This project was intended to enhance our studio photography skills, and the only parameter was that it needed to be a portrait. I decided to highlight the model's facial structure and features by using simple light and dark contrast created with studio lighting.

For this portrait, I experimented with lights around the model's face and how they interacted with each other and the composition. After discovering a lighting placement that worked best, I uploaded the final photo into Photoshop to enhance the shadows and complete some necessary touch-ups. Due to the intense look in the model's eyes, I felt that placing the image in black and white would add more emphasis to the focal point and relieve any distractions that may have come from color.

My professor and classmates thought very highly of this portrait. The part of the composition that they felt was working best was the gaze of the model, which drew them into the composition. I received many comments about the mysterious and dark nature of the image created through the light and dark contrast. They reacted well to the decision to place the image in black and white and felt that the placement of my shadows and highlights were working well to frame the face of the model.