Member Spotlight: PieFace Photography – Portrait Photography
June 5th, 2023
This month we went in depth about the making of a favorite image with Zenfolio member Rhonda Dumas of PieFace Photography. Rhonda is a 34 year old self-taught photographer, born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been doing photography for 3 years, and describes herself as a picture taking person. Rhonda shared: “I liked to document and take a picture of everything! I just looove to take pictures! So I think it was only fitting to do it professionally. My absolute favorite part about photography is showing my clients their images, and hearing them say “Rhonda, I love it!” That gets me every time. It’s also a reminder that I’m doing a great job at what I love.”
The making of: an authentic couple portrait.
I chose this image because I think it gives a genuine feel of two people in love. Although I posed them, they chose to get as close as possible and close their eyes. I think that happened with connected energy; I’m just happy I was able to capture it.
My initial goal was to get the statue behind them that symbolizes love, but as I walked around them to catch different angles of the shot I noticed the sun was peeking through the bushes right above their heads, and I knew right away my goal had changed! It was a must to get that lens flare with this shot. And boy did I get it!
Editing for contrast with a lens flare.
During editing, I wanted to make this image warm and moody, but also keep a brightness to it. I also didn’t want the subjects to get lost in the haziness from the sun. To achieve this look I turned my highlights all the way down, but boosted my exposure and turned up my whites so it could keep a bright vibrant look. To grab my subjects back from the sun I boosted up my dehaze significantly! Dehaze was the perfect tool because I get the clarity I was looking for on my subjects with the gorgeous lens flare. I also turned up the luminance in my greens to really make the bokeh pop!
Client preparation for a positive experience.
I was highly recommended to this couple, so I planned ahead and got details on what they wanted and expected to prepare for this shoot. I also asked them if they had any poses or props they wanted to incorporate in the session. I made sure to make them feel as comfortable as possible and reassured them to be themselves.
Love is love.
Part of why I love this image so much is because I am in love as well and it’s such a great feeling. Love is love. No matter the race, or gender, love is just overall a great thing! To me, this image just says “we love each other, and that’s all that matters.”
You can see more of Rhonda’s work on her portrait portfolio website, and follow along on her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark lV
Lens: EF 85mm 1.8 USM
Exposure: 1/800 sec
Where: Four Seasons New Orleans, LA
