This whole shoot began with me having this idea of creating a set of photos only lit by real life candlelights. π That was the only dogma - so I asked if anyone would like to help me - and this sweet lady named Jennifer applied. π₯³ππ»
We've never met before but apparently she had been following me for quite some years on Instagram. π€·π»ββοΈβΊοΈ
Anyway..
My vision was clear from the start; We had to do this in complete darkness / in the evening, otherwise it wouldn't work. No sunlight could come in from the windows, since it would ruin the whole concept - so we arranged to meet up in the late afternoon a day at her place. πͺπ»
As seen below is was completely dark (also; it was January and in Denmark... what to expect? ππ€·π»ββοΈ It's like pitch black 23 out of 24 hours a day at that time a year.. haha) - and then I applied some red tones to the photos afterwards, to achieve this cozy vibe. βΊοΈ
(Above; a simulation of the vibe changes by adjusting the Kelvin in post-process)
You can either achieve that cozy red-ish look, manually on set, by adjusting your Kelvin / White Balance to fit your needs, but it's also possible to edit afterwards. I did a combination of these two options. π€
As mentioned, this whole setup was just meant as a little 'test' or 'I just want to have fun and do stuff I haven't done lately', so there wasn't any real requirements to the results - but I really like how calm and well Jennifer performed and fitted my original vision. βΊοΈ
Below is another setup we did, with a nude Jennifer laying on the floor surrounded by candlelights. Those I can't show, but you can check out the setup and imagine me shooting directly from above and down on her.
When working with such a low light as we did this evening, you obviously have to compensate with a high ISO on the camera. Since I shot on my Canon R5 I could easily crank it up on +3000 without getting too grainy looks (ironically, I added grains in the post-process.. ππ), because you need sharp images, not blurry.

(Above; 'The nude setup' without Jennifer in the middle)
I haven't much more to say about this set, other than again; it was just a test for me personally and I really really like the outcome. Do you? βΊοΈπ€·π»ββοΈ
As always: Please feel free to ask away about whatever you want to know about this shoot! βΊοΈ Technical stuff, practical stuff, tips or tricks - or simply just let me know what you think. π₯³ππ»
Mikkel Laumann
2025-03-20 13:12:28 +0000 UTCLars
2025-03-20 11:21:39 +0000 UTCMikkel Laumann
2025-03-20 10:40:50 +0000 UTCHenrik Rasmussen
2025-03-20 10:26:28 +0000 UTC