional photographer that specializes in senior portraits.
Johnson has photographed many different genres throughout her career, but senior portraits have become her all time favorite. Johnson offers both studio and outdoor sessions and loves to create interesting photos that represent the individuality of each of her clients!
Johnson also teaches lighting & editing classes to photographers of all levels.
BUFF BASICS 