Study of Sara Sheldon

This is my latest drawing, a study of my friend Sara, in prep for an oil painting.

I’ve taken many photos of Sara in hopes of getting the right image to use for a painting, but, until last week, was usually disappointed with the results.  The problem was that I did not have control over the setting for the photos.  I would meet with Sara for coffee, have my camera with me, and grab snapshots in whatever setting was available. In this type of situation, I would be lucky to get 1 good image out of 100+ attempts.

It dawned on me that I needed to have more control over the setting and lighting of my subjects.  I set up an area of my studio for portrait photography.  Basically, I set up an area with a black cloth on the wall, and two lights that I can manipuate to light the subject.  I think this first use with Sara shows I’m on the right track.  I’m going to add to the setup by getting an assortment of colored cloth for backdrops, and also invest in more light options.