Featured Photographer – Gregory Mohn
1. Tell us a bit about the image 2. What inspired you to take the shot? 3. What gear did you use for the shot including lighting? 4. Tell us about the editing process? 5. How does this piece reflect you as an artist
his is a shot of my friend Victoria who would often entertain my weird ideas. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn’t and sometimes they were disasters. This one worked. The “dress” is just one of my turtleneck sweaters, and it just happened to fit her like a cool mod dress (with a belt supplied by her). It was shot in 2012.
2. What inspired you to take the shot?
You know those weird, random thoughts you get in the shower for no reason. This was one of them. It was bouncing around my head for about a year until I was able to really decide how to do it, and who would fit. It was a time when I was really experimenting with Photoshop and creating abstract, but realistic images with people.
3. What gear did you use for the shot including lighting?
It was shot with a Nikon D800 with the 24-70 lens at 32mm, f/8 because everything needed to be in focus. It was locked down on a tripod so there would be no angle/distance differences. If I recall, there was a single large softbox above camera right for lighting. Probably either a 5′ box or a 4′ octobox.
4. Tell us about the editing process?
The editing was interesting. This is a composite of four different images. One of her just holding the balloon as normal. One of the front of her with her hair down, one with her hair up, and one from her back with her hair in a low ponytail. Most of what you’re seeing of her hair is the back of her head. Then, I needed to warp and bend the hair to make it look like it was going into her hand and out the bottom in a different place. All the shadows are real shadows, except moved up a bit to include them in the shot. Otherwise, the shadows of her head and balloon would be almost completely hidden by her body and arm and it looked strange when I had it like that.
5. How does this piece reflect you as an artist
It doesn’t. I’m not an artist. I simply see things either with my mind or with my eyes and I try to recreate them as best I can with the camera and editing. But the fun thing about art is that despite the most honest attempt, people are going to see what they want to see. So is this social commentary? Is it satire? Is it a catalog shot to sell a belt? Depends on who you ask. I don’t bother to tell people what they should think it is.
Follow Gregory on:
instagram – @goodeggproductions