Jacky Recchiuti Portrait in front of Metal Background.
Metal Background Portraits are our latest obsession at our Dogpatch studio. We worked with our studio space neighbors at Shopfloor and J Liston Design to custom craft a metal background from thin rolled steel sheets. This background has amazing color to it and a nuanced texture. We left the seams and brackets visible for a craftsmanlike feel. There is metal on the floor as well, creating subtle reflections to add depth to full body portraits.
We light the photography in several different manners to achieve a look and feel that is stylish and modern while keeping it classic.
Natural Light Metal Background Portraits
Actor Suliman Nuranshah in front of the Metal Background
I was always inspired by Irving Penn’s Small Trades portraits as well as his other studio work. Mr. Penn always used light from windows in the ceiling and walls of his space to provide the illumination. We have a skylight in our SF studio that imparts a similar feel. In these natural light versions of our metal portraits, we employ a very narrow depth-of-field. This results in closeups that have only the eyes in focus, drawing attention to the eyes. This light is evenly distributed for full body portraits and the metal background is at its most lustrous. These are great for social media, dating websites or personal branding.
Big Side Light Portraits
Kyndi Employee Group in Front of the Metal Background
In our Big Side Light Metal Portraits we set two huge reflecting umbrellas with diffusers on one side. This creates a strong, dramatic and focused aesthetic. The metal takes on a charcoal hue and has striking reflections. Full-body portraits are particularly stunning. Props that indicate your art or profession can be used with great effect in these portraits. Ideal for creative fields, website portraits, small group photos or editorial use.
Beauty Dish Portraits
Beauty Dish Portrait of Erika Taniguchi in front of the Metal Background
In the closeup beauty dish portraits, we get the same drama as the Big Side Light photos, but the background becomes dark and mysterious – almost, but not quite black. As the name implies, the beauty dish baths your face in soft light, but shadows are deep and dramatic as well. This is an ideal look for a stunning portrait. These work well for models and actors, creative professionals and personal branding.
Our Metal Background Portraits are available as part of our 60 minute sessions. This allows us time to engineer the lighting exactly for each client and craft a custom portrait that you will always treasure. We can also use the Metal Background Portraits as part of a custom personal branding website session.
You can book your 60 minute session on the Book Now page of our website. If you would like a custom personal branding session please send us an email or give us a call and we will be glad to discuss the scope of your project and provide a quote.
Puppeteer Niki Ulehla and Her Marionettes in front of the Metal Background
