Hey Reader,
Earlier this week I posted a video sharing the setup vs the shots I captured in a project for an interior designer.
And it gave me the idea to do the same here. To walk you through a few recent images, show you the setups, and then the final results.
My goal is to share that there is a lot of thought that goes into the photos I create, and maybe give you some inspiration to approach your next shoot with a bit more intention.
Let's dive in!
Castellers
Last week was a tradition in Catalunya called La Mercè.
It is a celebration that spans a few days, and we went to see the famous castellers, the human towers.
In the first image, you can see how busy it was, harsh midday light surrounded by buildings.
Here’s how I approached it:
I used the building to block the sun shining right onto my lens.
By doing this, I created a bit of a light streak that added to the frame.
Originally, when we arrived, the sun was directly behind where the towers were being made, so we moved a bit to ensure I got some side lighting.
Side lighting is much more cinematic and helped give a nice hair light to the subjects (towers).
I liked the idea of capturing the construction of the towers as it felt a little more story-driven, rather than just the final pose.
So I made sure to press the shutter right in those moments too!
And to help avoid the tower losing the main focal point of the image, I used a tighter focal length (70mm) to compress the background.
Once home, I edited this shot with my Mediterranean preset collection and was very happy with the results.
Gothic Quater
You might remember this one from my YouTube video on photometry.
The inspiration came from a light streak cutting sharply through an old street in the Gothic quarter.
I chose to expose for the highlights and not worry about losing detail in the shadows (using spot metering).
I wanted the shot to feel moody and cinematic.
Instead of chasing a subject, I stayed in one position and waited.
Eventually a couple walked into the light and the shot worked.
I was using the Fujifilm XE4 with a 35mm lens, so with the crop it gave me a nicely compressed and intimate frame.
Sitges Cathedral
Sitges is one of my favourite towns outside Barcelona.
The vibe is calmer and I wanted the photo to feel the same.
I moved closer to cut out the clutter from the street and to keep the frame clean with the tower as the main focal point.
The flag hanging down would have looked great if it had been catching the wind, but instead, much like the previous image I waited for the right subject to walk through.
Groups of people came and went, but eventually, one woman strolled past, reading a book.
Her top matched the colours in the scene, and the balance felt right.
It took a small burst of photos to make sure I caught her in the right stride, but overall i was happy how this one came together!
Patience was the key.
Salts Terrace Bar
This one is from one of my favourite terraces in the city, Salts.
When I arrived, a water polo tournament was already underway, which instantly gave me plenty to work with.
In the setup shot you can see I was stuck in the shade.
No contrast, no depth, and a background that was completely blown out.
So I moved over to the other side where I could bring some side light into the frame.
The sun was already dropping, so I leaned into full backlighting.
That was when I spotted the detail that made the shot: the shadows of the athletes stretching across the poolside.
I kept it anonymous so the focus stayed on the shapes and the atmosphere.
After a warm edit, it became one of my favourite frames of the summer.
Cadaqués
A few weeks ago, we spent the weekend in Cadaqués for a wedding, and I could not resist shooting the landscape while we were there.
I captured this from the rooftop of our Airbnb!
The tripod in the setup shot was mainly for video, but it gave me the extra height I needed to clear the rooftop clutter.
It also meant I could stop down the lens and slow the shutter speed without worrying about movement.
As the sun started to dip I warmed up the tones in editing and added a soft mask on the right to bring out the colour in the sky.
It ended up being one of my favourite frames from that trip.
Overall
That is a quick run-through of some setups vs shots.
It is a reminder that the setup rarely looks exciting.
Most of the time, it is about small shifts: moving a few metres to change the light, waiting for the right person, or choosing to embrace shadows rather than fight them.
And one last thing...
I am working on a new product at the moment.
It could be a live workshop or something different entirely.
If there is something you would really like to see, I would love to hear from you.
