The making of 'Suile'

by Editor Michel Romaggi in collaboration of the author Carles Punyet Miró
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 4th of January 2023

'Suile' (Canon EOS 7D Mark II . ISO100 . 35mm . 1/125s . f/5.0)

'Suile' is very representative of Carles' portraits which are breathtaking, both in their technical quality and in their wonderful artistic rendering.
Thank you very much, Carles, for sharing with us some of your way of working.

Can you reveal some technical secrets to achieve the exceptional quality of this portrait?
What equipment , lighting and settings did you use?

I used a Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera, with EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM Canon Lens. I displayed a series of flashes on both sides and on Led in front of the model, enhancing her right side.
Settings : 100 ISO, focal 35mm, 1/125s, f/5,0. She was laying in a bed and I shot with a slight dive.

How do you choose the "staging" of your models?

I choose the staging after a series of tests, but I always have a very clear idea of what I want to achieve. I try to get them involved with passion and patience. They know me well.

You seem to master colour as well as black and white. What guides your choice for one or the other?

As an amateur and in my humble opinion, black-and-white photos tend to be more dramatic, artistic, and with a certain sense of harshness, which I love on certain occasions. For me, colour photos are softer and less dramatic, but not less artistic. Talking about portraits, sometimes I think in B/W before shooting, but in most cases, I wait to edit them to decide - always working on the colour versions first.

'Vamp'

'Soft and tender'

The way you post-process your photos is also remarkable. Can you explain how you proceed?

First, I edit with Lightroom (Lens Corrections, detail, curves, basic topics) and then PS. (That´s where the show starts) I usually work with “Smart Layers” and masks, using various filters and 'actions' that I programmed. Each photo is different and requires different editing processes.

To finish, can you tell us what is the place of photography in your life and how you arrived at these artistic choices?

To me, photography is just a hobby (I don't aspire to nothing more), but I feel honoured to have achieved the distinctions MFCF* and MCEF* (Master of Catalan Federation of Photography, and Master of Spanish Confederation of Photography). They were my goals when I seriously began in 2014. I don´t know how I arrived at these artistic choices (I would have to overthink it), I just know that I love art in general. (But my great passion is to fly with a plane, always with a camera).