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Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
With a little Photoshop trickery,
you can have your model
floating in the air with an
umbrella, just like Mary
Poppins. To get the shot, you
need to set up your camera on
a tripod and have your model
pose on a sturdy stepladder
with their arm outstretched.
Safety is the number one
priority, so ask a friend to hold
the ladder for extra stability. If
you’re shooting on your own,
use your camera’s self-timer
and hold the ladder yourself.
Once you’ve taken the shot, ask
your model to move out of the
frame and remove the ladder.
With your camera locked on
the tripod you can now take asecond shot of the blank scene,
with identical framing.
Open the two files in Adobe
Bridge and select
To o l s > P h o to s h o p > L o a d F i l e s
into Photoshop Layers. With the
blank layer positioned on the
bottom, you can use a soft
eraser, or layer mask, to
carefully remove the ladder.Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Exposure: 1/640 sec, f/9, ISO200CREATIVE PORTRAITS
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com 49
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Exposure: 1/100 sec, f/4, ISO2006KDG\VKRWV
Cast a shadow
The intricate pattern on a
vintage lace parasol can be
used to cast some interesting
shadows on your model. We
purchased our delicate brolly
online for just £4, but similar
props – like the brim of a mesh
straw hat – can work just as
well. Strong shadows are key, so
be sure to shoot on a sunny day.
Ask your model to move the
parasol around until the desired
shadow is cast. You can shoot
in Aperture Priority or Manual
mode, and experiment with
different apertures to alter the
depth of field. The bright
conditions will allow you to
shoot at lower ISOs, just make
sure that you shoot at a suitable
shutter speed to mitigate any
possible camera shake.