The desire for a very nice, formal, quiet dinner is something Toni and I have always had in common. Because of this, we traditionally celebrate Valentine’s Day one week early.
We created this portrait last night moments before we left the house to celebrate at one of our favorite restaurants, Eddie V’s.
Without question, my wife is absolutely more beautiful than the day we met.
I love you honey. Happy Valentines Day.
P.S. I ate the leftovers.
For those interested, the lighting used in this portrait is called Butterfly Lighting, originally used in the 1930’s for lighting movie stars. Some say the shadow created under the nose looks like a butterfly. Personally, I just don’t see it.
With butterfly lighting, the light is directly overhead. You should see distinct shadows on the sides of the face. In this portrait of Toni, I’ve turned her face, which meant I had to turn the light overhead as well to maintain the shadows on the side of the face, and in doing so I was able to show off her beautiful jawline.
For my own personal taste, I like to use a very large 6 foot tall soft box behind the camera which I turn down to almost it’s lowest per setting. It then acts as a very soft fill light which adds a very delicate amount of detail to the shadow area of the image.
And lastly, for the composition of this image.
Composition is so incredibly important in portraiture. In my opinion, it is it’s own art form and is a primary part of what separates portraiture for fine portraiture.
In this particular portrait, I used the “Golden Spiral” to draw attention to Toni’s diamond necklace, which then draws you to her diamond ear ring, and then to her face. A triangle. Then you notice the three openings in her dress. Another Triangle.
[…] Below is the portrait I created of my wife Toni. […]