Taking Portraits With a Macro LensRoxanne Sahlin uses the Tamron SP 90mm Macro lens to show her subjects from a beautiful bokeh perspective. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Roxanne Sahlin |
Roxanne Sahlin can usually be found in the lush parks and gardens of Southern Florida, capturing local flora and fauna with her arsenal of Tamron lenses. She recently headed out for a session with human subjects, placing her models against the Sunshine State's verdant backgrounds and capturing them with the Tamron SP 90mm Macro lens. |
"I love the softness I can get with that lens," she says. "I took all of these portraits at F/2.8: I was able to create beautiful bokeh in all of them so that nothing's competing with my subjects." |
Roxanne also appreciates the 90mm's light weight and portability for her portrait shoots. "Down here in Florida, we've got all kinds of greenery and critters," she says. "Sometimes you can't get into certain areas with lots of equipment and heavy lenses. This lens is perfect because it lets me get to where I want to get without having to drag something around that weighs a ton. I also use a combination reflector-diffuser on my flash and often have to reach down and position it with one hand, which I wouldn't be able to do with larger lenses. I have arthritis, too, so it's a big boost to be able to still do the photography I want to out in the field with a lens that's so light and handles so well." |
Before the session begins, Roxanne talks to her model to find out what kind of look she wants for her portrait and her comfort level in terms of location. "One of my models, Shannon, was into a more romantic, dreamy look, so we went to a manicured garden with rose bushes," she says. "We have a lot of alligators and other creatures here in Florida, and some of my subjects might be too tense always looking over their shoulders to see what's coming, and Shannon is one of those subjects. My model, Karen, on the other hand, adores being out in the wilderness - she's a real tomboy who would climb a tree if I asked her to. That's when she's most relaxed, which carries over to the pictures I take." |
Roxanne also asks her models to bring something from home to help during the session. "I tell them to bring props that mean something to them, maybe a scarf or a hat," she says. "In the case of Shannon, I asked her to bring some books, because she's a fiction writer and books are important to her. The image becomes more intimate if it's about the model and something she's interested in. It also gives her something to hold onto so she's less likely to be standing there with her arms clenched." |
Engaging her subjects with a little silliness loosens them up for the duration of the session. "I let them know when we're starting out that we're not doing anything serious for the first few frames," Roxanne says. "I'll often do something to make them laugh or tell a funny story. It's difficult, if not impossible, to be tense after you've been laughing." |
For really nervous subjects, Roxanne has another trick she employs. "Shannon, for example, is more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it," she says. "So I told her to close her eyes for a minute and keep them closed. While she was doing that, I framed my shot and set everything up. I then told her to take a deep breath and open her eyes. She was totally relaxed by that point, and I was able to immediately take the picture." |
Sharing her enthusiasm for the image and her subjects' beauty is also contagious. "As we go along, I have a tendency to get very excited," Roxanne says. "I'll say, 'Oh, my gosh, you have to see this!' and I'll show the model the back of the camera and say, "Look how gorgeous you are.' There's something beautiful in everybody, and I love being able to show them that in the image." |
Choosing a simple background to complement her subjects is one of Roxanne's first goals. "First I take into consideration the model's hair color and clothing: If she's blonde, I'll often choose a darker background," Roxanne says. "By the same token, if she's got dark hair or is wearing dark clothes, I don't want to place her in front of a dark building." |
Using the 90mm lens allows Roxanne to achieve the bokeh she wants to include in her portraits so that her subjects are the main focus. "I move them far enough away from these backgrounds we've chosen so that the light comes in and it's nice and soft-looking, with a dreamy-looking background," she says. "My subjects should be what the viewer is really taking in, not the background." |
For a profile shot of Karen, Roxanne positioned her in front of a large palmetto frond. "I moved her far enough from the frond so that it showed the shape of the frond and the lines in it, but without making it too prominent," she says. "For a picture of Shannon, I intentionally included some of the roses that were close to me because I knew they were going to blur out at that aperture and give the image a soft, romantic look." |
Roxanne likes to first observe the environment she's working in to place her subject in the perfect light. "I try to get out early enough on a shoot so I can give myself a cushion of time to check out the light quality," she says. "Because I want to see how that light is framing them, I won't just have my models stand in one spot: I'll ask them to walk around so I can see how the light reacts with their features and the shadows it's creating. For instance, I may be getting really pretty shadows that play up a model's cheekbones, or I may see harsh shadows that make a nose look larger than it really is. Often, though, a prominent feature you think won't look good in an image actually looks beautiful if it's in the right light." |
For those times when she does want to downplay certain features, Roxanne uses a variety of techniques. "If somebody's got a very strong chin, for example, I'll tend to take a picture in three-quarters so it's not the first thing you see," she says. "I always try to make sure the eyes are in focus and that that's what the viewer will really notice. The eyes are the heart of the portrait for me - that's where you make your real connection." |
Roxanne will use flash on occasion to help control the light she's working with. "I don't want harsh shadows that make it look like there are hollows for eyes," she says. "When I was working with Shannon in the garden, it was early morning, and she was slightly backlit or in places where the light was kind of blocked. There was enough light, but there were shadows falling on her face, and they weren't becoming. I used the gold side of my reflector and moved it around to lend a warmer look. I used the flash and set my camera exposure compensation at -1 and the flash exposure compensation at +1. That allowed me to give just a little kiss of light, keep the detail and that vibrant color, and not wash her out." |
Sometimes those rich colors can actually take away from the image, so Roxanne will convert her shots to black and white in those cases. "One of the things that's both good and bad about Florida is that things grow so well here," she says. "In the shot where my model Karen is leaning on the stump of dead wood, we were next to a river. It was early morning, with this gorgeous light coming in from the front over the trees. But there was greenery around her, green trees behind her - when I looked at the shot in color, the first thing I saw was all that green. I loved the look on her face, so I chose to convert to B&W to take a lot of the elements out that were distracting." |
Perhaps the most beautiful image of her photo session with Karen took place when Roxanne least expected it: at sunset, after she had packed all of her equipment up and was leaving the park. "It was just one of those wonderful, happy occurrences," she says. "We were driving out of the park when the sun was starting to go down, and the whole place was lit up like it was on fire. I pulled the car over and we trampled through the growth to get to a good spot. We both got down in the grass and I told her, 'Let's just have fun with this.' That's when she started peeking through the grass. The only light on her was the light from the sun. I just kept taking pictures till I got the perfect shot." |
To see more of Roxanne Sahlin's work with her husband, Doug Sahlin, go to www.dougplusrox.com or to their Facebook page. |