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Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress

Bollywood at Blackford Pond

This is the second shoot I did with Savitha. When we first got in touch, she told me we could either do a Hip Hop themed shoot or a Bollywood one. It was November and when I think of Bollywood I first think about colour. I told her we can do Hip Hop first (see this blog post) and when the spring/summer colours are on, we could go for a Bollywood themed shoot.

She sent me a few pictures of her outfits, and when I saw the yellow one, I know this would look great in a natural setting. I chose to shoot at Blackford Pond as it has become one of my favourite locations in Edinburgh.

We started with some full lengths shots to showcase the full outfit. I used a speedlight in a softbox to light the whole series of photographs. It allows me to underexpose the background and saturate the colours of the foliage.

Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
The beautiful yellow dress provides a nice colour contrast with the background.
Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
I let Savitha go through many poses.
Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Showing the jewellery with a profile pose.
Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Bollywood drama.
Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
I asked her if she could go through some poses showcasing her veil.
Full length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Love the lines and shapes produced by her arms and veil.

I then moved in a little closer to better show her jewellery and hand poses.

Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Her favourite pic.
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Notice that for this series, we switched backgrounds.
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
My softbox light is at camera right for this series
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
Slightly different pose than her favourite. I always stress that small changes in body posture can produce significant differences in the final outcome.
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
I then switched to horizontal framing.
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
I again asked her to showcase her veil.
Half-length photograph of dancer in traditional Indian Bollywood dress
My favourite of the shoot.

Finally, we found a spot where I could use the pond as a backdrop.

Half-length portrait of Bollywood dancer
I love the way the tree branches in the background mirror the shape of the veil.
Half-length portrait of Bollywood dancer
Love the smile.
Half-length portrait of Bollywood dancer
Switching background for the final series.
Half-length portrait of Bollywood dancer
I evened out the tones in the background in post-production to avoid distractions.
Half-length portrait of Bollywood dancer
I underexposed the background a bit more for this pic for a slightly more dramatic image.

 

 

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