Achieving the Bohemian Portrait
Achieving the Bohemian Portrait
A popular style of photography – and one of my favorites – is the bohemian style of portraiture. This type of photography is defined by more than just the clothing style. Dictionary.com defines “bohemian” as; “living a wandering or vagabond life, as a Gypsy,” and as a person who “lives and acts free of regard for conventional rules and practices.” The goal of Bohemian-style photography is to convey this free-spirited feeling. The many factors you can consider to help achieve this look include lighting, pose, setting, movement, and facial expression. Today we’ll discuss things photographers and models can do to make this look a success.
Model: Ashley BeLoat – www.facebook.com/Ashley.BeLoat.images – IG: @ashleybeloat
Photographer: Tami Keehn – www.tamariephotography.com – IG: @tamikeehn
Hair & Makeup Artistry: Lauren DeCosimo – www.pinnedandproper.com – IG: @laurendecosimo
Bouquet & Headpiece: Emma’s Flowers of West Melbourne – stores.emmasflowers.us
Dress: Free People – www.freepeople.com – IG: @freepeople
Behind the Lens
Photographers, your planning begins with location choice. This style of portraiture thrives on settings in nature – particularly wide and open spaces where your model has the freedom to move around. Trees are wonderful, but you may also want to choose a place where the overgrowth isn’t too thick to allow natural light through. The important thing is that the setting you choose communicates that of being a free spirit – whatever that means to you.
Next, when selecting your model, choose somebody who will be comfortable enough to move around. Nothing says “freedom” like hair flowing in the breeze, fabric lifting into the air during a spin, or dancing blissfully through an open field. If you don’t know the model well, suggest she bring a friend or family member due to the likely isolated nature of the location. This will promote her comfort on-set and help her relax for the photos.
If you will be using a hair and makeup artist, be sure to instruct them to choose earth-toned pigments and give the model a natural glow. The hairstyle shouldn’t be too stiff and should allow some form of movement. You can also ask the makeup artist to give a nice sunkissed bronzing and highlight to accentuate the natural light.
Speaking of natural light, this is a tool you can really experiment with in your interpretation of the bohemian style. Sunset is a very magical time to shoot this concept because of the lovely honey golds in the sky. You can position the model behind the light and cast unique shadows across her face for a more mysterious look, or you can have her turn so she is in front of the light for a dreamy backlit scene. Play around and see what appeals to you.
Lastly comes color choice. Just as the makeup, earth-tones and warm colors will help greatly in achieving this look. Instruct your boutique or model to provide clothing with this color palette to accentuate the nature being captured in the scene. When editing your captures in post-production, keep in mind that warm tones may embrace the style better than cool tones. But once again, the important thing is that you artistically interpret what “free spirit” means to you in your images.
In Front of the Camera
Models, decide in your head what the words “freedom” and “free spirit” mean to you. Keep this definition in mind throughout the planning and shooting process. Let them guide your artistic decisions when the photographer gives you creative freedom. It’s important to know what these things mean to you before showing up on-set so that you can better communicate with your body language and expressions.
If you will be supplying the clothing for the shoot, make sure to choose light airy pieces with every outfit. The goal is to not look/feel too stiff or rigid in the final photos, so pieces that show movement well are the best bet. When choosing jewelry, you can opt for thin and layered pieces, numerous small rings, layered bangles, feathers, or pieces made of wood. Accessories are a great way to have fun with this look! You can also go completely natural and skip the accessories. Discuss this with your photographer and at the very least, bring a few options just in case.
When posing, be prepared to have fun and possibly get a little dirty. You’re most likely going to be out in the elements a bit, possibly even asked to go wading in a stream. No matter what you are asked to do, remember to keep a relaxed posture and keep your movements fluid. It’s a good rule of thumb to keep this style appearing effortless and weightless as opposed to stiff and over-posed. Give a good spin and let your hair/garments fly, let the breeze blow your hair slightly in front of your face, gently brush the tall grass with your hands, interact with your surroundings – do whatever creative things come to mind when you’re given the opportunity to pose yourself.
Keep your facial expressions soft and dreamlike. You may want to try to avoid facial tension as this could take away from the relaxed, free feeling of the photos. Remember that the goal in this style of photography is for everything in the frame to harmonize well and flow together. Let your body language and expressions go well with – not conflict with – your surroundings. Ask your photographer for feedback and let them help guide you with your body language and the softness of your features.
Model: Ashley BeLoat – www.facebook.com/Ashley.BeLoat.images – IG: @ashleybeloat
Photographer: Tami Keehn – www.tamariephotography.com – IG: @tamikeehn
Hair & Makeup Artistry: Lauren DeCosimo – www.pinnedandproper.com – IG: @laurendecosimo
Bouquet & Headpiece: Emma’s Flowers of West Melbourne – stores.emmasflowers.us
Dress: Free People – www.freepeople.com – IG: @freepeople
What are some of your strategies when attempting a Bohemian-style shot? What does “free-spirited” mean to you? How would you artistically translate this into a photo? Let me know in the comments below!
Until next week,
~Ashley BeLoat