Chelsea Chorpenning

A recent shoot with Grace @duchessofcameron in my home studio, sparked by visual references she found: classic chef portraits and an actor headshot with an olive green backdrop and painterly lighting. With her white chef coat as a key constraint (we didn’t want it disappearing into a white background), it pushed us in this direction. I sourced the backdrop from @katebackdrops and dialed in the setup to match the vision.

Grace is an artist with a strong eye, which made this especially fun to build together.

On set, we kept it collaborative, making small adjustments, sharing images in real time, and refining as we went.

A few things I always follow on portrait shoots:

– Study your inspo and keep it close during the shoot
– Show images as you go
– Set and test everything ahead of time
– Build in time for touch-ups
– Keep checking in on how your subject feels
– Watch the small details (hands, posture, wardrobe)
– Shoot through the in-between moments

Kit:
Sony a7R III
Sony 50mm f/1.8
Godox 150
Neewer softbox
Reflector
Tiny on-camera video light on tripod for extra fill.

Final selects coming soon.

#lightingsetup #onsetphotography #denverportraitphotographer #howishoot #creativepractice