Mike Young of Growth Myndset
Recently I had the pleasure of photographing Mike Young for branding and publicity materials for his company, Growth Myndset.
Mike delivers keynote speeches, participates in panel discussions, and runs engaging and accessible workshops centred around topics such as gender & sexual diversity, healthy/toxic masculinities, intersectional feminism, privilege, anti-oppression, sexual violence, leadership development, mental health, positive psychology, self-care, and habit building.
After discussing his brand and the kinds of photos he would need going forward, we decided to shoot a few different types of portraits all on a white background. We wanted the images to convey a welcoming, approachable, positive energy. Rather than going for a harsh, stark, or moody setup, I went very soft with everything - the lighting, tones, and depth of field. I also wanted the expressions to compliment this idea as well.
I wanted to have a little bit of depth to the scene that I could blur out slightly with my aperture settings, so I decided to use a V flat for the background, as well as a table for the sitting shots. I also didn't want to blow out the background to a pure white since I was looking to have softer white tones, so this informed how I lit the portraits as well. Read on for more technical info.
Technical Information:
I used a Profoto B1X head in a Deep White XL Umbrella with diffusion for the key (and only) light source, positioned camera left at about 45/45. I used a V flat slightly folded as the background, and another V flat for fill on the right side.
This lighting setup combined with short distances between all elements allowed me to use this single light for the whole scene while creating a flattering falloff and tonal range on all surfaces.
The light was triggered and controlled by Air Sync and Air USB. I shot on a Nikon D850 with the Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art, tethered to CaptureOne via TetherTools to my Apple MacBook Pro in an SKB case.
Assisting and BTS by Kamara Morozuk and Brennan Zeran.
Retouching by Kyleigh Telford.
Mike delivers keynote speeches, participates in panel discussions, and runs engaging and accessible workshops centred around topics such as gender & sexual diversity, healthy/toxic masculinities, intersectional feminism, privilege, anti-oppression, sexual violence, leadership development, mental health, positive psychology, self-care, and habit building.
After discussing his brand and the kinds of photos he would need going forward, we decided to shoot a few different types of portraits all on a white background. We wanted the images to convey a welcoming, approachable, positive energy. Rather than going for a harsh, stark, or moody setup, I went very soft with everything - the lighting, tones, and depth of field. I also wanted the expressions to compliment this idea as well.
Technical Information:
I used a Profoto B1X head in a Deep White XL Umbrella with diffusion for the key (and only) light source, positioned camera left at about 45/45. I used a V flat slightly folded as the background, and another V flat for fill on the right side.
This lighting setup combined with short distances between all elements allowed me to use this single light for the whole scene while creating a flattering falloff and tonal range on all surfaces.
The light was triggered and controlled by Air Sync and Air USB. I shot on a Nikon D850 with the Sigma 85mm 1.4 Art, tethered to CaptureOne via TetherTools to my Apple MacBook Pro in an SKB case.
Assisting and BTS by Kamara Morozuk and Brennan Zeran.
Retouching by Kyleigh Telford.
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